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The Role of Midwifery Care in Urban Settings: Mitigating Disparities and Expanding Access
Foster, Hannah Schwartz
Foster, Hannah Schwartz
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Thesis/Dissertation
Date
2023
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Urban Bioethics
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http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/8583
Abstract
Midwifery has existed for thousands of years, and midwives have been providing care to women and birthing people in both medical and non-medical settings. Physicians specializing in obstetrics and gynecology and midwives are both able to care for pregnant women and birthing people, but do so in differing ways. When examining the distribution of women’s health providers across different areas of the United States, there seems to be a disparate number of midwives in urban areas. Given the rising maternal mortality rates in the United States and focus on equitable care and expanding access to care, I sought to explore the role of midwifery in urban settings, and midwives’ role in mitigating adverse outcomes in vulnerable populations. Amidst time spent in numerous maternity wards within the same urban area, I’ve noticed different versions of how midwifery care is implemented, as well as distribution of this care. This thesis will discuss the role of midwives generally, and how midwives are integrated into care in urban settings. I will then discuss the geographic imbalance of midwifery care, how midwives can and do assist to mitigate health disparities, and how midwives improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Lastly, I will discuss how patients in urban settings view midwifery care and my view and recommendations on what the future of midwifery care should look like integrated into urban settings.
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