O72 - An International Delphi Study of Woman-centred Care

Abstract

Woman-centred care is integral to the role of the midwife and to determining standards of practice. Few empirical studies have explored the meaning of woman-centred care, and its relationship to maternity services, how midwives perceive this concept and use it in practice, and this remains an identified gap in the evidence base. The aim of this study was to investigate the concept of woman-centred care in the context of international midwifery practice. A three round Delphi study with an international panel of expert midwives was used to gain an in-depth understanding and consensus of woman-centred care in the context of international midwifery clinical practice, maternity services, education, and research. A panel of 59 expert international midwives representing 22 countries participated in the Delphi study. A total of 59 statements about woman-centred care were developed using qualitative data obtained from the expert midwives and these statements categorised under four emergent themes. A total of 37 (63%) statements relating to woman-centred care reached the a priori consensus level of 75%. This presentation will report on those elements of woman-centred care that reached international consensus and highlight those that did not. Drawing on an international expert midwifery panel, this is the first study to investigate the concept of woman-centred care as it is experienced globally by midwives in clinical practice, maternity services, education, and research. The findings of this study will be used to contribute to the development of an internationally informed evidence-based definition of woman-centred care.