One-to-one midwifery

Area of Science:

• Maternal Health
• Midwifery Care Models
• Healthcare Professional Collaboration

Background:

• One-to-one midwifery caseload models aim to provide continuous, personalized care.
• Implementation can present unique challenges impacting midwives and patient relationships.
• Existing literature often focuses on benefits, with less on practical implementation issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and analyze the key challenges encountered in developing one-to-one midwifery caseloads.
• To explore potential solutions and strategies for overcoming these identified problems.
• To enhance the sustainability and effectiveness of the one-to-one midwifery model.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of key elements reported in one-to-one midwifery practice.
• Identification of recurring problems and proposed solutions from practice-based observations.
• Thematic analysis of reported issues including professional relationships, care boundaries, and workload.

Main Results:

• Identified problems include perceived 'elitism' and strained relationships with other staff.
• Challenges also involve defining care boundaries for high-risk mothers, long hours, and isolation.
• Women's expectations, including overdependence on the midwife, were noted as significant issues.

Conclusions:

• Maintaining dialogue and collaboration with other healthcare professionals is crucial.
• Clarifying roles, establishing partnerships, and implementing peer support can mitigate challenges.
• Empowering women and reducing overdependence are key to successful one-to-one midwifery.