Furness Amy, Salmon Alison, Fair Frankie, Soltani Hora
College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
Eur J Midwifery. 2025 Sep 12;9. doi: 10.18332/ejm/209195. eCollection 2025.
Despite national efforts, inequalities in maternal and infant health persist. Black, Asian and other ethnic minority, along with those in deprived areas, face disproportionately high complication and mortality rates. Prioritizing research is crucial for improving care experiences for women and families.
By adopting a qualitative ethnographic approach, we explored priority areas for research regarding Black, Asian, and ethnic minority mothers accessing healthcare in the UK. Data were gathered through focus groups and analyzed inductively and thematically using NVivo. The study sample comprised 55 women from various ethnic backgrounds, with the largest groups identifying as Black African, Arab, and Asian Pakistani.
Women outlined key research priorities stemming from significant challenges in accessing maternity care. These included: 1) Communication barriers such as language difficulties, understanding each other and health literacy; 2) Emotional and psychological support, highlighting a need for further research. Women underscored the value of safe spaces for peer support and social interaction; 3) Participants stressed the importance of comprehensive perinatal education, particularly during the transition to parenthood, along with a strong desire for digital resources, information sharing, and networking; 4) High-quality, compassionate, and well-coordinated maternity care remained a primary concern; and 5) Socioeconomic support, including financial assistance, childcare, and resources for essential postnatal needs.
To tackle these issues, research at both community and individual levels should be commissioned to ensure women's priority concerns are comprehensively addressed. These findings provide valuable insights that can help shape national efforts to improve maternity care and reduce disparities, by informing policy and improving professional training.
尽管国家做出了努力，但母婴健康方面的不平等现象依然存在。黑人、亚裔及其他少数族裔，以及贫困地区的人群，面临着高得不成比例的并发症和死亡率。将研究作为优先事项对于改善妇女和家庭的护理体验至关重要。
通过采用定性人种学方法，我们探讨了英国黑人、亚裔及少数族裔母亲获得医疗保健方面的研究优先领域。通过焦点小组收集数据，并使用NVivo进行归纳和主题分析。研究样本包括55名来自不同种族背景的女性，其中人数最多的群体为非洲黑人、阿拉伯人和巴基斯坦裔亚洲人。
女性们概述了因获得孕产妇护理面临重大挑战而产生的关键研究优先事项。这些包括：1）沟通障碍，如语言困难、相互理解和健康素养；2）情感和心理支持，强调需要进一步研究。女性们强调了同伴支持和社交互动的安全空间的价值；3）参与者强调了全面围产期教育的重要性，特别是在向父母角色转变期间，同时强烈希望获得数字资源、信息共享和社交网络；4）高质量、富有同情心且协调良好的孕产妇护理仍然是主要关注点；5）社会经济支持，包括经济援助、儿童保育以及产后基本需求的资源。
为解决这些问题，应委托开展社区和个体层面的研究，以确保全面解决女性的优先关注问题。这些发现提供了宝贵的见解，通过为政策提供信息和改善专业培训，有助于塑造国家改善孕产妇护理和减少差距的努力。
