Issues arising when crossing a border to give birth: an exploratory study on the French-Belgian border.

R L Kiasuwa Mbengi, R Baeten, M McKee, C Knai

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Facts, views & vision in ObGyn, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

Key Considerations for an Economic and Legal Framework Facilitating Medical Travel.Frontiers in public health · 2016
Review

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

R L Kiasuwa MbengiScientific Institute of Public Health, J. Wytsmanstraat 14, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.

R BaetenOSE, European Social Observatory, Brussels, Belgium.

M McKeeLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.

C KnaiLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAnecdotal evidence suggests that many organised initiatives for cross-border collaboration in healthcare in border regions originate from the need for women to give birth close to home. Despite this, there is remarkably little research on these practices and the specific modes of collaboration between providers and experiences and needs of these women. In this paper we describe the experiences of French women who choose to give birth in Belgium. STUDY

designWe conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 key informants and captured the experiences of 14 French mothers using a 40-item questionnaire.

resultsThe chief motivations for French mothers to cross the border to deliver a baby in Belgium were geographical proximity as well as perceived better quality of care. Several procedural differences between France and Belgium were highlighted as possibly affecting the quality of follow-up care, including the absence, in some cases, of a contact person in France, and communication problems between providers.

conclusionThere is a tension between the testimony of patients who are clearly satisfied and evidence of problems in communication and weak collaboration between providers on either side of this cross border collaboration. This paradox requires more research efforts to generate clear evidence of the added value of these cross-border collaborations for patients.

Indexed as

birthCross border careEuropean cross border legislationmothers’ experiencequalitative study

Identifiers

PMID25374655

PMCPMC4216978

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.