Continuity of care is extremely important to both childbearing mothers and midwives in terms of the overall satisfaction obtained throughout the childbirth experience. Continuity of care in midwifery is a continuous relationship developed between the woman and her caregiver throughout the antepartum, intrapartum and following on to the postpartum period whereby a trusting and meaningful relationship can develop. This essay will discuss the benefits and disadvantages of two different models of midwifery care; caseload care, a midwifery-led care model in which the primary caregiver is a known midwife and shared care, a combination of midwifery-led and medical-led models where the primary caregiver is a GP or private obstetrician. It will focus
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The combination of occupational autonomy with the provision of continuity of care delivers high levels of professional satisfaction for midwives (Collins, Fereday, Pincombe, Oster & Turnbull, 2010). A study conducted on midwives in North Queensland found that autonomy, professional development, pride in their work and the ability to work within their full scope of practice as midwives, were amongst the most rewarding factors of practising within the caseload midwifery model. They also enjoyed the accountability required to work within this model, finding the responsibility of all aspects of the woman’s care to be a rewarding and gratifying aspect of their role (Edmondson & Walker, 2014). Caseload midwifery can be attributed to engaging existing midwives and enticing new midwives into the profession by enabling them to develop their skills and provide holistic, collaborative midwifery care (Department of Health and Ageing, …show more content…
Care providers also derive enjoyment and professional satisfaction from providing continuity of care to their patients. Having a known carer throughout the intrapartum period is very highly regarded by many women. For others, the most important factor can be having a GP that knows her history, is culturally sensitive, speaks the woman’s native language or can provide ongoing care to the woman, baby and entire family. Continuity of care in a caseload setting provides midwives with enhanced job satisfaction, an opportunity to work within their full scope of practice, to develop trusting and meaningful relationships with women and to be present through all stages of the childbirth experience. In a shared care setting, continuity of care enables GPs to stay engaged in the public health sector, it reduces costs and eases the burden of maternity service provision in the public system and it allows them to be included in their patient’s lives in a very positive
The combination of occupational autonomy with the provision of continuity of care delivers high levels of professional satisfaction for midwives (Collins, Fereday, Pincombe, Oster & Turnbull, 2010). A study conducted on midwives in North Queensland found that autonomy, professional development, pride in their work and the ability to work within their full scope of practice as midwives, were amongst the most rewarding factors of practising within the caseload midwifery model. They also enjoyed the accountability required to work within this model, finding the responsibility of all aspects of the woman’s care to be a rewarding and gratifying aspect of their role (Edmondson & Walker, 2014). Caseload midwifery can be attributed to engaging existing midwives and enticing new midwives into the profession by enabling them to develop their skills and provide holistic, collaborative midwifery care (Department of Health and Ageing, …show more content…
Care providers also derive enjoyment and professional satisfaction from providing continuity of care to their patients. Having a known carer throughout the intrapartum period is very highly regarded by many women. For others, the most important factor can be having a GP that knows her history, is culturally sensitive, speaks the woman’s native language or can provide ongoing care to the woman, baby and entire family. Continuity of care in a caseload setting provides midwives with enhanced job satisfaction, an opportunity to work within their full scope of practice, to develop trusting and meaningful relationships with women and to be present through all stages of the childbirth experience. In a shared care setting, continuity of care enables GPs to stay engaged in the public health sector, it reduces costs and eases the burden of maternity service provision in the public system and it allows them to be included in their patient’s lives in a very positive