Maternity Care Experiences of Asylum-seeking and Refugee Women in Scotland
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot listed
Trial typeObservational
Biological sexFemale
Age16-50
SponsorUniversity of Aberdeen
About this trial
The International Organisation of Migration reports that over half (52.4%) of international migrants in Europe are women. Evidence suggests that women with immigrant backgrounds often struggle to access healthcare across the world. Among migrant women, asylum-seeking and refugee women face higher risks of poor pregnancy and birth outcomes, including babies with low birth weight, physical and/or mental health problems or death related to pregnancy and/or childbirth. Previous studies have focused on immigrant women's experiences of care during pregnancy and birth and did not differentiate between asylum seekers, refugees, and economic migrants. This can make it difficult to compare studies accurately. This study focuses on asylum-seeking and refugee women, using the definitions provided by the United Nations. Asylum-seeking women refer to women who seek protection in a country other than their own and are waiting for a decision on their status. Asylum seekers become refugees once their application has been processed and accepted.
A scoping review was conducted to understand the experiences of asylum-seeking and refugee women accessing maternity care in the United Kingdom( UK), focusing on Scotland. The review found that all studies that focused on the experiences of asylum-seeking and refugee women accessing maternity care were mainly based in England. The review identified the presence of specialist migrant services in maternity settings in Scotland and across the UK. Still, there was no information on their implementation or impact on women's outcomes. Additionally, there is limited evidence in the UK on the perceptions of healthcare professionals providing care to asylum-seeking and refugee women.
This study aims to close this gap in research by exploring this area more deeply in Scotland through mixed-methods studies of surveys with asylum-seeking and refugee women and interviews with maternity care leaders, policymakers, maternity healthcare professionals, and asylum-seeking and refugee women.
Eligibility criteria
This trial does not accept healthy volunteersQualifiers
Women aged 16 and over.
Women who are or were or had been pregnant within the last 5 years.
Women who were living in Scotland within the last 5 years and used National Health Service (NHS) maternity services.
Asylum-seeking woman at the time of being pregnant or Refugee woman at the time of being pregnant.
Disqualifiers
Women who are economic migrants or illegal migrants or hold British citizenship at the time of being pregnant and using maternity services within last five years in Scotland.
Women who are asylum-seeking or refugee women and live in England or Wales or Northern Ireland.
Women with insufficient English, Arabic, Persian or Urdu to participate in the online survey.
Women aged 16 and over.
Trial population
The study population for the survey consists of asylum-seeking and refugee women who were pregnant or who had been pregnant in Scotland the last five years, regardless of the outcome of pregnancy ( e.g live birth, stillbirth, miscarriage or abortion). The study population for the interviews consists of two samples. First, asylum-seeking and refugee women who are pregnant or who had been pregnant in Scotland in the last five years, regardless of the outcome of pregnancy (e.g live birth, stillbirth, miscarriage or abortion). Second, the HCPs who are providing care to those women in maternity services in Scotland.
Trial design
Design model
Other
Time perspective
Other
Treatments tested in this trial
Not listed
Trial groups
No trial groups listed
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Exploring and understanding asylum-seeking and refugee women's experiences of maternity care in Scotland.
A survey will be conducted to assess asylum-seeking and refugee women's experiences of maternity care in Scotland. This will be followed by a qualitative phase, during which semi-structured interviews with asylum-seeking and refugee women will provide an in-depth understanding of the findings of the survey.
Time frame
by May 20252
Evidence of HCP's experiences of providing maternity care for asylum-seeking and refugee women in Scotland.
In depth semi-structured interviews will be offered to HCPs to explore their experiences of providing care to asylum seeking and refugee women in maternity services in Scotland.
Time frame
by May 2025Secondary outcomes
1
Identification of the successful components of specialist migrant maternity services in Scotland.
The results from the survey and interviews will help identify the specialist migrant maternity services in Scotland.
Time frame
by May 20252
Identification of gaps between care pathways and practice (implementation gap) and how this affects the quality of maternity care and women's experiences of maternity services
The mixed method analysis of the findings will help identify gaps between current care pathways and collected data from women's experiences of using maternity services in Scotland.
Time frame
by May 20253
Information for policymakers on approaches needed to improve maternity care for refugee and asylum-seeking women at local and national levels.
The findings of the study and its recommendations will be shared with maternity managers and policy makers to enhance women's experiences of maternity services and meet their needs in Scotland.
Time frame
by May 2025Sponsors and contacts
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
Source ClinicalTrials.gov