Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to identify targets for midwifery care over the next 30 yearsby reviewing research from the last 30 years into mothers' satisfaction with midwifery care.
Methods
PubMed and the website of the Japan Medical Abstracts Society were used for searching. The key words used were in three groups: [midwifery/ care/ practice/ service], [mothers/ pregnant women/ women in labor/ postpartum women/ clients], and [satisfaction/ evaluation]. The conditions for selection were that papers should be original, and that they should have been published between 1985 and 2015.
Results
Using the keywords, 317 Japanese studies and 114 overseas studies were found. Most of these were quantitative and few were concerned with mothers' satisfaction with midwifery care. Twelve Japanese studies and 28 overseas studies were deemed to be relevant to the current study and were selected for analysis.
In Japan in the 1990s about eighty per cent of mothers reported that they were satisfied with midwifery care, and by 2012 this figure had increased to about ninety per cent. A New Zealand study from 2001 reported that seventy-seven per cent of mothers were satisfied with midwifery care. However, few studies indicated satisfaction rates, and there has been insufficient research to suggest reliable estimates.
Conclusion
This study suggests the following targets for next 30 years. Further research is needed into mothers' satisfaction with midwifery care. The scale used to measure satisfaction, made in 1997, needs further development. The standard of midwifery care needs to be raised to a similar level throughout Japan before any reliable satisfaction figures can be given for the nation as a whole. New approaches are needed to support mothers who wish for a natural childbirth.
