Women's Decision-Making And Factors Affecting Their Choice Of ...

Chapter 1: Introduction
The topic of place of birth is hotly debated, both in academic journals
(Chamberlain 2000; Chamberlain, Wraight, and Crowley 1997; Cole and
Macfarlane 1995; Draper 1997; Drife 1999; Drife 2000; Education and Debate
1996; Jowitt 1998; Macfarlane, McCandlish, and Campbell 2000; Settatree 1996;
Springer and van Weel 1996; Young and Hey 2000), and in the press (Alibhai-
Brown 1999; Newburn 1999; Rakshit 1997; Rogers 1998; Young 1999).
However, the debate is about which venue is safer, and professionals, according to
their preferences for home or hospital, lead the debate.
Many research studies on the subject of place of birth have also focused
mainly on safety (Ackerman-Liebrich, Voegeli, Gunter-Witt et al 1996; Bastian
1998; Northern Regional Perinatal Mortality Survey Coordinating Group 1996;
Wiegers, Keirse, van der Zee et al 1996; Woodcock, Reid, Moore et al 1994).
Beyond the crucial issues of mortality and morbidity by place of birth which are at
the centre of the debate about the place of birth, it is essential to investigate
consumers views and preferences. What motivates prospective parents to reach
particular decisions about where to have their babies? What is missing from the
debate and available studies is a knowledge base of women's own perceptions of
the childbirth process, their views about the place of birth, and factors that they
consider of significance when deciding about where to have their babies. Except
for one identified study (McClain 1983) the literature has not yet touched on how
women as consumers of childbirth services view risks and benefits of home or
hospital birth, and whether risk-benefit analysis as might be applied by women
may have any role to play in their preference or choice of either home or hospital.
The lack of studies about women's views is perplexing inasmuch as the United
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