title: 'It's a good thing…': Women's views on their continuity experiences with midwifery students from one Australian region.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  midwifery relationships, especially ones developed over time, are viewed and valued as practical and political health interventions that increase the likelihood of good health for women and infants and assist with health challenges. Thus the continuity relationships with women required for each Bachelor of Midwifery student are used, not only to expand students' learning but also, in a fragmented maternity care system, to provide opportunities for women to experience the care of a known person through their pregnancy, labour and early parenting time.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  we sought understandings of women's experiences of their continuity relationships with midwifery students.
  
  
  METHODS
  a survey was posted to all women (n=1008) who had agreed to continuity in the first years of our undergraduate program 2009-2011. We analysed 354 completed surveys (34% response rate). SPSS was used for quantitative data and content analysis identified themes expressed in the qualitative responses from a selected sub-set of 27 participants. Ethical approval was obtained from the authors' institution and research funding from the local registration board.
  
  
  RESULTS
  women's satisfaction of being with a student in a continuity relationship was high. On a scale from one (not at all satisfied) to 10 (extremely satisfied), the mean score was 8.88. The women, more than half of whom received standard maternity care, stated they valued the opportunity for a constant presence across their childbearing experience and will recommend student continuity to their friends.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  this study shows that our curriculum emphasis on continuity is valued by women. Pairing a woman and a student gives women a relationship with a named person in the maternity health field that provides valued extras: care, time, patience, effort, information, advocacy, support and kindness. It raises the profile of midwifery in the community, especially the profile of continuity of midwifery care for women in standard models of care. It increases communication for and with women in a variety of useful and desirable ways and it allows an opportunity for women to contribute to students' learning. It also provides the university sector a chance to value and privilege the continuity of midwifery relationship.
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Midwifery, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Browne
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Midwifery, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia. Electronic address: Jan.Taylor@canberra.edu.au.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008880:Midwifery; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D013338:Students, Nursing; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Continuity relationship; Midwifery student; Primary health care; Women's satisfaction