Call (and pay) the midwife: A discrete choice experiment on mothers’ preferences and their willingness to pay for midwifery care

Abstract

BackgroundMothers in Germany are entitled to midwifery care; however, they face a lack of skilled professionals. While the reliability of the access to midwifery is of great public interest, we know little about clients’ preferences. ObjectivesWe conduct a discrete choice experiment to study preferences and willingness to accept copayment for the entire scope of midwifery care (pregnancy, delivery, and postnatal). Thereby, we aim to provide policy recommendations for priority settings in times of scarcity. Furthermore, we evaluate to what extent midwives’ education matters to parents and assess the degree of support for the latest Midwifery Reform Act that transfers education from vocational schools to universities. DesignDiscrete choice experiment with separated adaptive dual response. SettingsOnline Survey promoted through Facebook to parents in Germany. Respondents2080 respondents completed the experiment. They all have or are expecting at least one natural child, mainly born between 2018 and 2020 (87%). The average respondent is female (99%), 33 years old, with a university degree (50%). MethodsWe use a d-optimal fractional factorial design and obtain individual parameter estimates through a Multinomial Logit analysis with Hierarchical Bayes estimation techniques. We calculate willingness to pay and importance weights and simulate uptake probabilities for different packages of care. To avoid extreme choice behavior, we apply separated adaptive dual response. ResultsHome visits during the postnatal phase are most important (importance weight 50%); online support is demanded when no personal support is available. We find that 1:1 care during delivery is highly preferred, but one midwife supporting two women intrapartum is still acceptable. The midwife´s education plays a minor role with an importance weight of 3%; however, we find a preference for midwives trained at vocational schools rather than at universities. ConclusionsIn times of scarcity, postnatal care in the form of home visits should be prioritized over pregnancy counseling, and online services should be promoted as an add-on but not as a substitute for personal support. There is a high level of willingness to accept co-financing to ensure the availability of services usually covered by health insurance.