Views of Chinese women and health professionals about midwife-led care in China.

AIMS: To explore Chinese women's and health professionals' views of the first midwife-led normal birth unit in China to facilitate normal birth and enhance midwifery practice.

METHOD: Data collection involved semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and cross-comparison with hospital data. The data were analysed thematically.

SETTING

A university teaching hospital in a major city in eastern China.

PARTICIPANTS

Purposive sample of 30 women, five midwives and five medical staff who accessed, provided or liaised with the midwife-led service.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants' satisfaction, continuity of care/carers, choice and control.

FINDINGS: Informants were positive about the unit, largely because the woman was supported by a midwife and a birth companion through the 'two-to-one' model of care.

DISCUSSION: The concept of 'two-to-one' care emerged as fundamental to women's experiences and utilisation of midwives' skills to promote normal birth. The high vaginal birth rate and the positive feelings reported suggest that this approach serves to empower women and promote physiological birth.

CONCLUSION

Women appreciated the midwife-led service, which provides an environment where they are more likely to aim to give birth without intervention. This model of care is good for its association with increased satisfaction in a context of extraordinarily high caesarean rates.

IMPLICATIONS: Midwife-led care can facilitate continuity of care and carer during birth. It offers women choice and control over many aspects of the birth. Further research is required to investigate factors important to women.