gms | German Medical Science

Background: Not every woman of childbearing potential in Germany – despite their legal entitlement – has the opportunity to receive prenatal and postpartum care from a midwife. In particular, marginalised women who do not speak the same language as those involved in the healthcare system, or who have experienced flight or migration, are at risk of suffering pregnancy complications, birth trauma and a health-threatened arrival in early motherhood due to a lack of care.

Aim: The Learningsnacks for Mothers project develops and tests a low-threshold, digital educational offering in the form of a website that is independent of the level of education. It is aimed in particular first-time mothers who have little knowledge about the German health care system. In addition, women with flight experience or who have remained in (almost) closed, (internal) socio-cultural structures are to be addressed.

The planned website will be available in different languages. The aim is to facilitate access to the healthcare system and to support women in their self-empowering skills.

Method: A qualitative research approach was chosen. In order to create a needs-oriented offer, a needs analysis in the form of focus group interviews with experts who are in contact with potential users of the offer was carried out before the website was created. Guided interviews explore the needs of the experts in terms of knowledge and information and what experiences and barriers exist in accessing marginalized groups. Subsequently, affected women will be asked in individual interviews what knowledge and information they need. The content analysis will be done with MAXQDA. At the end of the project, a feedback tool on the website will determine how useful the offer was for the women concerned.

First results & conclusion: An interview with experts revealed that many women in the target group do not use social media such as Instagram as a source of information, partly due to limited data volume. These are therefore more suitable for social institutions to become aware of the project. The target group can access the website through QR-codes in obstetric facilities, as well as offline via booklets, flyers or via multipliers.

Affected women experience access barriers to the healthcare system due to lack of common language, insufficient knowledge, lack of insurance, or for bureaucratic, logistical and cultural-religious reasons.

Relevance: MEXiT (midwives’ early exit) is one of the main causes for the pre- and postnatal underprovision of expectant mothers in Germany. This lack of care during attendance occurs regardless of social class, level of education and knowledge of the health system. Marginalised women, however, are particularly at risk of experiencing this lack of care. Strengthening the physiological processes and self-determination of women – especially those who do not speak German – is to be achieved in order to strengthen the health of mother and child. This is where the project comes in.

Recommendations: Since the barriers of the target group are diverse and multicausal, health and educational services for affected women must be as low-threshold as possible. In addition, healthcare providers who are in contact with marginalized women should be informed about appropriate offers and must be trained in transcultural competencies.

Ethics and conflicts of interest: A vote on ethics was not necessary. The research was financed by third-party funds. There are no conflicts of interest.

The PDF file of the poster submitted for the meeting is available in German as Attachment 1 [Attach. 1].