Being Known: A Grounded Theory Study of the Meaning of Quality Maternity Care to People of Color in Boston

INTRODUCTION: Experiences of people of color with maternity care are understudied but understanding them is important to improving quality and reducing racial disparities in birth outcomes in the United States. This qualitative study explored experiences with maternity care among people of color to describe the meaning of quality maternity care to the cohort and, ultimately, to inform the design of a freestanding birth center in Boston. METHODS: Using a grounded theory design and elements of community‐based participatory research, community activists developing Boston's first freestanding birth center and academics collaborated on this study. Semistructured interviews and focus groups with purposefully sampled people of color were conducted and analyzed using a constant comparative method. Interviewees described their maternity care experiences, ideas about perfect maternity care, and how a freestanding birth center might meet their needs. Open coding, axial coding, and selective coding were used to develop a local theory of what quality care means. RESULTS: A total of 23 people of color participated in semistructured interviews and focus groups. A core phenomenon arose from the narratives: being known (ie, being seen or heard, or being treated as individuals) during maternity care was an important element of quality care. Contextual factors, including interpersonal and structural racism, power differentials between perinatal care providers and patients, and the bureaucratic nature of hospital‐based maternity care, facilitated negative experiences. People of color did extra work to prevent and mitigate negative experiences, which left them feeling traumatized, regretful, or sad about maternity care. This extra work came in many forms, including cognitive work such as worrying about racism and behavioral changes such as dressing differently to get health care needs met. DISCUSSION: Being known characterizes quality maternity care among people of color in our sample. Maternity care settings can provide personalized care that helps clients feel known without requiring them to do extra work to achieve this experience.