Women's decision-making regarding place of birth
Research type
Research Study
Full title
women's decision-making regarding place of birth
IRAS ID
153765
Contact name
Oddny Jonsdottir
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
This study will look at why high-risk women choose to give birth at home or in the obstetric unit. The studies that have looked at a comparison of the different birth places have tried to understand what influences women´s decisions regarding place of birth. These studies have tended to focus on low-risk women and there is little research available on the decisions made by high-risk women regarding place of birth. Health care providers will also be included in the study to better understand their experiences of looking after high-risk pregnant women who choose a specific place of birth.
This study is made up of two parts.
Part 1 will include around 10 women who have been categorised as high-risk by their health care provider as a result of a pre-existing medical or social problem, a poor obstetric history, or due to a new obstetric problem that changes their risk status from low- to high-risk. Women will be interviewed up to 4 times to 1) gain an understanding of the factors that influence their decision to birth at home or in the obstetric unit and 2) understand how these decisions may impact on how they feel about their subsequent care. The findings should help support women’s choices regarding place of birth in the future. The women will be recruited through community- and hospital based antenatal clinics, various community groups in Edinburgh, and websites. The participants who opt-in will then be contacted by the researcher.
Part 2 will include around 12 health care providers who are involved with providing clinical care to high-risk women. They will be interviewed once to explore their views about high-risk women giving birth at home or in the obstetric unit. This should provide context to the challenges health care providers may face when looking after high-risk women.
REC name
South East Scotland REC 01
REC reference
14/SS/1100
Date of REC Opinion
22 Dec 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion