Women, midwives and a medical model of care in Switzerland
Article
Brailey, S., Luyben, A., van Teijlingen, E. and Frith, L. 2017. Women, midwives and a medical model of care in Switzerland. International Journal of Childbirth. 7 (3), pp. 125-117. https://doi.org/10.1891/2156-5287.7.3.117
Type | Article |
---|---|
Title | Women, midwives and a medical model of care in Switzerland |
Authors | Brailey, S., Luyben, A., van Teijlingen, E. and Frith, L. |
Abstract | This article presents a case study on the organization of maternity health care in Switzerland. Switzerland has a costly health care system with high intervention rates within an obstetric-led maternity care model. Evidence has shown that midwifery care is associated with lower cost, higher satisfaction rates among women, and less intervention. However, in this model, midwives are both marginalized and underused. The article focuses on the distribution of power and knowledge between midwives, women, and the medical profession. The varying power structures that shape the maternity care system in Switzerland are examined, using a case study approach that draws on Foucault’s concepts of the gaze, surveillance, disciplinary power, and the docile body. This article critically analyzes the model of maternity care received by women in Switzerland and how it negatively impacts on both women’s personal and midwives’ professional autonomy while simultaneously driving up costs. A better understanding of the underlying power structures operating within the maternity care system may facilitate the implementation of more midwifery-led care currently being endorsed by the Swiss Midwifery Association and some government agencies. This could result in reduced cost and lower intervention rates with reduced associated morbidity. |
Sustainable Development Goals | 3 Good health and well-being |
Middlesex University Theme | Health & Wellbeing |
Publisher | Springer Publishing Company |
Journal | International Journal of Childbirth |
ISSN | 2156-5287 |
Electronic | 2156-5295 |
Publication dates | |
Jan 2017 | |
Publication process dates | |
Accepted | 01 Jan 2017 |
Deposited | 29 Apr 2024 |
Output status | Published |
Publisher's version | File Access Level Restricted |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1891/2156-5287.7.3.117 |
Language | English |
https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/12z4z6
20
total views1
total downloads1
views this month0
downloads this month