Care provided by midwives and the unmet needs of pregnant and postpartum women: A qualitative study of Japanese mothers

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to clarify the content of care provided by midwives working in hospitals and clinics in Japan and the unmet needs in midwifery care from mothers’ perspectives. DESIGN: This study employed a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews. SETTING: Fifteen Japanese women, whose youngest singleton children were aged 12–18 months, were asked to recall their experiences with midwives, from pregnancy through the first postpartum year. Verbatim records were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Seven themes regarding the care provided by midwives were generated: confirmation of physical condition, maintenance and promotion of perinatal physiological process, support for better preparation for childbirth, assistance in labour and childbirth, support for a new life with a baby at home, support for the family, and care for comfort and confidence as a mother. Unmet needs were identified in all themes, except for ‘confirmation of physical condition’ and ‘support for the family’. Ten subthemes, under the five themes of unmet needs, were integrated into three categories: midwives’ responses to potential concerns, lack of continuity of care, and lack of personalised care. KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Midwives in hospitals and clinics in Japan mainly provided care from pregnancy to one-month postpartum, in line with global core competencies. However, they could respond more effectively to the potential concerns of women, and provide continuous, personalised care more sufficiently. Improving working environments for midwives and collaborating with postpartum public health services are key to addressing these unmet needs of women, leading to women-centred care.