Midwifery Care: A Descriptive Study of Patient Satisfaction

Abstract

The objective of this study was to compare maternal and infant outcome variables and patient satisfaction with obstetric care provided by Certified Nurse Midwives and attending physicians. A Care Provider Maternal Satisfaction Survey (CPMSS) was developed to evaluate patient satisfaction with the chosen care provider. The survey was sent to all study patients. All of the study population delivered at a university-affiliated hospital. The study population was all obstetric patients in 1988 and 1989 (n = 535) who received care from the midwifery and attending physician academic faculty practices. Primary care providers for women in group I (n = 310) and group II (n = 225) were midwives and physicians, respectively. Of the total, 461 (86.2%) women returned the CPMSS survey. There were no interventions, and the main outcome measures were patient responses to the CPMSS survey and retrospective evaluation of maternal and infant perinatal outcome variables. Women in group I were slightly more satisfied with their providers. Both groups had similar rates of primary cesarean sections and successful vaginal delivery after previous cesarean section. Our data support Certified Nurse Midwives as qualified providers of maternity care.

Improving Satisfaction with Care and Reducing Length of Stay in an Obstetric Triage Unit Using a Nurse‐Midwife‐Managed Model of Care

“…The findings of this project are congruent with the results of other studies examining women's satisfaction with midwifery care and time spent on the unit . Specifically, findings of higher satisfaction with information giving, social support, and the ability to make decisions are consistent with those of other studies .…”

“…2,33 Specifically, findings of higher satisfaction with information giving, social support, and the ability to make decisions are consistent with those of other studies. [21][22][23][24] Paine et al 22 also found that nursemidwives provide more face-to-face time and counseling to women during prenatal care when compared with physicians, thereby improving patient satisfaction. This idea is supported by Waldenstrom et al, 34 who also determined that women experienced increased satisfaction with a midwife-physician team in contrast to care with only physician management.…”

“…[9][10][11][12] Therefore, using certified nurse-midwives/certified midwives (CNMs/CMs) and registered nurses (RNs) to manage an obstetric triage unit in collaboration with obstetrician-gynecologists has the potential to increase satisfaction with care and reduce the length of stay on the unit. Although the role of the CNM/CM and CNMphysician collaborative model in providing care in the obstetric triage unit has been described in the literature, 1,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] and this model of care is associated with higher rates of satisfaction in other settings such as ambulatory care and labor and delivery units, [21][22][23][24] there are no published reports evaluating whether CNM/CM models of care are associated with increased satisfaction with care and reduced length of stay in the obstetric triage unit. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to determine whether a CNM-managed obstetric triage unit would increase satisfaction with care and decrease the length of stay in the triage unit.…”

Comparing Women's Assessment of Midwifery and Medical Care in Québec, Canada

“…Nonetheless, data show that midwifery practice in the Quebec pilot projects seems to favor women‐centered care and a more personalized approach as well as better continuity of care, which is consistent with studies conducted elsewhere (6,7). This can be interpreted in a variety of ways and resulting from numerous factors.…”

Meeting Health Care Needs of a Vulnerable Population: Perceived Barriers

“…These concerns are congruent with findings from other research (Graveley & Littlefield, 1992;Olivo, Freda, Piening, & Henderson, 1994;Welch, 1996) in which it has been found that women prefer female providers who they find more understanding and knowledgeable, especially in regard to women's problems. For many low-income women and children, the health care system itself can be perceived as a barrier, as access to health care can be foiled by inflexible office hours that do not accommodate working mothers and school-age children (Ahmed & Maurana, 1999;Salganicoff & Wyn, 1999), and having to spend more than the usual time waiting at clinics is a common dissatisfaction (Riportella-Muller et al, 1996;Salganicoff & Wyn, 1999;Stevenson et al, 1994).…”