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Home births and antenatal care: the G.P. perspective
T O'Connell1, F Howell, R Corcoran
1Department of Public Health, North Eastern Health Board, Railway St., Navan, Co. Meath.
Irish Medical Journal
|February 27, 1999
Summary
General Practitioners (G.P.s) desire greater involvement in antenatal care and shorter hospital stays. However, most G.P.s are hesitant about midwife-led or combined midwife/G.P. maternity care models.
Area of Science:
- Maternal Health
- General Practice
- Obstetrics
Background:
- Antenatal care services and delivery models are evolving.
- General Practitioners (G.P.s) play a key role in maternity care.
- Understanding G.P. perspectives is crucial for service planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess General Practitioners' (G.P.s) views on antenatal services.
- To explore G.P. attitudes towards home births and midwife-led care models.
- To gauge G.P. willingness to facilitate changes in maternity care provision.
Main Methods:
- A postal questionnaire was distributed to 138 General Practitioners (G.P.s) in an Irish regional health authority.
- A response rate of 72% was achieved, with 100 G.P.s replying.
- The questionnaire focused on antenatal services and different models of childbirth.
Main Results:
- A significant majority of responding G.P.s (92%) desired increased involvement in antenatal care.
- Most G.P.s (91%) were amenable to facilitating shorter hospital stays for delivery.
- A minority of G.P.s favored midwife deliveries (32%), combined midwife/G.P. deliveries (15%), or full midwife care (15%).
Conclusions:
- General Practitioners (G.P.s) in this region show a strong desire for enhanced roles in antenatal care and support for shorter hospital stays.
- There is limited G.P. enthusiasm for midwife-led or collaborative midwife/G.P. models of intrapartum care.
- Future maternity service development requires addressing G.P. preferences and integrating their input effectively.