Despite the fact women are less likely to choose a midwife over another clinician for prenatal care, women report fewer communication problems with midwives, according to a study from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis.
In the study of 2,400 women who gave birth between 2011 and 2012, researchers found patients were 63 percent more likely to have a midwife if their care provider was assigned to them, rather than chosen. However, women who saw midwives were almost half as likely to report issues on the survey.
Part of the problem is miscommunication. More than half of women who saw physicians (53.4 percent) for prenatal care reported not understanding the medical terminology the physician used. However, while still a large proportion, considerably less women who saw midwives — 40.3 percent — reported a lack of understanding.
Women who saw physicians were also more likely to refrain from asking questions than women who saw midwives. Those who saw physicians said they held back so as not to appear difficult (24.1 percent) or because they felt rushed (30.1 percent). Only 14 percent of women who saw midwives refrained from asking their questions to be less difficult and just 24.3 percent held them back because they felt rushed.
Most importantly, more women who saw physicians (47.7 percent) did not feel encouraged to discuss questions and concerns than those who saw midwives (36.7 percent).
The results underscore a need for better physician-patient communication, especially in prenatal care.
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