Introduction: Considering the importance maternal care, this study aimed at exploring
the concept of continuous care and its dimensions in prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal periods.
Methods: This was a content analysis qualitative study that was performed using
semi-structured in depth interviews. Conventional content analysis method was used for
data analysis simultaneously data gathering. Different strategies were adopted for ensuring
the accuracy and the rigor of the findings such as prolonged engagement with the data
and external peer check. The setting of the study was healthcare, hospital and instruction
centers of Kashan University of Medical Sciences. The participants included eighteen midwives
and five physicians, who had different official positions.
Results: The participants’ experiences revealed five concepts for the concept of continuous
midwifery-led care, which included continuity, the process of care, education and
informing, management, and professionalism. Continuity had 3 categories including continuous
physical access, continuity of care in different time periods and continuity of a
psycho-emotional relationship. Philosophy of continuous care, home care provision and
accountability of the process of care were the process of care categories. Continued promotion,
target groups of educations, ethics, rights, backing up, implementation of program
documentation and follow-up were other categories.
Conclusions: Continuous midwifery-led prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal care is a multidimensional
and important concept. Given the differences in health infrastructures of
different countries as well as the unique characteristics of pregnancy, higher priorities are
recommended for continuous midwifery-led care and its dimensions.