Developing an evidence-based international definition of woman-centred care to inform practice

Woman-centred care is a fundamental concept used in national and international healthcare and midwifery practice. However, there is not an internationally-informed definition of woman-centred care, and this remains an identified gap in the evidence. The aim of this study was to develop an evidence-based definition of woman-centred care informed by empirical literature and international midwifery practice for use in midwifery clinical practice, maternity services, education, and research. A three-stage concept analysis was undertaken using an adapted theoretical and colloquial evolutionary model. Stage-1 examined the empirical literature on woman-centred care and identified theoretical attributes, antecedents, and consequences. Stage-2 examined the colloquial language of international midwives in our recent Delphi study to identify the colloquial attributes, antecedents, and consequences of woman-centred care. Both theoretical (Stage-1) and colloquial (Stage-2) understandings of the concept were used in Stage-3 to construct an evidence-based, internationally informed midwifery definition of the concept of woman-centred care. Antecedents of woman-centred care are education, models of care and the midwife characteristics. Attributes of woman-centred care are choice and control, empowerment, and relationships. Consequences are shared and informed decision making which supports the woman in navigating complex health systems and improves the health outcomes of both the woman and neonate. The use of a shared unambiguous evidence-based international definition of woman-centred care is essential for translation of this fundamental concept to practice. The emergent evidence informed definition of woman-centred care will be presented on conclusion of this presentation.