Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36240064›Full record

ReviewHealth & social care in the community2022

Facilitators and barriers to seeking and engaging with antenatal care in high-income countries: A meta-synthesis of qualitative research.

Tamara Escañuela Sánchez, Laura Linehan, Keelin O'Donoghue, Molly Byrne, Sarah Meaney

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Health & social care in the community, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–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

19 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Trial
  5. Observational
  6. Uptake of prenatal syphilis screening and its determinants in Ontario, Canada: a population-based retrospective cohort study.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2026
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Ethnic Disparities in Perinatal Mortality and Associated Factors: A Nationwide Cohort Study.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2025
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Exploring first-time mothers' experiences and knowledge about behavioural risk factors for stillbirth.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2023
    Article
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Article
  19. Article
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

5 authors.

Tamara Escañuela SánchezPregnancy Loss Research Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Cork University Maternity Hospital, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0002-6066-949X
Laura LinehanPregnancy Loss Research Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Cork University Maternity Hospital, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0001-9707-0694
Keelin O'DonoghuePregnancy Loss Research Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Cork University Maternity Hospital, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0002-4616-2887
Molly ByrneHealth Behaviour Change Research Group, School of Psychology, NUI Galway, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0001-8900-4320
Sarah MeaneyPregnancy Loss Research Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Cork University Maternity Hospital, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0003-2368-4153

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Inadequate attendance to antenatal care has been associated with negative maternal and fetal outcomes, including stillbirth. This study aimed to identify facilitators and barriers to antenatal care attendance. A systematic search was conducted in March 2019 and updated in January 2021. Qualitative studies involving pregnant or post-partum women up to 12 months from high-income countries that provided data about facilitators and barriers to antenatal care attendance were sought. Meta-ethnography was used to inform this meta-synthesis. Fifteen studies were included in the analysis. Findings indicate that inadequate antenatal care attendance is influenced at different levels. Aspects like sociodemographic factors, difficulties navigating the health system, administrative delays, lack of flexibility and tailored care, constant change of carer and communication issues also act as barriers. These issues affect women's access to knowledge and the formation of women's beliefs and feelings towards seeking care. On the contrary, having a positive attitude towards the pregnancy, encountering empathetic healthcare professionals and availing of social support acted as facilitators. The reasons why women seek or delay attending antenatal care are multifactorial and can be explained using the Social Determinants of Health Framework. Any response needs to be taken across all levels of influence and not just focused on the individual. A better understanding of the barriers and facilitators to antenatal care might contribute to informing intervention or policy development addressing this issue.

Indexed as

Patient Acceptance of Health CarePrenatal CareDeveloped CountriesFemaleHealth PersonnelHumansIncomePregnancyQualitative Researchantenatal carebarriersfacilitatorsmeta-ethnographymeta-synthesisqualitative researchstillbirth

Identifiers

PMID36240064
PMCPMC10092326

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.