TY - JOUR
T1 - “How Do I Prepare for This?” Patient Perspectives on Providers’ Employment-related Support During Pregnancy
AU - Goodman, Julia M.
AU - Crawford, Annette M.
AU - Cottrell, Erika K.
AU - Guise, Jeanne Marie
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, George Washington University
PY - 2024/5/1
Y1 - 2024/5/1
N2 - Background: Health care providers can offer employment-related support to pregnant patients by providing information about occupational risks and benefits, discussing adjustments, and/or completing paperwork to help patients obtain accommodations or benefits, but little research has examined whether and how this support is provided. Methods: We conducted interviews with 20 adults who had been employed while pregnant within the 5 years preceding data collection. Eligible participants had low incomes, were hourly wage earners, or were employed in service or retail occupations. Applied thematic analysis was used to identify emergent themes. Results: People who had been employed while pregnant described a range of experiences during that time, including physical and psychological demands from work, lack of access to appropriate accommodations, difficulties combining breastfeeding with work, and work-related challenges accessing health care. Participants described four primary roles that health care providers played: 1) completing paperwork needed to apply for benefits or receive work modification; 2) providing information about how to mitigate employment-related risks; 3) providing referrals to social or medical services; and 4) advocating for patients to ensure receipt of accommodations, resources, and information. Strategies identified by patients that could be enacted within health care to help them better navigate the work-pregnancy interface include increasing appointment flexibility, providing information about work-related risks and benefits programs and referrals to legal support, and helping providers to understand and support their patients’ individual work-related concerns. Conclusions: Health care providers have a critical role to play in supporting employed pregnant people to achieve flexibility in managing their work and to be active participants in discussions about recommended workplace accommodations.
AB - Background: Health care providers can offer employment-related support to pregnant patients by providing information about occupational risks and benefits, discussing adjustments, and/or completing paperwork to help patients obtain accommodations or benefits, but little research has examined whether and how this support is provided. Methods: We conducted interviews with 20 adults who had been employed while pregnant within the 5 years preceding data collection. Eligible participants had low incomes, were hourly wage earners, or were employed in service or retail occupations. Applied thematic analysis was used to identify emergent themes. Results: People who had been employed while pregnant described a range of experiences during that time, including physical and psychological demands from work, lack of access to appropriate accommodations, difficulties combining breastfeeding with work, and work-related challenges accessing health care. Participants described four primary roles that health care providers played: 1) completing paperwork needed to apply for benefits or receive work modification; 2) providing information about how to mitigate employment-related risks; 3) providing referrals to social or medical services; and 4) advocating for patients to ensure receipt of accommodations, resources, and information. Strategies identified by patients that could be enacted within health care to help them better navigate the work-pregnancy interface include increasing appointment flexibility, providing information about work-related risks and benefits programs and referrals to legal support, and helping providers to understand and support their patients’ individual work-related concerns. Conclusions: Health care providers have a critical role to play in supporting employed pregnant people to achieve flexibility in managing their work and to be active participants in discussions about recommended workplace accommodations.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.whi.2024.01.002
DO - 10.1016/j.whi.2024.01.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 38383227
AN - SCOPUS:85185604116
SN - 1049-3867
VL - 34
SP - 291
EP - 302
JO - Women's Health Issues
JF - Women's Health Issues
IS - 3
ER -