Project details

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Barriers and enablers to implementation of Group perinatal care for refugee women.

Keywords:
pregnancy Refugee women Group antenatal care

Researchers:
I.R. Postma
Dr. E.I. Feijen-de Jong
J. Stekelenburg
A.E.H. Verschuuren

Nature of the research:
Mixed-method study

Fields of study:
obstetrics

Background / introduction
In most countries the same antenatal care program is often offered to pregnant refugee women as compared to autochthonous women. A growing body of evidence indicates that women with an asylum seeker or refugee status are at increased risk of adverse antenatal outcomes compared to autochthonous populations. The provision of adequate antenatal care to refugee women needs a different approach adapted to this specific population. Group antenatal care is associated with improved attendance and satisfaction of care and better maternal/perinatal outcomes for women from vulnerable populations, including migrants. However, little is known about the feasibility and implementation of such programs from health care providers their point of view.
Research question / problem definition
What are the main barriers and enablers to the implementation of group antenatal care for refugee women?

This study aims to identify barriers and enablers to the implementation of group antenatal care offered to refugee women in 3 different European countries (Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK). The goal is to develop a best practice for healthcare providers and policy makers on how to implement and tailor group antenatal care to meet the needs of refugee women.
Workplan
This is a mixed method study in which you will contact health care providers to fill in a questionnaire and conduct semi-structured interviews in Dutch and English (online) together with the PhD candidate responsible for the study. You will be actively involved in the analysis of the results and reporting. Depending on your learning objectives there are a lot of possibilities in this project. This is a project for a medical student who would like to be involved in research for at least 5 months. The project is most suitable as a stage wetenschap, and in agreement with the research team extension to a possible MD/PhD trajectory could be an option.
References
Verschuuren AEH, Postma IR, Riksen ZM, Nott RL, Feijen-de Jong EI, Stekelenburg J. Pregnancy outcomes in asylum seekers in the North of the Netherlands: a retrospective documentary analysis. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2020 May 25;20(1):320.

Tankink JB, Verschuuren AEH, Postma IR, van der Lans PJA, de Graaf JP, Stekelenburg J, Mesman AW. Childbirths and the Prevalence of Potential Risk Factors for Adverse Perinatal Outcomes among Asylum Seekers in The Netherlands: A Five-Year Cross-Sectional Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 12933.
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