Pregnant women and women who have just given birth have more confidence in maternity care when healthcare providers give consistent information. They also perceive maternity care as better. This is shown by a study conducted by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) into the information women receive during pregnancy and around childbirth.
During and after pregnancy, women make choices about the care given to them and their (unborn) babies. At the same time, they have to process a large amount of information from healthcare providers, such as midwives or gynaecologists, as well as from informal sources like social media, friends and other pregnant women.
Trust and perceived quality
Women report that the information they receive from different healthcare providers is the most consistent. When that information aligns well, they have more trust in the care and perceive the quality of care to be better. Good collaboration between healthcare providers is also associated with a higher perceived quality of care. Information from social media, family, or other pregnant women is less often consistent and is less strongly linked to perceived quality of care.
Abundance of information
The women who participated in the study report that the abundance of information is a problem. They also find it difficult to determine which information to follow when advice differs and they have to assess its reliability themselves. Some interviewees indicate that this can create doubt or uncertainty, especially when the information concerns possible risks to the mother or child. For information and advice, they often rely on healthcare professionals, such as their midwife. Differences in information between healthcare providers can therefore have a significant impact and create more uncertainty than differences in information from sources such as social media. The researchers therefore recommend that healthcare providers clearly explain why advice may sometimes differ. In addition, it is important to consider where pregnant women get their information and to direct them to reliable sources.
Other recommendations
Another recommendation is to further align the information and advice given to pregnant women even more closely. This is already happening, but alignment could be strengthened, both among midwives and between midwives and hospital‑based healthcare professionals. One way to do this is to make regional agreements about how to provide information on common topics. Policymakers can also help pregnant women find reliable information. For example, they could work with maternity care professionals to develop a digital guide listing reliable websites, apps and other sources of information.
About the study
RIVM used a questionnaire and in‑depth interviews to examine how pregnant women and women who recently gave birth perceive the consistency of information. They were also asked about their trust in healthcare and their perceived quality of care. On average, the participating women rated the quality of maternity care as high (4.3 on a scale from 1 to 5). Trust in maternity care was also high (4.3). Most participants in the study had completed higher professional or university education and were born in the Netherlands.
The study was carried out on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.