Perinatal Care Experiences as Voiced by Black Women Birthing in an Urban Academic Medical Center

To center the experiences of Black birthing women and their perceptions of the care they received in the perinatal period.

Qualitative descriptive.

Phone interviews with patients at an urban academic medical center.

Twelve participants who self-identified as Black women and had received perinatal care at the study site within the past 6 months were interviewed.

Semistructured interviews were used in which participants described their experiences with care in the prenatal, peripartum, and postpartum care spaces at the study site. The interview transcripts were analyzed using basic inductive content analysis to identify themes and subthemes.

We identified four major themes: Shared Decision-Making, Education, Support, and Respectful Communication. The experiences communicated by the participants were overwhelmingly positive, which stands in contradiction to current nationwide data reflecting the birth experiences of patients in the same demographic.

Patient experience is best evaluated by listening to the stories and perspectives of Black women themselves and including them in the development of interventions designed to improve their interaction with perinatal care. This can be achieved through patient-centered care practices that prioritize shared decision-making, education, support, and respectful communication. A care team that recognizes the unique needs and priorities of their patients is better able to meet those needs and cultivate positive birth experiences.