Crepinsek et al. (2022) Woman-Centred Care - A Global Review PDF
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Southern Cross University
2022
Maree Crepinsek, Rebecca Bell, Iain Graham, Rosanne Coutts
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This article reviews global midwifery standards documents, examining the presence and conceptualization of woman-centered care. It concludes that there is limited formal definition of this concept in existing documents. The study highlights the significance of developing a universally recognized understanding of woman-centered care within midwifery practice.
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Women and Birth 35 (2022) 31–37 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Women and B...
Women and Birth 35 (2022) 31–37 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Women and Birth journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/wombi Towards a conceptualisation of woman centred care — A global review of professional standards Maree Crepinseka,* , Rebecca Bellb , Iain Grahama , Rosanne Couttsa a Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University, Australia b Medibank Private, Australia A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T Article history: Background: Woman centred care is purported to underpin Midwifery philosophy. However, the evidence Received 8 October 2020 and focus of this concept within midwifery professional standards has yet to be verified. Further to this, Received in revised form 21 February 2021 woman centred care is, at this time, mostly depicted as a way of assisting, supporting and interacting with Accepted 22 February 2021 a woman and her family. It is however, without a substantive universally accepted definition. Objective: This study aimed to review midwifery standards documents. An organised and targeted Keywords: methodology was conducted to identify the approaches to woman centred care that currently underpin Woman centred care midwifery governance. Midwifery Midwifery standards Methods: A comprehensive and specific search for ‘woman centred care’ was conducted across a global Midwifery education collection of midwifery standards. A professional document was included if it represented either or all of the underpinnings of midwifery education, contained statements related to standards of practice, overall governance or any equivalence. Individual documents were initially searched for the words ‘woman centred care’, followed by ‘women centred care’, ‘patient/person centred care’ and ‘client centred care’. Findings: An extensive review of 142 documents was undertaken. These included: thirty independent nations, thirty represented by the European Midwives Association and a further twenty-one identified through the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM). The World Health Organisation (WHO), yielded midwifery information from a further sixty-one nations. The phrase ‘woman centred care’ was located within 3.5% of the documents reviewed. Overall, five examples were found that directly referred to the actual phrase ‘woman centred care’ and one to the use of ‘person centred care’. Therefore, it was established, that at the time of this review, there was limited formal depiction of the concept of woman centred care. © 2021 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. practising in a woman centred capacity. The implication is Statement of significance that there is scope for consideration of a global construction of the meaning of ‘woman centred care’. Problem What this paper adds There is no universally accepted definition of woman A global approach to this guiding concept has the ability to centred care within the midwifery literature. influence practice. This research provides insight into the direct presence of the concept of woman centred care in What is already known midwifery standards documents. Embedding the phrase ‘woman centred care’ into all professional midwifery It was concluded that not all official Midwifery documents documentation would further support a universal essence make a direct reference to ‘woman centred care’. Important- of the concept within the practice of midwifery. It is ly, this in no way diminishes the importance of woman suggested that this would take the focus from a task- centred care, nor does it imply that midwives are not orientated and a systems-driven approach within health care to one that carries strength in human factors, where the individual needs of the woman are fully acknowledged. * Corresponding author at: School of Health Human Science, Southern Cross Additionally, a more in-depth focus could also consider the University, P.O. Box 327, Ashmore City, Gold Coast, 4214 QLD, Australia. enactment or exemplification of woman centeredness using E-mail address: [email protected] (M. Crepinsek). alternate terminology or explanation. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2021.02.005 1871-5192/© 2021 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. M. Crepinsek et al. Women and Birth 35 (2022) 31–37 Furthermore, Pope et al., aligns woman centred care with support, that provides a unique experience for a birthing mother; 1. Introduction one that enhances positive outcomes and ultimately service satisfaction. According to McCance et al., woman centred care The focus on woman centredness within midwifery practice is is focused on meeting the needs of ‘individual people’. Thus, integral to the childbirth journey. Midwifery originated as an Phiri et al. would add that it is well established, that placing a emerging profession initially in Paris during the turn of the birthing woman at the centre of her care builds trust, establishes sixteenth Century (1499–1504). During this time, the partnerships, focuses on clearly identified need and ultimately management and ecclesiastical regulation of professional mid- contributes to overall safety. wives who cared for women during childbirth was customarily With a focus on maternity services within the Republic of known as ‘woman’s business’. Traditionally and prior to the Ireland, Hunteret al. , conducted a thematic analysis to explore medical era, midwives were female, given formal recognition and the concept of woman centred care. The outcome of this research belonged to a traditional genealogy. found that although an emphasis on woman centred care is a The regulation of the practice of midwifery was established significant goal for service providers to achieve, the reality is most between 1892 and 1893. According to Davies, the registration of women report that they do not experience woman centredness midwifery began, because of the injuries and consequential during childbirth, and that woman are often unaware of their suffering, that women and their infants frequently experienced options. Also, with an emphasis on the needs of the individual during childbirth at the hands of unskilled, unqualified lay woman, Brady et al., focused on care and maternity services, midwives. A register for midwives was introduced through highlighting that variations in how this is interpreted, contributes the Midwives ACT of 1902. to the ‘tokenism’ in how it is applied and therefore enacted in Registration provided a form of governance and the regulation health policy and framework development. of standards. This resulted in an elevation of the status of the The Winterton Report , actually defines woman centred midwife. Although there is limited primary data published care as a midwife’s ability to work in partnership with the woman. about the place of midwives in history, a chronology still exists. Additionally, the International Confederation of Midwives , has Great Britain established its first midwives board in 1902; an incorporated woman centred care into guiding standards docu- organisation responsible for providing standards for training, ments, emphasising the advocating of women's rights and freedom licencing and regulation of midwifery. of choice. Similarly, the United Kingdom, Nursing and Midwifery Midwives practising in the 1990s emphasised the importance of Council , have embedded ‘women centred care’ in the woman centred care, stating that the concept underpins midwifery standards document that underpins the education of students in practice. During this time, the emergence of phrases such as the pre-registration midwifery programs. Further to this, accord- ‘with woman’ which is an ancient term, derived from the meaning ing to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia as cited in of midwife in old English , ‘woman centred’ and ‘in partnership the Australian Government Department of Health , Pregnancy with woman’ demonstrate depictions of midwifery led care. Care Guidelines, “Woman centred care focuses on the woman's This emergence was particularly relevant during the medicalised unique needs, expectations and aspirations; recognises her right to reorientation of midwifery. self-determination in terms of choice, control and continuity of Whilst ‘woman centred care’ is said to be synonymous with care; and addresses her social, emotional, physical, psychological, midwifery the concept focuses on the needs of the woman as an spiritual and cultural needs and expectations” (p 1). individual, rather than the needs of the profession or institution Morgan, reported that woman centred care was a concept. Further to this it is reported that being ‘with woman’, is central introduced in the ‘Changing Childbirth Report’, a policy review to midwifery practice and is described as a phenomenon that is conducted by the National Health Service Maternity Care in the characteristic of being woman centred. Bradfield et al. also United Kingdom in 1992, where the phrase was believed to be describe woman centred care as tantamount and as important as terminology ‘borrowed’ from the early feminist era. Morgan the phrase ‘with woman’. Being ‘with woman’ for midwives further emphasised that maternity care ought to be woman enables the enactment of woman centred care through advocacy, centred, with services meeting the needs of those for whom they empowerment and the benefits of a trusting relationship. are intended, stating also that a globally accepted definition of The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia states that woman centred care does not exist. Additionally, the Changing midwifery is ‘grounded’ in woman centred care and that continuity Childbirth reform of 1994 stated that maternity care should be of care facilitates the enactment of professional practice. Addi- ‘woman centred, and that choice, continuity and control should tionally, evidenced-based midwifery care that is woman centred inform the development of services’ (p 1). This proposed change in considers the woman’s specific circumstances; enabling the focus practice was welcomed by the midwives, doctors and the users of of care to be individualised to the woman by respecting her right to maternity services, and was adopted as Government policy in 1994 choose, dignity, and the ownership of her health information. This. is further supported by the Royal College of Midwives who According to Leap and later supported by Morgan , strongly encourage ‘continuity of care’, in order to provide woman centred care is a list of attributes and is achieved through midwifery practice that is safe, diverse and of a high quality that the principles of woman’s choice, control, right to self-determina- is also individualised. tion, as well as addressing the wholistic and cultural needs while Woman centred care is linked with person centred care [9,10]. providing continuity of care. Brady et al. states that ‘woman Further to this and according to Fontein-Kuipers et al., it is centred care’ is ‘central to midwifery practice and philosophy’. recognised as a ‘quality’ within midwifery. It is derived from Further to this, Brady et al., reiterates a need for research focused labels such as person, patient or client centred care. It is also stated on a universal definition that could be imbedded into practitioner that the enactment of woman centred care is complex and requires behaviour. a multidimensional understanding and approach and alignment Berg et.al, discussed the importance of midwives having within individualised consultation and collaborative interaction grounded knowledge, resources and skills that are enacted in. Maputle and Donavon , also state that it is ‘complex and combination as they respond to the individual needs of the woman. experienced individualistically’ (p 1). These authors also highlight the balancing act required of midwives as they provide woman centred care, within the varying 32 M. Crepinsek et al. Women and Birth 35 (2022) 31–37 midwifery models amidst the ever-changing cultures within 2. Methods healthcare. Maputle and Donavon, via content analysis, established that The guiding question for this document review was: What is the although woman centred care is frequently cited in the literature, focus and enactment of woman centred care within primary source the formulating of a consensus in relation to its meaning was still professional documents that inform midwifery? A review of required. Issues around the meaning were again highlighted official documents was therefore conducted, a recognised meth- by Brady et al., who state that the differences in the interpretations odology applicable within health research. According to Bowen of woman centred care add to a confusion. Woman centred care, , this approach provides an opportunity to target specific therefore, could be described as complex, amid having no information and identify overarching themes, a considered universally accepted definition. approach for a focus on woman centred care in midwifery. Yin Morgan , describes the complexities as being due to a focus also states that this method is structured, rigorous, supports on a concept that purports to meet the needs of the woman, the objectivity and provides focus on a specific topic. According to midwife and service provision. Further to this, the notion that Labuschagne , document review and analysis yields an woman centred care once adopted in principle by midwifery authentic depiction of a concept. The documents selected were regulators does so, often with limited regard for an existing chosen as primary to the standards that govern midwifery practice. maternity care system or the impact upon the work-life balance of Importantly, this research represents a point in time, providing the midwives themselves. a particular focus on the care of women during childbearing. In the Maputle and Donavon also demonstrate that approaches taken context of this body of work, the term childbearing refers to the within maternity service provision are still evolving and that there period in a woman’s life that is inclusive of conception, pregnancy, is still no agreement about the enactment of woman centred care and childbirth and the postnatal period.. Generally, midwifery professional documents, according to Pope et al. refer to the responsibility and care midwives are 3. Data collection required to provide to women during the perinatal period; however, there is little-documented attention that relates to an A systematic cross-sectional search was conducted, utilising the understanding of woman centred care. online environment, of Websites that contained official documents Tierney et al., described the introduction of university educa- about midwifery education, standards and governance or their tion for midwives as providing a platform that has improved the equivalence. Each was searched for the term ‘woman centred care’. professional stance of midwives. Such that, training to be a Initially, the documents selected were from Australia, the midwife at a university is an opportunity for students to align with United Kingdom and New Zealand. During this initial phase, there the principles of woman centred care, via the application of was a realisation that further sources were required. The search professional standards-based education. This premise sup- was extended to provide a global depiction of the use of the ports the development of capability within focused woman concept of woman centred care. The strategy was therefore centred midwifery models of care. Further to this, Kuliukas et al. extended to include documents of nations within the European state that ‘continuity of care’ along with positive midwifery role Union, as well as Western, Asian, Scandinavian and the African models support student learning and the understanding of ‘being countries. with woman’ through woman centred care. However, Along with these, countries that have adopted midwifery according to Browne et al. more research is needed to examine standards under the governance of the International Confederation how the woman centred philosophy of practice is embedded into of Midwives (ICM), and the World Health Organisation (WHO) undergraduate education. Whilst Brady et al., conducted a were also included. Each country or organisation was allocated a study to pilot a ‘Woman Centred Care Scale’ for the assessment of deidentifying letter and number. The included countries can be the clinical behaviour of students. found in Appendix A. This approach was to identify, source and Morgan, emphasises how woman centred care clearly supports interpret a wide as possible number of authentic standards and an individual’s rights, and further reiterates that despite midwives official midwifery documents. The sourcing provided a global often describing their practice as being woman centred, a overview of the usage of the concept. definition of the concept has limited attention within the peer- The process was undertaken in two steps. Initially, the search reviewed evidence. Carolam and Hodnett, state that many focused on the phrase ‘woman centred care’, however, if this was midwives believe that a realignment of woman centred care as an absent, then the second step extended the process also to include: underpinning of midwifery philosophy would strengthen autono- ‘women centred care’, ‘patient/person centred care’ and ‘client my in midwifery and the empowerment of women. Bradfield centred care’. The reason for extending the search to include these et al., further support this premise, stating that woman centred alternate options was to allow for interpretations in the use of midwifery practice, that of being ‘with woman’, empowers the language. woman to be more confident during her childbirth experience. The concept of person centredness, according to Watkins, Importantly healthcare, including midwifery, has evolved with requires an understanding of the processes and status of all emphasis across multidisciplinary approaches. Therefore, it is individuals and contextually this situates an individual at the acknowledged that woman centred care may not just be entirely centre of their health care. Watkins, further states that this about midwifery specific skills. Brady et al., have reviewed the provides appreciation and understanding about woman centred- empirical literature on the concept of woman centred care. ness, which extends beyond the physical and social responsibility However, to date, there is yet to be a universally accepted of women during childbirth to a more wholistic context of conclusion regarding how the concept is utilised or defined and compassionate care and psychological wellbeing. observed within both midwifery practice and in particular within An overview of each item of documentation was undertaken guiding professional standards and governance documentation. using the following process. Firstly, to maintain the confidentiality Hence these findings support the need for this review. Therefore, of information sourced from each country or organisation, a code via a collective examination of official midwifery documents, this was allocated to each data source. If required, Google translate was research reports the results of a specific focus on the application of used to translate documents into English. However, all effort was the concept of woman centred care. made to source the English version of documents with some countries having both their native language as well as English. The 33 M. Crepinsek et al. Women and Birth 35 (2022) 31–37 web address and relevant supporting quotes for each data source making. While further ‘providing for the person’s needs within an were recorded for future reference. This methodology yielded empathetic approach to affect mutually agreed on effective outcomes’ quotes, relevant text and contextual information. The approach (PS4). was global and applied consistently. 4.3. General approaches 4. Results Some countries reported that basic necessary care and In total, midwifery professional documents from 142 countries procedures were expected of the midwife, thus maintaining a were reviewed, of which 30 had independent documentation task-orientated approach to Midwifery standards. Countries that available. The European Midwives Association represented 30 documented this approach focused on the role of the midwife and countries. A further 21 countries were identified through the the knowledge and clinical skills required for the care of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), of which four also woman (PS7, PS8 and PS23). In these circumstances, there was had independent midwifery standards documents. Accessed also little or no reference to the woman or women within the process. was the World Health Organisation (WHO). This yielded informa- Examples of this were seen in the documents from (PS8 and PS23) tion about midwifery across 61 countries. where the word woman or women was not evident. 4.1. Woman centred care 4.4. Alignment with political, cultural and economic situations Not all documents made a direct reference to the phrase From this review, it was also clear that there were differences ‘woman centred care’. Five (3.5%) of the 142 countries utilised the that aligned with individual political and economic situations actual phrase. An example is provided. across various nations. For example, some countries report models ‘Woman Centred Care focuses on the woman’s unique needs, of care and their impact on the woman and the infant (PS1, PS2, expectations and aspirations; recognises her right to self- PS3) Continuity of care is an example of how a model of care has determination regarding choice, control and continuity of care; been reported to support the nuance of woman centeredness and addresses her social, emotional, physical, psychological, within standards (PS1, PS2, PS3). spiritual and cultural needs and expectations. Applies knowledge, The importance of the impact of cultural differences across skills and attitudes to enable Woman Centred Care’ (PS1). nations was evident, with some documents making particular reference to ensuring the care of the woman is sensitive and PS1 also included ‘woman centred care focuses on the woman accommodating of her cultural preferences and beliefs. This was as an individual and recognises her right to choice and control seen in (EU2), which states, ‘appropriate to the needs, contexts, through self-determination’ (PS1). culture and choices of women, babies and their families’ (EU2). Reference to service provision in the context of woman centred The recognition of human rights and dignity were evident care was found throughout the Standards of Practice for midwives. across many countries (PS5, PS6, PS9, PS10, PS11, PS28, ICM1 Within (PS3), it was stated that ‘primary birthing, is being through to ICM21 and EU1 through to EU30), indicating the impact planned... to help shape a modern and woman centred space for on the enactment of midwifery care. The fact that fundamental the future’. While, (PS2) stated that the ‘provision of woman centred human rights continue to be a focus in the 21st Century for women care, in Midwifery practice is in response to the needs of the woman is bewildering. It is assumed that an emphasis on human rights and and their families in a variety of care settings’. dignity could imply the need to remind society of its importance. Ultimately the concept of woman centred care focuses on the This suggests that the fundamental human rights for women who individual needs of the woman with the emphasis on birth, as birth the children in these countries and nations should remain a being recognised as a normal life event. However, a wholistic priority to ensure safe birth outcomes. viewpoint was evident within the documents of PS21, stating that The overall reference to childbirth within some documentation ‘Woman centred care, includes the relationship between the mother, was also limited. Some countries did not acknowledge midwives, infant and their larger community’ (PS21). but they referred to nurses when reporting the care of women Conversely, the phrase woman centred care was also found to during childbirth. refer to the woman’s childbearing experience in relation to ‘choice’, ‘self-determination’, ‘continuity of care’, ‘wholistic’ and ‘cultural 5. Discussion needs’ (PS1). This also assumed the importance of the context of the maternity services available to women during their childbear- This research applied a comprehensive methodology to search ing experience. Interestingly, when evaluating woman centred for the concept of woman centred care. Midwifery professional care, Carolam and Hodnett , found that there was a minimal documents were represented from a global perspective. Although comparison between rhetoric and evidence regarding the concept. woman centred care was identified, this was limited within the This indicates a requirement for a considered focus, not only on the reviewed documents. However, despite woman centred care being application but importantly on the overall meaning. fundamental to the practice of midwifery, the most important finding was that, despite a comprehensive approach, the use and 4.2. Alternative phrases to woman centred care application of the actual concept was limited. This document review, therefore, concludes that a consistent and considered focus When considering ‘woman centred care’, particularly in the on woman centred care was unable to be established. Further to literature, there is an interchange of language that reveals a this, where woman centred care carried some focus, there were no proliferation of other terms such as person-centred, patient- supporting descriptors nor perceptions of the actual meaning. This centred, client-centred, all making reference to the woman as an is in contrast to what is purported about woman centred care, individual. However, other than woman centred care, this being the primary and underpinning focus. research found only one instance of the use of ‘person centred’ as From the documents, it was also evident that woman centred an alternative terminology within the documents reviewed. PS4 care could be misconstrued amid multiple foci of other factors; referred to the notion of ‘person-centred midwifery care’, ‘respecting political, cultural, and practical. This interpretation was considered a person's values and beliefs by involving her centrally in decision- as a type of woman centred care; however, the true meaning of the 34 M. Crepinsek et al. Women and Birth 35 (2022) 31–37 concept was not a primary focus. From a midwife’s perspective, The concept of woman centred care is about aligning care to what is being called ‘woman centred care’ and what is ‘woman meet the unique needs of an individual woman. This is achieved by centred’ appear to be different? This indicates that there may not customising care to meet the individual woman’s needs within the yet be a universal understanding of woman centred care. confines of the health care services available. This review of documents acknowledges a focus on cultural The standard of care for the childbearing woman varies within safety and its relevance in the context of woman centred care. countries and across nations. Currently, those in the midwifery However, this without woman centred care could be considered as profession, share information and documentation globally through not entirely dimensional. The concept of woman centred care is governing organisations such as the International Confederation of understood by the midwifery community to be inclusive of cultural Midwives (ICM) or the World Health Organisation (WHO). These sensitivity. It is important to question how a profession that platforms of governance provide a vehicle in which to take the first purports to embrace woman centeredness has a limited reference step in standardising midwifery standards and philosophy globally. within guiding documentation. Understanding woman centred The next step in elevating this practice within the documenta- care requires a shift within the provision of maternity services. The tion is to embed terminology that underpins the profession. This development of learning packages, especially those that support action could strengthen the endorsement of woman centred care. professional development for midwives and other healthcare When the phrase ‘woman centred care’ is seen as the standard providers, is suggested. language in the documents that govern midwifery practice, it is When comparing the outcomes of this review with the research considered that it will become embedded in how midwives think literature, no other studies were found that reported on the and care for women regardless of the environment in which they occurrence of woman centred care within professional documents. practice. However, Homer, did report on the development and validation of The enculturation process for students and early career the Australian National Competency Standards for Midwives. midwives into the profession is influenced by what they learn These competencies were reported to have been developed with and read as well as their professional experiences. If the global an emphasis on woman centred care, as the overarching embedding of woman centred care within professional documen- framework. These included individualising midwifery care to tation was strong, then the verbal acknowledgment within meet each woman's unique needs, rather than the needs of the professional language would be further endorsed in practise. institute or those of the profession. Further investigation is needed to explore the various cultural, The importance of integrating woman centred care into economic and political influences within and across midwifery. maternity services was highlighted in the ‘Changing Childbirth’ Additionally, a more in-depth focus could also consider the reform of 1994, influencing the practice of woman centred care enactment or exemplification of woman centeredness using globally. Midwifery professional standards underpin both educa- alternate terminology or explanation. For consideration is that tion and clinical practice within the discipline. However, within the woman centred care may be a practice that is inferred, yet widely reviewed documents, the focus was primarily on the clinical interpreted due to the lack of a uniform definition. enactment of midwifery tasks, rather than an explicit focus on how woman centred care is enacted. Simply, woman centred care in the 6. Conclusion context of midwifery is about how they do it, not what they do. So what is the ‘how’ about? The regulation of midwifery requires an understanding of the In contrast, according to Yanti et al., midwifery education, broader systems within which midwives practise, and the purpose which is underpinned by these standards, focuses on the wholistic of their service. Equally relevant are the human factors. The care of women through woman centred models of care. An concept of woman centred care is said to underpin the example of this being a continuity of care, which is fundamental to philosophical framework of midwifery as a profession. midwifery practice. These findings further reiterate how governing Organisations provide the standards within which midwives documents may not be aligned with clinical practice or education. practise. However, when reviewing these documents, globally, Therefore the questions that need to be asked are, should a the reference to the phrase woman centred care was minimal. In universal understanding of woman centred care be considered? reality, practice-based notions of midwifery were mostly found to Further to this, should woman centred care have direct relevancy be the emphasis. Specifically, there was also a strong focus on within official Midwifery documents? Were these changes to take actual maternity services. The ideology behind this research was to place, then how would this impact the educating of midwives in substantiate the presence of a fundamental concept, which is preparation for professional practice, and finally, how would this purported as underpinning midwifery practice. A substantial ultimately impact a woman’s birth experiences? collection of globally relevant midwifery professional documents Midwifery is a profession that supports childbearing women. were included, and this research has established that there is a The needs of each woman during this life experience are unique. A limited reference to, nor descriptors of the concept. Woman consistent approach across midwifery could consider a unified centred care is integral to midwifery despite the limited formal- method that clearly acknowledges the concept of being woman isation of the concept. This in no way diminishes the importance of centred. This would be in preference to the current interpretations woman centred care; however, it does provide support for the that vary according to the confines in which they are practised. development of a global approach to a definition and the Words are powerful, by standardising the language used within development of universally accepted descriptors that provide for official documents, the phrase woman centred re-directs the care meaningful enactment and support for midwifery practice. back to the individual woman, regardless of the circumstances in which care is provided. The impact of embedding ‘woman centred Ethical approval care’ within all midwifery professional documentation would highlight a universal essence within the practice of midwifery. None declared. Embedding the phrase woman centred care would have implica- tions for both clinical practice and education. A strong commit- Funding ment to this notion would infer professional assurance. 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