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The impact of culture on access to and utilisation of maternity care amongst Muslim women: A qualitative systematic review.
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  • Aljawharah Al-Mubarak,
  • Brana Ahilan,
  • Tisha Dasgupta,
  • Sergio Silverio,
  • Hiten Mistry,
  • Lojain AL-Harbi,
  • Jawza Aldakhail,
  • Stephanie Heys,
  • Peter von Dadelszen,
  • Laura Magee
Aljawharah Al-Mubarak
King's College London School of Life Course & Population Sciences
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Brana Ahilan
King's College London School of Life Course & Population Sciences
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Tisha Dasgupta
King's College London School of Life Course & Population Sciences
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Sergio Silverio
King's College London School of Life Course & Population Sciences
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Hiten Mistry
King's College London School of Life Course & Population Sciences
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Lojain AL-Harbi
Ministry of Health
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Jawza Aldakhail
Queen Mary University of London William Harvey Research Institute
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Stephanie Heys
North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
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Peter von Dadelszen
King's College London School of Life Course & Population Sciences
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Laura Magee
King's College London School of Life Course & Population Sciences

Corresponding Author:laura.a.magee@kcl.ac.uk

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Abstract

Background: Global human migration has highlighted the need to provide culturally-appropriate maternity care, delivered in accordance with the recipient’s beliefs and practices. Objectives: This review aims to examine the impact of culture on access, utilisation, and care delivery of care for Muslim women during pregnancy, and postpartum, through the experiences of women, families, and maternity care-providers. Search Strategy: Six electronic databases were searched for published qualitative and mixed-methods studies, in English (01/January/2003-12/October/2023). Selection criteria: Studies undertaken in high-income countries reporting the experiences of either Muslim women accessing and utilising maternity services, or care-providers delivering those services. Data collection and analysis: Meta-ethnography was used to develop new concepts from included studies. Main results: Of 23,428 articles identified, 24 met inclusion criteria. Four themes were identified: ‘ Religious influences’, ‘Sociocultural interactions’, ‘Healthcare as a culture’, and ‘Disrupted communication’. Women’s negative experiences highlighted cultural insensitivity, providers’ unconscious bias, inflexible care models (and the conflict between expectations of services and those offered), and cultural stereotyping in addition to indifferent and uniform care. Care-providers’ experiences highlighted challenges with miscommunication and Muslim women’s reliance on information (and sometimes, misinformation) from their communities. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the challenges involved in delivering culturally-sensitive care to Muslim women; issues that extend beyond the confines of culture-specific awareness of religion and ethnicity, to the universal concept of personalisation. This is reflected in the theory, ‘ Recognise our differences, embrace our diversity, and care for me as an individual’.
31 Jan 2025Submitted to BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
07 Feb 2025Submission Checks Completed
07 Feb 2025Assigned to Editor
07 Feb 2025Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
18 Feb 2025Reviewer(s) Assigned