Culture-Based Midwifery Care in The Prenatal Period and The Relationship of Midwifery Care to Cultural Care Models

Abstract

The relationship between health and culture is influenced by the individual's perception of illness-health, beliefs, traditions and developing healthy behaviors. During pregnancy beliefs, values and differences in practices that make up the culture should be taken into consideration. The need for care provided within the scope of cultural characteristics positively improves health and pregnancy outcomes. It is important to understand the attitude and culture of the pregnant woman in order to continue the prenatal period in a healthy way for the pregnant woman and the fetus. When pregnant women cannot receive care specific to their own culture, they experience anxiety and stress about their own health and the health of their baby. Today, there are models used for cultural approach to individuals. Models based on cultural care are generally models based on cultural competence in care. Leininger, Giger, and Davidhizars, Purnell's models are the most frequently used models in cultural care/practices. Midwives are healthcare personnel who have an important role in recognizing and evaluating the cultural structure of the pregnant women they serve and in improving the quality of midwifery care. The purpose of this review is to reveal the importance of culture-based midwifery care in the prenatal period and its relationship with cultural care models in the light of the literature.