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Australian maternity care, considering risk and supporting safety: A scoping review
Brundell, Kath Vasilevski, Vidanka Sweet, Linda
Brundell, Kath
Vasilevski, Vidanka
Sweet, Linda
Abstract
Objective
Assessment of women's risk status influences the operationalisation of maternity. Decisions are made at a health service executive level, related to the ongoing level of maternity care provided, and/or sustainability of the maternity service. The aim of this scoping review was to explore how health service executives considered maternity risk when operationalising safe maternity services in Australia.
Design
Scoping review methodology was used to examine the breadth and extent of evidence, and to identify potential gaps in the research evidence.
Results
Overall, there was little literature on how health service executives understand and interpret risk to providing and operationalising maternity services. Evidence indicated a reduced tolerance for risk in the provision of maternity services. Executive consistency and midwifery leadership were important in operationalisation of maternity service provision.
Key conclusions
With rising rates of maternity service closure and reduction of service capability in Australia, women are most impacted, having reduced access to timely and quality care. More needs to be done to understand the health service executive perspective regarding drivers for these decisions and the barriers and enablers for maternity service sustainability. How health service executives perceive maternity care and experience operationalising maternity services, particularly in rural areas is a gap identified. Further research is warranted in this area to address this significant lack of knowledge.
Implications for practice
Understanding how health service executive consider maternity care is crucial for ongoing operational safety and maternity care sustainability.
Keywords
sustainability, risk perception, risk management, clinical governance, maternity
Date
2022
Type
Journal article
Journal
Midwifery
Book
Volume
112
Issue
Page Range
1-11
Article Number
Article 103408
ACU Department
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled