UK maternity care experiences of ethnic minority and migrant women: Systematic review

Background

The increasing population of immigrant and migrant women in the United Kingdom has implications to the provision of healthcare and for healthcare experiences. Eliciting women's experiences and perceptions of maternity care received is an important way of monitoring and evaluating the quality of maternity services. This study was designed to explore the maternity care experiences of ethnic minority and migrant women in the United Kingdom.

Methods

A literature search for relevant studies was carried across seven databases. We included nine studies carried out between 2015 and February 2022 that met the inclusion criteria. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.

Results

Findings showed that ethnic minority women and migrant women have had mixed experiences while utilizing maternity services in the United Kingdom. However, most of the experiences were negative and included issues related to communication, discrimination, culture, access to care, physical comfort, and continuity of care. Only one of the studies reported that the respondents had a wholly positive communication experience, one found that a few women felt the staff were respectful and one reported that the midwives gave the women treatment options that would respect their cultural and religious beliefs.

Conclusion

This study has highlighted some important gaps in the maternity care experiences specific to ethnic minority and migrant women in the United Kingdom which provides useful insights to future policy and clinical practice.