Chapter 3

Immigrant and refugee women may face barriers Shared decision-making requires an active related to culture, language, and finances.6 The and committed role on the part of the HCP, Canadian Maternity Experiences Survey (MES) as well as individualized care matched to the found that younger women (15–19 years old) were circumstances and needs of the woman and more likely to start prenatal care later [...] It is critical to positive, Each family is unique; they adapt their cultural healthy outcomes.11 In order to provide culturally traditions and practices to their own experience competent care, providers need to assess the and needs and they interpret the culture of beliefs, values, and practices of women and health care within this context. [...] Women report higher satisfaction The frequency of prenatal visits with their antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum “ should be determined according care if they experience continuity of care.23 to the physical and psychosocial In some cases, continuity of care is lost in the needs of the woman, her family, prenatal period if a woman is transferred between and her unborn baby. [...] The primary of whether the antenatal record is held by the purpose of the antenatal record is to provide woman or the HCP, a copy must also be provided a structured approach to chronicling care to the planned place of birth to help ensure it and assessing maternal and fetal risk so that is available. [...] Providers need to work with women and important to consider both the health and agencies to seek the best options for both mother medical aspects of the use or addiction as well and baby.