Communication, Respect, and Autonomy: Exploring Elements of a Meaningful Birth Partnership [08P

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: A health system focused on person-centered maternity care should place high value on women's sense of autonomy and perception of the decision-making process. We aim to triangulate quantitative findings to better understand the role of communication in improving maternal care delivery, in order to inform development of processes that facilitate a patient-centered birth partnership. METHODS: A paper questionnaire was self-administered to women receiving postpartum care at a hospital in the northeast United States. The questionnaire employed the Mothers Autonomy in Decision Making (MADM) scale, the Mothers on Respect (MOR) index, and questions from the Listening to Mothers III survey in asking about communication experiences and preferences during maternity care. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine which communication preferences correlated with MADM and MOR scores. RESULTS: 155 participants consented and enrolled into the study, with a mean age of 27.1 (SD 5.5). The mean MADM and MOR scores were 36.06 (SD 6.55) and 73.76 (SD 8.78), respectively. Use of overly medicalized terminology by maternity care providers negatively correlated with perceived respect. Satisfaction with time spent with maternity care providers and encouragement of participation in care positively correlated with perceived autonomy. Websites and “Apps” with pregnancy and childbirth information were considered twice as valuable as childbirth education classes. CONCLUSION: Data obtained from this study will significantly add to understanding of the patient experience and will inform future interventions that encourage a patient partnership in the provision of childbirth care.