Change over time in women's views and experiences of maternity care in England, 1995-2014: A comparison using survey data.
Jane Henderson, Maggie Redshaw
PMID 27889681WHAT IT FOUND
Women's maternity experiences in England improved for antenatal information, labour choices and mobility, but postnatal hospital stays and home visits fell.
Nurses should ask women about infant crying, settling and support after discharge.
Key findings
01More women reported having a choice about induction, moving in labour, and giving birth upright.
02Postnatal hospital stays of three days or more fell from 47% in 1995 to 29% in 2014, and three or more home visits fell from 91% in 2006 to 62% in 2014.
03Between a third and half of women said they did not receive enough help with infant crying or settling, and almost a quarter wanted more health professional contact after discharge.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The response rate fell from 67% to 48%, and younger women, ethnic minority women, economically inactive women and women in deprived areas were less likely to respond. Question wording changed between surveys, including the respect question in 2014, so some comparisons are not exact. Women reported their care about three months after birth, and some may be unclear about aspects of care. The study compares survey responses over time and cannot show that policy changes caused the reported trends.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that maternity policy changes caused better care. It compares survey responses over time and cannot attribute change to any single intervention.