ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2026
Quality of intrapartum care assessed by women with fear of birth who received care in a midwifery continuity model in a rural area of Sweden- a longitudinal cohort study.
Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
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.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe advantages of midwifery continuity models of care during pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period demonstrated in ‘low-risk’ women may also benefit those with fear of birth. The purpose of the study was to explore women’s assessment of the quality of intrapartum care when participating in a midwifery continuity of care (MCoC) project in a rural area of Sweden. An additional aim was to explore if the care differed between women who had a known midwife during labour and birth, versus not.
methodsA prospective longitudinal cohort study including 142 women with fear of birth who participated in an MCoC project was performed. Data was collected via two online questionnaires, gathering background data and birth related information. The instrument ‘Quality from the Patients’ Perspective’ was used to assess the perceived reality and the subjective importance of intrapartum care content.
resultsDeficiencies between perceived reality and subjective importance were found in the following aspects of intrapartum care: perception of control (50%), involvement in decision-making (26%), access to preferred pain relief (26%), breastfeeding support (23%), and information about labour progress (22%). The midwife’s presence, involvement of the partner, possibilities to talk through the birth and breastfeeding support was rated better than expected. No major differences were found in the quality of intrapartum care, in relation to continuity. A total of 75% had a known midwife during labour and birth and were more likely to have had labour induced (aOR 5.31, 95% CI 1.68–16.79), to have used the method ‘Give birth without fear’ (aOR 3.21, 95% CI 1.05–9.83), and to have received an epidural (aOR 3.85, 95% CI 1.51–9.82), compared to women without a known midwife assisting.
conclusionThe quality of intrapartum care was assessed both deficient and excessive. Few differences were found between women who had a known midwife or not, but women with fear of childbirth who experienced continuity with a known midwife were exposed to more interventions, following Swedish regime to encourage women to have a vaginal birth. Aligning care content with women’s needs and values remains essential to improve satisfaction and outcomes in intrapartum care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.