Abstract
Background
Pre-registration midwifery students in Australia are required to engage in a minimum
of ten continuity of care experiences (CoCE). Students recruit and gain consent of
each woman to provide CoCE under direct supervision of a registered health professional,
usually a midwife. Clinical outcomes for women who had CoCE with a midwifery student
placed in a continuity of midwifery care (CMC) or fragmented models are rarely reported.
Aims
1. analyse clinical outcomes for women experiencing CMC with CoCE by students; 2.
analyse clinical outcomes for women in a fragmented care model with CoCE by students;
and 3. compare clinical outcomes according to women’s primary model of care.
Methods
Students undertaking a Bachelor of Midwifery program at one Australian university
recorded clinical outcomes for women experiencing CoCE during pregnancy [n = 5972] and labour and birth [n = 3933] in an e-portfolio. A retrospective, cohort design compared student recorded
maternal data with National Core Maternity Indicators and Queensland Perinatal Data.
Results
Midwifery students providing CoCE reported better or equal clinical outcomes for women
compared to population data. Women receiving CoCE had reduced likelihood of tobacco
smoking after 20 weeks of pregnancy, episiotomy, and third and fourth degree tears.
Conclusions
Clinical outcomes for women in fragmented models of care and receiving CoCE by undergraduate,
pre-registration midwifery students are equal to or better than State data across
12 variables. CoCE should be offered to all women early in their pregnancy to ensure
optimal benefits. Acknowledging midwifery students’ potential to make positive impacts
on women’s clinical outcomes may prompt more health services to reconceptualise and
foster CoCE.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 19, 2021
Accepted:
April 1,
2021
Received in revised form:
February 26,
2021
Received:
October 23,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
