Women's decision-making autonomy in Dutch maternity care. 2023

Maaike Vogels-Broeke, and Evelien Cellissen, and Darie Daemers, and Luc Budé, and Raymond de Vries, and Marianne Nieuwenhuijze
Research Centre for Midwifery Science, Zuyd University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

A positive childbirth experience is an important outcome of maternity care. A significant component of a positive birth experience is the ability to exercise autonomy in decision-making. In this study, we explore women's reports of their autonomy during conversations about their care with maternity care practitioners during pregnancy and childbirth. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional survey of women living in The Netherlands that asked about their experiences during pregnancy and childbirth, including their role in conversations concerning decisions about their care. A total of 3494 women were included in this study. Most women scored high on autonomy in decision-making conversations. During the latter stage of pregnancy (32+ weeks) and in childbirth, women reported significantly lower levels of autonomy in their care conversations with obstetricians as compared with midwives. Linear regression analyses showed that women's perception of personal treatment increased women's reported autonomy in their conversations with both midwives and obstetricians. Almost half (49.1%) of the women who had at least one intervention during birth reported pressure to accept or submit to that intervention. This was indicated by 48.3% of women with induced labor, 47.3% who had an instrumental vaginal birth, 45.2% whose labor was augmented, and 41.9% of women who had a cesarean birth. In general, women's sense of autonomy in decision-making conversations during prenatal care and birth is high, but there is room for improvement, and this appeared most notably in conversations with obstetricians. Women's sense of autonomy can be enhanced with personal treatment, including shared decision-making and the avoidance of pressuring women to accept interventions.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008427 Maternal Health Services Organized services to provide health care to expectant and nursing mothers. Health Services, Maternal,Services, Maternal Health,Health Service, Maternal,Maternal Health Service
D009774 Obstetrics A medical-surgical specialty concerned with management and care of women during pregnancy, parturition, and the puerperium.
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D003430 Cross-Sectional Studies Studies in which the presence or absence of disease or other health-related variables are determined in each member of the study population or in a representative sample at one particular time. This contrasts with LONGITUDINAL STUDIES which are followed over a period of time. Disease Frequency Surveys,Prevalence Studies,Analysis, Cross-Sectional,Cross Sectional Analysis,Cross-Sectional Survey,Surveys, Disease Frequency,Analyses, Cross Sectional,Analyses, Cross-Sectional,Analysis, Cross Sectional,Cross Sectional Analyses,Cross Sectional Studies,Cross Sectional Survey,Cross-Sectional Analyses,Cross-Sectional Analysis,Cross-Sectional Study,Cross-Sectional Surveys,Disease Frequency Survey,Prevalence Study,Studies, Cross-Sectional,Studies, Prevalence,Study, Cross-Sectional,Study, Prevalence,Survey, Cross-Sectional,Survey, Disease Frequency,Surveys, Cross-Sectional
D003657 Decision Making The process of making a selective intellectual judgment when presented with several complex alternatives consisting of several variables, and usually defining a course of action or an idea. Credit Assignment,Assignment, Credit,Assignments, Credit,Credit Assignments
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D036801 Parturition The process of giving birth to one or more offspring. Birth,Childbirth,Births,Childbirths,Parturitions

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