Midwifery continuity of care: Why patients should be more vocal advocates (20 September 2021)

Summary

This blog in The BMJ Opinion by Steph O'Donohue, content and engagement manager at Patient Safety Learning, looks at the benefits and potential risks of the midwifery continuity of carer model. Steph highlights that seeing the same midwife throughout pregnancy and during labour allows patient and midwife to build a relationship of trust and results in improved outcomes for patients and their babies. She argues that patients and families would be more vocal advocates for continuity of carer if they better understood the benefits of the model.

Further reading:

• Midwifery Continuity of Carer: What does good look like?'
• Midwifery Continuity of Carer: Frontline insights
• The benefits of Continuity of Carer: a midwife’s personal reflection