Women’s Expectations and Experiences in Maternity Care: How Do Women Conceptualise the Process of Continuity?

Objective: to gain an understanding of how women conceptualise continuity of maternity care. Design: a qualitative study involving in-depth semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. Setting: a range of urban and rural public hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. Participants: 53 women aged 18-44 years (median age 27 years) receiving maternity care in 2011 2012. Findings: responses from women suggested five types of continuity: continuity of staff, continuity of relationship, continuity of information, continuity across pregnancies, and continuity across locations. The types of continuity differed by parity and location. Conclusion and implications for practice: continuity of maternity care has a variety of meanings to women. If healthcare providers are to commit to providing womancentred maternity care it is important to recognise the diversity of women’s experiences, and ensure that systems of care are flexible and appropriate to women’s circumstances and needs.