Respect and autonomy in Danish antenatal care - Pregnant women and midwives' experiences on shared decision-making.

PhD project examining respect, autonomy, and user involvement in pregnancy consultations in Danish antenatal care.

Overall project aim: The primary aim is to investigate pregnant women's experiences of involvement in decision-making in Danish antenatal care in general and in subgroups and to explore obese pregnant women’s experiences of involvement in deciding on obesity-related recommendations in pregnancy. The second aim is to illuminate midwives' perceptions of their role and responsibility in facilitating decision-making in antenatal care.

Study 1: Measuring respect and autonomy in Danish antenatal care.
Translation and cultural adaptation of the validated Canadian survey instruments Mothers Autonomy in Decision Making (MADM) and Mothers on Respect index (MORi) with final pilot testing. Subsequently, a cross-sectional study measuring pregnant women's experiences of autonomy and respect in decision-making in ANC will be carried out. All pregnant women at Randers, Herning, Aalborg, and Thisted Hospitals will be invited to participate in the study. Data will be analyzed for the whole population and selected subgroups.

Study 2: Qualitative study exploring obese pregnant women's experiences of the provision of obesity-related recommendations in pregnancy and shared decision-making.

Study 3: Qualitative study exploring midwives' experiences and perceptions of their role and responsibility in facilitating decision-making in antenatal care. Further, organizational barriers and facilitators in antenatal care in supporting respect and autonomy in the process of the individual woman will be examined.