Dissertation Defence - Amanda Green (MScN)

Date:
Wednesday, June 28, 2023 - 11:00am to 1:00pm
Location:
Zoom
Campus:
Online

The Office of Graduate Administration is pleased to announce that Amanda Green will be defending their thesis/dissertation entitled “MOTHERS’ EXPERIENCES OF TEAM-BASED ANTENATAL CARE IN RURAL BRITISH COLUMBI” as a candidate for the degree Master of Science in Nursing

You are encouraged to attend the defence. The details of the defence and how to attend are included below:

DATE: 28 June, 2023

TIME: 11:00 AM (PT)

DEFENCE MODE: Fully Remote

Please contact the Office of Graduate Administration for information regarding remote/online attendance. 

To ensure the defence proceeds with no interruptions, please mute your audio and video on entry and do not share your screen inadvertently. The meeting will be locked to entry 5 minutes after it begins: ensure you are on time.

ABSTRACT: Background: Team-based primary maternity care is a priority within British Columbia’s health system, and patient voice is critical to team-based care planning. For the patient voice within the context of maternity care to be fully understood and included in primary maternity care advancement in British Columbia, providers and administrators need to understand what matters most to mothers about their experiences of team-based maternity care from the perspective of mothers. Research on mothers’ experiences with maternity care, specifically antenatal care, delivered by a team of providers is limited, which makes it difficult to include patient voices in team-based maternity care planning.

Objective: To explore antenatal care experiences of mothers living in rural British Columbia, where team-based antenatal care is known to exist.

Methods: An integrated literature review of 12 articles outlined recent evidence on mothers’ experiences of team-based antenatal care. Gaps were evident from the position of mothers’ which resulted in a qualitative study approach using interpretive descriptive methods. Thematic analysis was applied to the mothers’ detailed descriptions of antenatal care experiences.

Results: Eight mothers who had received antenatal care from two or more health care providers from two or more disciplines participated in semi-structured interviews. Findings from mothers’ experiences showed that they had positive antenatal care experiences when continuity of care (management, information, and relational continuity) was evident and remained unbroken. In some instances, improved continuity of care could have supported mothers feeling known by their provider and better invested in their health and wellness related to pelvic floor and mental health. The process of delivering continuity in care encouraged providers to listen, understand, and integrate mothers’ needs into their antenatal care through a network of multiple providers coordinating care across settings and integrating mothers as equal partners in their care. From the mother's perspective, a specific team composition did not rate as highly as the connection to a provider who was able to make sure the mothers’ feelings were both heard and understood while pregnant. The role of a primary care maternity nurse working in a family physician’s clinic was valued by the mothers since the nurse invested time and built respected and reliable relationships.

Conclusion: What mothers appreciated about the role of a primary care maternity nurse was the continuity of carer – someone who was able to develop a relationship with them over time, who considered them partners in their antenatal care, and who could work with them and other providers to meet their needs during pregnancy. Continuity of a carer collaborating with multiple providers as a team, that includes mothers as essential team members, can provide stability in antenatal care delivery approaches.

Clinical Implications: The study’s implications are relevant for the sustainability of maternity services, specifically in rural communities where the local context influenced the continuity of carer. In rural communities, there is merit in an available, consistent provider who can work within a network of providers alongside mothers. Further research on how both continuity of care and continuity of a carer can support community-based antenatal care is warranted in all community contexts.

 

COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP:

Chair: Dr. Chelsea Pelletier, University of Northern British Columbia

The examining Committee Members are:

  Supervisor: Dr. Caroline Sanders, University of Northern British Columbia

 Committee Member: Dr. Martha MacLeod, University of Northern British Columbia

  Committee Member: Dr. Lee Yeates, University of Northern British Columbia

  External Examiner: Dr. Indrani Margolin, University of Northern British Columbia

Contact Information

 Graduate Administration in the Office of the Registrar, University of Northern British Columbia

E-mail: grad-office@unbc.ca

Web: https://www2.unbc.ca/graduate-administration

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