Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Pregnancy can be a difficult period in a woman's life. Fewer family doctors provide care to pregnant women now. This makes it hard for women to find a doctor to take care of them during pregnancy. A new model of care was created and is now being offered to allow pregnant women to visit the doctor together. But, it is important to check if patients are comfortable seeing the doctor as a group. In order to do this, clinics have to understand women's preferences and expectations of care. This study explores what type of model women prefer more by holding interviews with 12 pregnant women. These women come from different backgrounds - some are born in Canada while others are immigrants. With the increasing number of immigrants in cities, it is important to see whether a group model of care is an option that immigrant women would consider. Women of all ages were asked about the kind of care they would like to receive from their doctor during pregnancy. The interviewer also asked the women what reasons they have for wanting to either receive care in a group or alone. These interviews were recorded, typed and reviewed to describe women's views. Many reasons were given by women to describe why they liked the group model of care. Some women viewed this as an opportunity to get more compassionate and complete care. They wanted to connect with and receive support from other women going through the same experience. Finally, group care was a space where women could learn about pregnancy and prepare for parenthood as much as possible. Women who chose to receive their care individually said that the group format of care may be too overwhelming. They had other concerns with the longer group appointments. Some of them said they prefer a private space to meet with the doctor and the group model may not allow that. These findings will help doctors and clinics provide care to women. It will also help them promote this model to respond to women's needs and concerns.