Skip to main content

Risk, theory, social and medical models: A critical analysis of the concept of risk in maternity care.

Bryers, H. and van Teijlingen, E., 2010. Risk, theory, social and medical models: A critical analysis of the concept of risk in maternity care. Midwifery, 26 (5), 488-496.

Full text available as:

[img] Other (Abstract only from Midwifery web pages)
abstract - Other

17kB

Official URL: http://www.midwiferyjournal.com/home

DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2010.07.003

Abstract

Background there is an on-going debate about perceptions of risk and risk management in maternity care. Objectives to provide a critical analysis of the risk concept, its development in modern society in general and UK maternity services in particular. Through the associated theory, we explore the origins of the current preoccupation with risk Using Pickstone's historical phases of modern health care, the paper explores the way maternity services changed from a social to a medical model over the twentieth century and suggests that the risk agenda was part of this process. Key conclusions current UK maternity services policy which promotes normality contends that effective risk management screens women suitable for birth in community maternity units (CMUs) or home birth: however, although current policy advocates a return to this more social model, policy implementation is slow in practice. Implications for practice the slow implementation of current maternity policy in is linked to perceptions of risk. We content that intellectual and social capital remains within the medical model.

Item Type:Article
ISSN:0266-6138
Additional Information:pre-publication version is available on the web
Uncontrolled Keywords:Pickstone’s modelofhealthcare development Clinical governance Normality Midwife-led care
Group:Faculty of Health & Social Sciences
ID Code:15983
Deposited By: Prof Edwin van Teijlingen
Deposited On:27 Aug 2010 13:21
Last Modified:14 Mar 2022 13:34

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

More statistics for this item...
Repository Staff Only -