Do maternity care provider groups have different attitudes towards birth?

Area of Science:

• Maternal Health
• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Healthcare Practices

Background:

• Understanding the varying perspectives of healthcare providers is crucial for optimizing maternity care.
• Self-reported practices and beliefs influence clinical decision-making in childbirth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the self-reported practices, attitudes, and beliefs of family physicians, obstetricians, and midwives regarding key aspects of childbirth.
• To identify differences in approaches to maternity care among these professional groups.

Main Methods:

• A postal survey was conducted using a questionnaire with 23 five-point Likert scale items.
• The survey targeted all registered midwives and a sample of family physicians and obstetricians in a maternity care teaching hospital.
• Response rates were high, with 91% for midwives, 69% for family physicians, and 89% for obstetricians.

Main Results:

• Cluster analysis revealed three distinct groups: 'MW' (predominantly midwives), 'OB' (predominantly obstetricians), and 'FP' (mixed family physicians and obstetricians).
• The 'OB' cluster showed a stronger inclination towards interventions like cesarean sections and labor induction, and a lesser emphasis on birth plans.
• The 'MW' cluster held opposing views, while the 'FP' cluster's attitudes fell between the two.

Conclusions:

• Obstetricians exhibit a greater reliance on technology and interventions, while midwives are the least interventionist, with family physicians in the middle.
• Distinct approaches to maternity care exist between obstetricians and midwives.
• Family physicians demonstrate heterogeneity in their practice, sometimes aligning more with midwives and other times with obstetricians.