Qualitative Study of Experiences with an Interprofessional Perinatal Care Team Among Women Who Used Substances During the Perinatal Period.

Abstract

Objective: To explore how women who used substances during the perinatal period perceived the care they received from interprofessional perinatal care providers.

Design: Appreciative inquiry.

Setting: Interprofessional perinatal care clinic in a large urban tertiary care hospital in Canada.

Participants: Fourteen women with various backgrounds who used substances during pregnancy, including opioids, marijuana, and/or methamphetamine, and engaged in care with an interprofessional perinatal care team. The participants identified as First Nations (n = 3), Métis (n = 8), and White (n = 3).

Methods: Using appreciative inquiry, we followed the 4-D cycle of discovery, dream, design, and destiny to frame the semistructured interviews and analyze the data.

Results: Four overarching themes with nine subthemes emerged, representing participants' experiences with the interprofessional perinatal care team. The overarching themes were Safe Care, Compassionate Care, Dignified Care, and Connected Care. Participants suggested opportunities to improve care in relation to integration of cultural care, coordination of postpartum services, and increased support in the birth and hospital setting.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the strengths and assets of interprofessional perinatal care from the patients' perspectives. Participants outlined actionable ways for all perinatal providers to deliver safe, compassionate, dignified, and connected care, which can result in life-giving and lifesaving outcomes for patients.