SynthesisBMC pregnancy and childbirth2020
Women's experiences of decision-making and informed choice about pregnancy and birth care: a systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative research.
Synthesis in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
51 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 134 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Impact of Culture on Access to and Utilisation of Maternity Care Amongst Muslim Women in High-Income Countries: A Qualitative Systematic Review.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2025Pooled it
- Screens and society: how media narratives influence fertility and reshape childbearing choices; a systematic review.BMC women's health · 2025Pooled it
- Parental experiences with changes in maternity care during the Covid-19 pandemic: A mixed-studies systematic review.Women and birth : journal of the Australian College of Midwives · 2023Pooled it
- The acceptability and feasibility of a randomised controlled trial of serial prophylactic exchange blood transfusion versus usual care in pregnant women with sickle cell disease: a qualitative study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Trial
- How Should We Communicate Information Regarding Birth Choices to Women?: An Online Randomised Survey.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2025Trial
- Telling Not Asking: A Framework Method Analysis of Shared Decision-Making in Antenatal Clinic Consultations.Birth (Berkeley, Calif.) · 2026Article
- The Double Dominion Over Women's Bodies as a barrier to exercising sexual and reproductive rights: a mixed-methods study in La Ladrillera, Mexico.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2026Article
- Women's Autonomy in Obstetric Care: A Qualitative Study on Violations and Experiences.Nursing & health sciences · 2026Article
- Cancer diagnosed during pregnancy: a qualitative study of women's psychosocial experiences during treatment and survivorship.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- Pregnancy Decision-Making Among Women With Physical Disabilities: Cross-Sectional Survey Study.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2026Article
- Experiences of disrespect and abuse during childbirth in the World Health Organization European region: A mixed-method study among 22 countries.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026Article
- Experiences of woman- centered care among Iranian midwives and women: a qualitative study.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Association Between Maternal Autonomy and Maternal Well-Being During Postpartum Confinement Among Primiparous Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2026Article
- Mapping the gendered dynamics of cesarean section: A scoping review.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Seeking HELP beyond the pill: Women's perceptions of informed consent for medication abortion: Mixed methods research.PloS one · 2026Article
- From antenatal preparedness to enacted agency during labor: Integrated findings from a woman-centered intervention on mobility.European journal of midwifery · 2026Article
- Article
- When the hospital becomes an option again: a qualitative analysis of women's and their partners' experiences with a designated clinic for women who request different care than recommended in the guidelines.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Exploring Pregnant Women's Perceptions and Experiences of Adiposity Measurements in Routine Antenatal Care: A Qualitative Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Prenatal Diagnosis and Decision-Making in Severe Pulmonary Stenosis With Coronary Sinusoids: A Case Report.Clinical case reports · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe purpose of this systematic review (PROSPERO Ref: CRD42017053264) was to describe and interpret the qualitative research on parent's decision-making and informed choice about their pregnancy and birth care. Given the growing evidence on the benefits of different models of maternity care and the prominence of informed choice in health policy, the review aimed to shed light on the research to date and what the findings indicate.
methodsa systematic search and screening of qualitative research concerning parents' decision-making and informed choice experiences about pregnancy and birth care was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. A meta-synthesis approach was taken for the extraction and analysis of data and generation of the findings. Studies from 1990s onwards were included to reflect an era of policies promoting choice in maternity care in high-income countries.
resultsThirty-seven original studies were included in the review. A multi-dimensional conceptual framework was developed, consisting of three analytical themes ('Uncertainty', 'Bodily autonomy and integrity' and 'Performing good motherhood') and three inter-linking actions ('Information gathering,' 'Aligning with a birth philosophy,' and 'Balancing aspects of a choice').
conclusionsDespite the increasing research on decision-making, informed choice is not often a primary research aim, and its development in literature published since the 1990s was difficult to ascertain. The meta-synthesis suggests that decision-making is a dynamic and temporal process, in that it is made within a defined period and invokes both the past, whether this is personal, familial, social or historical, and the future. Our findings also highlighted the importance of embodiment in maternal health experiences, particularly when it comes to decision-making about care. Policymakers and practitioners alike should examine critically current choice frameworks to ascertain whether they truly allow for flexibility in decision-making. Health systems should embrace more fluid, personalised models of care to augment service users' decision-making agency.
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Registered trials
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.