Barriers to accessing and receiving antenatal care: Findings from interviews with Australian women experiencing disadvantage.
Sarah V Penman, Ruth M Beatson, Elizabeth H Walker and 2 others
PMID 37366583WHAT IT FOUND
Australian women facing disadvantage described many overlapping barriers to antenatal care, especially money, transport, wait times, staff attitudes, emotions, and lack of support.
They valued care but said fragmented, rushed services made attendance hard.
Key findings
01All 11 barrier categories identified from earlier research appeared in the interviews, and women described barriers as multiple and overlapping rather than isolated.
02The most frequently discussed barriers were social and economic factors, clinical and administrative staff, health clinic or hospital settings, and emotions; immigration status and cultural norms emerged less frequently.
03Most participants valued antenatal care and were motivated to attend, but motivation fluctuated with health, personal challenges, and experiences of services and staff.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was small, with 11 women, and the authors say some barriers were likely missed. Most participants lived in socio-economically disadvantaged areas of metropolitan Melbourne, so the findings may not apply to other settings or groups. The study interviewed women after birth and did not test whether any service change improved attendance. Participant feedback on transcripts or findings was not sought because resources did not allow it.
Declared interests
Funding came from the Paul Ramsay Foundation, Eureka Benevolent Foundation, and the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program. One author was supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Practitioner Fellowship. The funding bodies had no role in study design, conduct, data collection, management, analysis, interpretation, preparation, review, approval, or decision to publish. The authors declared no conflicts of interest relevant to the article.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that continuity of carer, home visits, financial incentives, or caseload midwifery were tested and shown to increase antenatal attendance in this study. The paper reports women's perceived barriers and does not measure the effect of any intervention.