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Exploring trust in (bio)medical and experiential knowledge of birth : the perspectives of pregnant women, new mothers and maternity care providers

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Clancy, Georgia, Boardman, Felicity K. and Rees, Sophie (2022) Exploring trust in (bio)medical and experiential knowledge of birth : the perspectives of pregnant women, new mothers and maternity care providers. Midwifery, 107 . 103272. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2022.103272 ISSN 0266-6138.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2022.103272

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Abstract

Objective:
To explore women's and maternity care providers’ experiences of birth, and the roles of (bio)medical and experiential knowledge therein.

Research design/setting:
In-depth qualitative interviews were undertaken with pregnant women and new mothers (n = 14) as well as with a range of maternity care providers working for the National Health Service (n = 6) and privately (n = 7).

Findings:
Trust emerged as a key concept in women's and maternity care providers' narratives. It was found that women and maternity care providers placed trust in two key areas: trust in past experiences and trust in women's innate abilities and embodied knowledge of birth.

Key conclusions:
Women and maternity care providers trust and utilise both (bio)medical and experiential forms of knowledge of birth in complex ways and the value an individual ascribes to (bio)medical and/or experiential knowledge is highly subjective, and not necessarily mutually exclusive. This destabilises the notion that (bio)medical knowledge is associated with experts and experiential knowledge is associated with ‘lay’ people, and that these two bodies of knowledge are distinct.

Implications for practice:
Trust is a key concept in maternity care. The predominance of biomedical models of birth risk reducing trust in the value of experiential based birth knowledges – both embodied and empathetic. Trust in experiential knowledge could help to facilitate woman-centred care by recognising women as valuable ‘knowers’ with unique insight to contribute, and not just receivers of medical knowledge. It may also help providers ‘tune-in’ with the women in their care if they allow their experiential knowledge to complement their (bio)medical knowledge.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: R Medicine > RG Gynecology and obstetrics
Divisions: Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Health Sciences
Faculty of Social Sciences > Sociology
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Childbirth, Pregnancy , Pregnant women , Maternal health services, Pregnant women -- —Services for
Journal or Publication Title: Midwifery
Publisher: Elsevier Sci Ltd.
ISSN: 0266-6138
Official Date: April 2022
Dates:
DateEvent
April 2022Published
4 February 2022Available
3 February 2022Accepted
Volume: 107
Article Number: 103272
DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2022.103272
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Open Access (Creative Commons)
Date of first compliant deposit: 15 February 2022
Date of first compliant Open Access: 18 February 2022
RIOXX Funder/Project Grant:
Project/Grant IDRIOXX Funder NameFunder ID
ES/J500203/1 [ESRC] Economic and Social Research Councilhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000269

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