What women expect of family physicians as maternity care providers

OBJECTIVE: To explore women's expectations and experiences of family physicians as maternity care providers. DESIGN: In-depth semistructured one-on-one interviews were conducted at 36 weeks' gestation and at 6 weeks postpartum. SETTING: Family practices in Halifax, NS. PARTICIPANTS: Five female family physicians recruited a total of 6 low-risk primigravida women. Five of the 6 women completed follow-up interviews. METHOD: Interviews lasting 1 to 2 hours were conducted using an unstructured interview guide. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using a grounded-theory approach. MAIN FINDINGS: Women's expectations fell into 4 main categories: informational support, emotional support, advocacy, and competent professional care. Womens' expectations of physicians were consistent in some areas and varied in others. All women expected their physicians to communicate information about their medical care, listen to and respect their wishes, and provide them with competent medical care. Some women expected their physicians to provide emotional support and help with decision making, while others did not. Uncertainty about the role of family physicians in helping women prepare for birth was also evident. Women in our study described a range of roles for family physicians as maternity care providers. These roles reflected a holistic style of care that addresses the psychosocial as well as the biomedical needs of women giving birth. CONCLUSION: Research is needed to define family physicians' roles as maternity care providers and to describe how these roles fit with similar roles filled by other maternity care providers.