The relationship between women-centred care and women's birth experiences: a comparison between birth centres, clinics, and hospitals in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: the goal of women-centred care (WCC) is respect, safety, holism, partnership and the general well-being of women, which could lead to women's empowerment. The first step in providing WCC to all pregnant women is to describe women's perceptions of WCC during pregnancy in different health facilities. The objectives of this study were to ask (a) what are the perceptions and comparison of WCC at Japanese birth centres, clinics, and hospitals and (b) what are the relationships between WCC and three dimensions of women's birth experience: (1) satisfaction with care they received during pregnancy and birth, (2) sense of control during labour and birth, and (3) attachment to their new born babies.

DESIGN: this was a cross-sectional study using self-completed retrospective questionnaires.

SETTING: three types of health facility: birth centres (n=7), clinics (n=4), and hospitals (n=2).

PARTICIPANTS: participants were women who had a singleton birth and were admitted to one of the study settings. Women who were seriously ill were excluded. Data were analysed on 482 women.

MEASUREMENTS: instrumentation included: a researcher-developed WCC-pregnancy questionnaire, Labour Agentry Scale, Maternal Attachment Questionnaire, and a researcher-developed Care Satisfaction Scale.

FINDINGS: among the three types of settings, women who delivered at birth centres rated WCC highly and were satisfied with care they received compared to those who gave birth at clinics and hospitals. WCC was positively associated with women's satisfaction with the care they received.

KEY CONCLUSIONS: women giving birth at birth centres had the most positive perceptions of WCC. This was related to the respectful communication during antenatal checkups and the continuity of care by midwives, which were the core elements of WCC.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: health-care providers should consider the positive correlation of WCC and women's perception of satisfaction. Every woman should be provided continuity of care with respectful communication, which is a core element of WCC.