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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04524286

Role of Midwifery Continuity of Care in Reducing Health Inequalities

The impact of living in a deprived area has far reaching consequences on maternal and infant health. Studies in England show women living in deprived areas have some of the poorest experiences of care, poor birth outcomes and are 50% more likely to die of pregnancy related complications than women in the least deprived neighbourhoods. Life expectancy has also stalled for women living in the most deprived areas and the global COVID-19 pandemic has further amplified existing health inequalities.

The Social Determinants of Health (SDH) are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and are mostly responsible for health inequities - the unfair and avoidable differences in health seen within and between populations. Evidence shows taking action on the SDH alongside Midwifery Continuity of Care (MCC) models, improves birth outcomes and reduces health inequalities. How midwives working in MCC models in areas of high deprivation address the SDH as part of their public health and prevention role is currently not clear. There is also a lack of qualitative evidence exploring the SDH from the perspectives of women themselves.

Drawing on Constructivist Grounded Theory methods, this research will take place in a low-income setting in England. Through the use of semi-structured interviews with women and midwives working in an NHS MCC model, the study will generate theory to help explain how and indeed whether midwives take action to address the SDH as part of their public health role. The study also seeks to understand the SDH impacting upon women's lives and what mechanisms exist to support or obstruct engagement with the SDH. Examining these domains will contribute to the evidence base about the impact of MCC and the public health and prevention strategy in NHS maternity services.

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Key information

Conditions

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Behavior Pregnancy Related Public Health Social Determinants

Age range

16 year–50 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Princess Anne Hospital - University Hospital Southampton

Southampton, United Kingdom

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

- Childbearing Women

  • Women who are currently receiving maternity care from the MCC caseloading teams;
  • Women who have previously received care from one of the caseloading teams;
  • Women aged 16 and over;
  • Women who can understand English and are able to independently provide their informed consent;
  • Women at any point in their pregnancy or up to five years following the birth of their babies. This time frame is considered appropriate in order to capture women who are currently receiving maternity care and those who have received care locally in the last five years. This will aim to also capture women's experiences before referral to the caseloading teams changed;
  • Women who had or are currently having their maternity care provided by UHS.

Inclusion criteria

- Midwives

  • Midwives who work in the MCC caseloading teams in the study setting;
  • Midwives who have previously worked in the local MCC caseloading teams.
  • Midwifery managers who have managerial oversight of the MCC caseloading teams.

Exclusion criteria

- Childbearing women

  • Women who have not received care from one of the MCC caseloading teams;
  • Women who gave birth more than five years ago;
  • Women below the age of 16 years;
  • Women who cannot speak English due to a lack of financial resources to fund translation services;
  • Women who are in labour;
  • Women who had their maternity care at a different NHS Trust;
  • Women who lack capacity to provide informed consent;
  • Women who decline to participate and decline to provide informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

- Midwives

  • Midwives who work in the universal teams;
  • MSWs due to different professional roles and responsibilities;
  • Midwives who decline to participate and decline to provide informed consent.

Treatment and study plan

Interviews only.

Other

Interviews will be conducted with childbearing women and midwives.

Primary outcomes

  1. Interviews with childbearing women

    Time frame: 12 months

    Women living in the case setting willing to participate and share their maternity care experiences in one-to-one interviews.

  2. Interviews with childbearing women

    Time frame: 12 months

    Women living in the case setting willing to participate and share their childbearing experiences in one-to-one interviews.

  3. Interview with midwives

    Time frame: 12 months

    Midwives willing to participate and share their experiences of providing care to women in the case setting.

  4. Interview with midwives

    Time frame: 12 months

    Midwives willing to participate and share their knowledge about their public health role and how the actions they take to meet the needs of women.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Document analysis

    Time frame: 12 months

    Analysis of documents such as policies, reports and guidelines which focus on maternal health inequalities, the public health role of midwives, and the role of midwifery-led continuity of care.

  2. Memo writing

    Time frame: 12 months

    Memos will be written throughout data collection and incorporated into data analysis.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Bournemouth University

Other

Collaborators

  • University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust

Registry information

Official study title

The Role of a Midwifery Continuity of CARE Model in Reducing Health Inequalities in Childbearing Women and Babies Living on a Low-income: The Mi-CARE Study

Acronym: Mi-CARE

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2022
First posted
Aug 24, 2020
Registry last updated
Apr 22, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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