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CONFERENCE PROCEEDING
The unmarked road to postpartum care: A framework-guided umbrella review of access to healthcare for women in the first year postpartum
1
University of Groningen- University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Primary and Long-term Care, Groningen, Netherlands
2
Amsterdam UMC- location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Midwifery Science, Amsterdam, Netherlands
3
Academy Midwifery Amsterdam and Groningen, Inholland, Amsterdam, Netherlands
4
University of Groningen- University Medical Center Groningen, Central Medical Library, Groningen, Netherlands
5
Maxima Medical Centre, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Veldhoven, Netherlands
6
University of Nottingham, Division of Midwifery- School of Health Sciences, Nottingham, United Kingdom
7
Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Eur J Midwifery 2026;10(Supplement 1):A493
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Health problems related to pregnancy and childbirth often persist or emerge during the first year after birth, representing a significant public health concern. A more adequate alignment is required between women’s needs and healthcare services. The Levesque model provides a comprehensive framework to evaluate individual and systemic factors influencing access to postpartum healthcare.
OBJECTIVES:
This umbrella review aimed to synthesise existing evidence on the factors and perceptions influencing women and healthcare providers regarding access to healthcare during the first year after childbirth. Guided by the Levesque model, the review stratifies findings by country income level to identify global patterns and disparities.
METHODS:
A systematic search was performed in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science, JBI Evidence Synthesis, the Cochrane Database, Epistemonikos, protocol registries and grey literature. The inclusion criteria encompassed systematic reviews of factors or perceptions of women and/or healthcare providers, accessing general healthcare in the first year postpartum and published after 1998, the year of the first postpartum guidelines of the World Health Organisation. Review quality was assessed using GRADE or ConQual.
RESULTS:
Preliminary results: Preliminary findings indicate barriers to healthcare access were predominantly located in the first two demand-side dimensions of the Levesque model. Women frequently normalised their symptoms or did not recognise them as health problems. Limited symptom recognition hindered the identification of symptoms as warranting care, leading to delayed or absent care-seeking.
CONCLUSIONS:
The barriers identified in the initial stages of the Levesque model underscore the importance of raising awareness regarding what constitutes non-normal health problems. Addressing this gap is essential to improving access and achieving healthier outcomes for women in the first year postpartum.
KEY MESSAGE:
Raise awareness of health problems in the first year after childbirth to improve access to healthcare. Poster session 1 (Group A)
Health problems related to pregnancy and childbirth often persist or emerge during the first year after birth, representing a significant public health concern. A more adequate alignment is required between women’s needs and healthcare services. The Levesque model provides a comprehensive framework to evaluate individual and systemic factors influencing access to postpartum healthcare.
OBJECTIVES:
This umbrella review aimed to synthesise existing evidence on the factors and perceptions influencing women and healthcare providers regarding access to healthcare during the first year after childbirth. Guided by the Levesque model, the review stratifies findings by country income level to identify global patterns and disparities.
METHODS:
A systematic search was performed in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science, JBI Evidence Synthesis, the Cochrane Database, Epistemonikos, protocol registries and grey literature. The inclusion criteria encompassed systematic reviews of factors or perceptions of women and/or healthcare providers, accessing general healthcare in the first year postpartum and published after 1998, the year of the first postpartum guidelines of the World Health Organisation. Review quality was assessed using GRADE or ConQual.
RESULTS:
Preliminary results: Preliminary findings indicate barriers to healthcare access were predominantly located in the first two demand-side dimensions of the Levesque model. Women frequently normalised their symptoms or did not recognise them as health problems. Limited symptom recognition hindered the identification of symptoms as warranting care, leading to delayed or absent care-seeking.
CONCLUSIONS:
The barriers identified in the initial stages of the Levesque model underscore the importance of raising awareness regarding what constitutes non-normal health problems. Addressing this gap is essential to improving access and achieving healthier outcomes for women in the first year postpartum.
KEY MESSAGE:
Raise awareness of health problems in the first year after childbirth to improve access to healthcare. Poster session 1 (Group A)
| eISSN: | 2585-2906 |
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