Maternal satisfaction with group care: a systematic review.

Area of Science:

• Perinatal Health
• Maternal Care Models
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Standard individual prenatal care is the traditional model.
• Group care models integrate clinical assessment, health promotion, and community building.
• Maternal satisfaction is a key outcome in evaluating perinatal care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively assess the relationship between group care and maternal satisfaction.
• To compare maternal satisfaction in group care versus standard individual care settings.
• To synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of group perinatal care models.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across major databases (CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, etc.) from 2003 to 2023.
• Inclusion of randomized and observational studies comparing group care with standard individual care.
• Descriptive synthesis of study characteristics, intervention details, and satisfaction outcomes using forest plots; meta-analysis was not performed due to heterogeneity.

Main Results:

• Seventeen out of twenty studies reported higher maternal satisfaction with group care.
• CenteringPregnancy and similar models showed high satisfaction rates in 14 out of 15 studies.
• Some studies, particularly in Sweden and Canada, reported lower satisfaction, with results often limited by small sample sizes and wide confidence intervals.

Conclusions:

• Group care consistently demonstrates higher maternal satisfaction compared to standard individual care.
• The integrated approach of group care, combining clinical, educational, and social support, likely drives increased satisfaction.
• Findings support the global implementation of group care models to improve maternal experiences.