Report: Comparative study of maternity systems Report prepared for the Ministry of Health November 2012 www.malatest-intl.com
[email protected] Phone: 04 889 0083 Mail: PO Box 5584 Wellington, 6145 What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others. - Pericles Malatest International – Comparative study of maternity systems – November 2012 1 Authors This report was compiled by Malatest International Consulting and Advisory Services (Malatest International). Malatest International provides high quality research, programme evaluation and skilled advisory services to public, private, academic and non-profit sectors. The authors of this report are Tim Rowland (BSc), Dr Deborah McLeod (BSc (Hons), PhD, DipPH) and Natalie Froese-Burns (BA (Hons), M.Econ). Though we have completed a range of projects in the health sector, we have no conflicts of interest in producing this report. HTTP://www.Malatest-Intl.com Malatest International – Comparative study of maternity systems – November 2012 2 Summary Purpose This report provides an overview of maternity systems and maternity outcomes for mothers and babies in New Zealand and across six comparator countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States), in the context of population demographics and risk factors. The purpose of this study is to provide a resource to help inform future development of policy and maternity services delivery in New Zealand. Maternity systems All the countries included in this study, except the Netherlands, have seen shifts in the roles and responsibilities of the different healthcare professionals in their maternity care systems.