Impact of interaction with healthcare professionals

“The interactional aspects of maternity care are based on the relationship between women and their care givers and are central to the overall birth experience” (Hunter et al., 2008)

Trust and effective two way communication are the building blocks of a positive therapeutic relationship between patients and healthcare professionals, which in turn is fundamental to support women and their partners on their HIV journey and achieve better outcomes. In addition to helping women to overcome the challenges that HIV may bring, healthcare professionals play an important role in empowering women to ask questions and enabling them to make informed decisions about their care. Empathy is a crucial skill for healthcare professionals to develop and involves the ability to convey an appreciation of another's feelings. Put simply, this means 'putting yourself in another person's shoes'. The series of short video clips in Module 2 have been choosen to help you do that, whilst reflecting some key concerns for HIV positive  women attending maternity care services.

 Here Rachel explains how it was important for her to be treated "like any other pregnant woman"

Rachel found reassurance from midwives focusing on her pregnancy rather than her HIV status.

On the other hand, Lisa explains how a stressful event in her pregnancy became more stressful when a health professional focused on her HIV status rather than her pregnancy...

Women who were interviewed did not only talk about what was said, but how it was said. Respect for privacy was very important and Sue (diagnosed HIV positive during her pregnancy) decribes how this was well managed in a busy maternity care setting....

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