Supporting choice and control? Communication and interaction between midwives and women at the antenatal booking visit

This study focused on patterns of communication between midwives and pregnant women and their implications for information, choice and control as now advocated in UK government policy. An earlier casenote audit evaluation of a new organisation of maternity care where midwives carry a personal caseload indicated no difference in quality standards of midwifery care from conventional care, yet women using the service gave a different view. In order to understand whether this difference might be an artefact of the research, responses to change, or a reflection of the limitations of using casenotes for research, an observation-based study was conducted.