Midwifery Course (MIDWIFERY 3) Essay: Person-Centered Care Analysis

This essay delves into the concept of person-centered care within the field of midwifery, emphasizing its importance in providing quality healthcare to mothers before, during, and after childbirth. It highlights the core elements of patient-centered care, including safe, equitable, efficient, timely, and effective care, and underscores the significance of involving mothers in decision-making processes to enhance their well-being and satisfaction. The essay contrasts this approach with instances where a lack of patient-centered care led to negative outcomes, such as the case of Stephanie and her son Sebastian Harrold, illustrating the critical need for midwives to prioritize the mother's preferences and concerns. Through reflection, the author asserts the value of a people-centered model in midwifery, advocating for a collaborative relationship between midwives and mothers to foster trust, improve client satisfaction, and minimize medical errors. The essay concludes by reiterating the importance of person-centered care in ensuring optimal health outcomes for both mothers and their children, making it a critical component of the healthcare system.

Midwifery 1
MIDWIFERY
by [NAME]
Course
Professor’s Name
Institution
Location of Institution
Date

Midwifery 2
Midwifery
Introduction
Midwifery can be described as the science of compassion, care, and miracles. It is a health
science that deals with the care of mothers before, during, and after childbirth. It is important to
involve the mother in decision-making processes that involve her and her child. This essay,
therefore, involves a midwifery setting that uses a person-centered care approach.
Person-centered Midwifery
The quality of care that is offered by healthcare providers during pregnancy, delivery, after
delivery is based on six core elements that include safe, equitable, patient-centered, efficient,
timely, and effective care (de Labrusse et al., 2017). The idea of patient-centered care in
maternity is an emerging concept that is believed to increase the quality of care. Most women
during the perinatal period experience feelings of anxiety and depression and it is thus important
for them to receive the necessary support from healthcare providers and improve their
psychological wellbeing (Taylor 2015. P. 352). Studies have revealed that most women in
maternity facilities appreciate healthcare services that take care of their care preferences. It has
further been ascertained that they love receiving individualized care (de Labrusse et al., 2017).
Therefore, a midwife should work in cooperation with the mother in perinatal care, during birth,
and postnatal care to ensure that the quality of care is improved and client satisfaction
enhanced.
In some instances within the midwifery setting a midwife may decide to work alone without
involving the mother and their family in decision making. This has in the past contributed to
mistakes in care provision. For example, back in 2015 at Nottingham City Hospital a mother;
Stephanie requested cesarean delivery but her request was disregarded. Her son Sebastian
Harrold was born with severe brain injury and he later passed on in 2016. She had noticed

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Sebastian’s decreasing heart rate and requested not to be injected with any more of Syntocinon
that was supposed to speed up the labor process. She additionally requested a cesarean
section but doctors and midwives ignored her. After multiple pleas, she was rushed to the
theater for an emergency C-section but it seemed too late because Sebastian had already
suffered severe hypoxia that led to a severe brain injury (Fieldfisher, 2020).
Reflection
I believe that midwifery is a very important health discipline because it directly impacts several
lives. A midwife is tasked with providing care for a mother before, during, and after birth. I
additionally believe that the midwife should work in partnership with the mother in a people-
centered model of care to ensure that the mother is part of the decision-making process
regarding their health. I can ascertain that a people-centered approach in midwifery helps in
building a relationship of trust between the mother and the midwife thus ensuring that the
preferences of the mother are considered. This improves client satisfaction and enhances the
quality of care to ensure that incidences of mistakes are minimized.
Conclusion
Midwifery is an important health discipline that deals with the health and safety of a mother and
her child. It is however important that the mother is made part of the decision making process in
a people-centered model of care to improve client satisfaction and ensure quality health
outcomes.

Midwifery 4
References
de Labrusse, C., Ramelet, A., Humphrey, T. and MacLennan, S. (2017). Patient-Centred Care
in Maternity Services. Patient Centered Medicine.
Fieldfisher. (2020). Disregard for mother's pleas for Caesarean Section at Nottingham City
Hospital leads to baby's death. [online] Available at: https://www.fieldfisher.com/en/injury-
claims/case-studies/disregard-for-mothers-pleas-for-caesarean-section-at-nottingham-city-
hospital-leads-to-babys-death [Accessed 19 Feb. 2020].
Taylor, A., 2015. Person-centred care in practice. British Journal of Midwifery, 23(5), pp.350-
355.