Marie Berg

• Professor in Health Care Science specialising Reproductive and Perinatal Health at University of Gothenburg and at Evangelical University in AfricaPhD, MNSci, MPH, RN. RM
• Professor at University of Gothenburg

Background Research shows that interventions to protect the sensitive physiological process of birth by improving the birthing room design may positively affect perinatal outcomes. It is, however, crucial to understand the mechanisms and contextual elements that influence the outcomes of such complex interventions. Hence, we aimed to explore care p...

Background Numerous quality-improvement projects including healthcare professional training are conducted globally every year, but there is a gap between the knowledge obtained in the training and its implementation in practice and policy. A quality-improvement programme was conducted in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to reduce maternal...

‘The midwife’s role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: Protect and Invest Together’ is a report providing the reader the opportunity for understanding and appreciating the history of midwifery in Sweden and the interlinked nature of the United Nation’s SDGs supporting health and wellbeing of women and children. To realise the opportuni...

Objective: To study the effect of the birthing room design on nulliparous women's childbirth experience up to 1 year after birth. Background: Although it is known that the birth environment can support or hinder birth processes, the impact of the birthing room design on maternal childbirth experience over time is insufficiently studied. Methods...

Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate if overweight and obesity in the offspring is reduced by a low-intensity antenatal primary care intervention with focus on diet and physical activity for pregnant women with obesity, comparing children to mothers receiving the intervention with children to mothers who did not. Methods This study is a follo...

Objective To evaluate if a birthing room designed with person-centred considerations improves labour and birth outcomes for nulliparous women when compared to regular birthing rooms. Methods A randomised controlled trial was conducted at a Swedish labour ward between January 2019 and October 2020. Nulliparous women in spontaneous labour were rando...

Background: Sexual satisfaction is an important dimension of health-related quality of life that needs to be addressed. Various factors may influence sexual satisfaction in women living with HIV (WLHIV); however, research in this area is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate patients’ self-reported sexual satisfaction and its associatio...

Aim To explore women’s experiences of physical features in a birthing room designed to be adaptable to personal wishes and needs during labor and birth. Background Childbirth is a central life event influenced by numerous factors, including the healthcare environment; however, there is insufficient knowledge on how the physical design affects wome...

Abstract Background: Numerous quality-improvement projects including healthcare professional training are conducted globally every year, but there is a gap between the knowledge obtained in the training and its implementation in practice and policy. A quality-improvement programme was conducted in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to reduc...

Background Maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are among the highest worldwide. As part of a quality improvement programme in a health zone in the DRC aimed at contributing to reduced maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity, a three-pillar training intervention around childbirth was develope...

Background The Mighty Mums antenatal lifestyle intervention is a person-centered behavioral intervention focusing on nutrition and physical activity for pregnant women with obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥30). The aim of this study was to evaluate the costs and clinical outcomes of adding the Mighty Mums intervention to standard antenatal care. Me...

Background Labour and birth are sensitive physiological processes substantially influenced by environmental and psychosocial factors. Aim To explore the influence and meaning of the birth environment for nulliparous women giving birth in either one of two differently designed birthing rooms at a hospital-based labour ward. Methods Five months of...

Objectives Women living with HIV have specific needs regarding sexuality, pregnancy, and childbirth. However, there is lack of knowledge about how these needs can be met. The aim of this study was to identify supportive conditions for sexual and perinatal wellbeing in women living with HIV in Sweden. Methods A phenomenological reflective lifeworld...

Sexual satisfaction can be challenging for people living with HIV (PLWH). To investigate self-reported sexual satisfaction in PLWH and its association with HIV-related biomarkers, a retrospective observational cohort study with data on sociodemographic characteristics and changes in PLWH’s assessment of their sexual satisfaction over time were retr...

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare childbirth experiences and experience of labor pain in primiparous women who had received high- vs low-dose oxytocin for augmentation of delayed labor. Material and methods: A multicenter, parallel, double-blind randomized controlled trial took place in six Swedish labor wards. Inclusion criteri...

The birthing room is a major workplace for midwives but how it influences them in practice is not enough investigated. Purpose: This study aimed to explore midwives´ experiences of how the birthing room affects them in their work to promote a normal physiological birth. Methods: A phenomenological reflective lifeworld research approach was used and...

Background: In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), maternal and neonatal health outcomes are poor and delivering healthcare services of sufficient quality is a challenge as there are only 0.6 midwives, physicians, or nurses for every 1,000 inhabitants. Objective: To explore the current state of the midwifery profession in the DRC and to suggest...

Background: To improve maternal health outcomes, highly competent healthcare providers are needed. One strategy used to improve performance among healthcare providers is simulation-based learning. An integrative review was designed with the aim of synthesising available research on Helping Mothers Survive (HMS), a learning programme used in low-inc...

Background: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has high maternal mortality and a low number of midwives, which undermines the achievement of goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, specifically the health of the mother and newborn. Scaling up the midwifery workforce in relation to number, quality of healthcare, and retenti...

Introduction According to WHO, midwives are found competent to provide evidencebased and normalcy-facilitating maternity care. Models for midwifery care exist, but seem to be lacking explicit epistemological status, mainly focusing on the practical and organizational level of care delivery. To make the values and attitudes of care visible, it is im...

Background: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has high maternal mortality and a low number of midwives, which undermines the achievement of Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, specifically the health of mother and newborn. Scaling up the midwifery workforce in relation to number, quality of healthcare, and retention in...

Background: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has high maternal mortality and a low number of midwives, which undermines the achievement of Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, specifically the health of mother and newborn. Scaling up the midwifery workforce in relation to number, quality of healthcare, and retention in...

Background In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the education of midwives at a higher education level has recently been introduced as a strategy to improve maternal and neonatal health. However, little is known about the preconditions for such an education. Aim To explore the barriers to delivering high-quality midwifery education programmes in th...

Women with pre-gestational diabetes face additional challenges after birth as they struggle with breastfeeding and managing unpredictable blood glucose levels. The aim of this study is to validate the Diabetes and Breastfeeding Management Questionnaire (DBM-Q). In total, 142 mothers with type 1 diabetes mellitus answered the questionnaire, which in...

Problem and aim Women’s childbirth experience is central when assessing intrapartum care quality. This study accordingly measures women’s childbirth experience in Rwandan health facilities, focusing on own capacity and perceived safety. Methods A cross-sectional health facility-based study was conducted December 2014 to January 2015 in Kigali City...

Aim To summarize, categorize, and describe published research on how birthing room design influences maternal and neonate physical and emotional outcomes. Background The physical healthcare environment has significant effects on health and well-being. Research indicates that birthing environments can impact women during labor and birth. However, s...

Being pregnant, giving birth, and becoming a mother the first months after birth, is for women with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) a period of difficult challenges. In order to identify their need of support from healthcare, the aim of this study was to describe healthcare during pregnancy, labour, birth, and up to 12 weeks after birth as experien...

Abstract Background An important prerequisite for optimal healthcare is a secure, safe and comfortable environment. There is little research on how the physical design of birthing rooms affects labour, birth, childbirth experiences and birthing costs. This protocol outlines the design of a randomised controlled superiority trial (RCT) measuring and...

Background: An important prerequisite for optimal healthcare is a secure, safe and comfortable environment. There is little research on how the physical design of birthing rooms affects labour, birth, childbirth experiences, and birthing costs. This protocol outlines the design of a randomised controlled superiority trial (RCT) measuring and compar...

Background: A number of parents in neonatal care are foreign-born and do not speak the local language, which makes communication between healthcare professionals and parents more difficult. Interpreters can be used when language barriers exist - parent interactions, medical communication and communication about the care of the child. The aim in th...

Background: Oxytocin is a key hormone in childbirth, and synthetic oxytocin is widely administered to induce or speed labour. Due to lack of synthetized knowledge, we conducted a systematic review of maternal plasma levels of oxytocin during physiological childbirth, and in response to infusions of synthetic oxytocin, if reported in the included s...

Background: An important prerequisite for optimal healthcare is a secure, safe and comfortable environment. There is little research on how the physical design of birthing rooms affects labour, birth, childbirth experiences, and birthing costs. This protocol outlines the design of a randomised controlled superiority trial (RCT) measuring and compar...

Background: The clinical pathway and care program in elective total hip and knee replacement (THR/TKR) has, during the last decade, undergone considerable changes in many countries influenced by the concept of fast-track surgery, resulting in a very short hospital stay. Studies into patients' experiences of the entire fast-track program, from deci...

Objective: The prevalence of pregnant women with high body mass index is increasing worldwide. High body mass index is associated with health risks for mother and baby and supporting healthy gestational weight gain is important. Midwives play an important role in supporting women to engage in behaviours such as healthy eating and physical activity...

Purpose: There is a need to deepen knowledge about midwives’ care in obstetric-led labour wards in which midwives are responsible for normal births. This ethnographic study explores the content and meaning of midwives’ care of women in a hospital-based labour ward in Sweden prior to the introduction of a theoretical midwifery model of care. Methods...

Objective: To investigate the quality of intrapartum care provided at Rwandan healthcare facilities to women undergoing normal pregnancy and spontaneous full-term labour. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted over eight weeks during 2014–2015 in 18 healthcare facilities in Kigali City and the Northern Province: eight health centres, seven...

Use of simulation-based learning in midwifery education programmes is crucial. Due to midwifery educators in Bangladesh were lacking competence in using such pedagogical methods in their teaching, they were invited to participate in a simulation-based learning course. In this paper, we present a study on the perceived usefulness of this course. Sem...

Background Obesity (BMI ≥30) during pregnancy is becoming an increasing public health issue and is associated with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) further increases the risks of adverse outcomes. However, lifestyle intervention can help pregnant women with obesity to limit their GWG. This study evalu...

Problem: Delayed labour progress is common in nulliparous women, often leading to caesarean section despite augmentation of labour with synthetic oxytocin. Background: High- or low-dose oxytocin can be used for augmentation of delayed labour, but evidence for promoting high-dose is weak. Aim To ascertain the effect on caesarean section rate of h...

Background: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a potentially life-threatening condition in women, can have a profound impact on the family. Although structured support systems are developed, these systems tend to be based on the healthcare providers' perceptions and focus mainly on mothers' care. Fathers' vital role in supporting their partners has...

The effectiveness of antiretroviral treatment has reduced sexual HIV transmission and mother-to-child-transmission. To optimally support women living with HIV, health care providers need deepened knowledge about HIV, sexuality and childbearing. The aim of this study was to describe the phenomenon sexuality and childbearing as experienced by women l...

Background: Numerous Web-based interventions have been implemented to promote health and health-related behaviors in persons with chronic conditions. Using randomized controlled trials to evaluate such interventions creates a range of challenges, which in turn can influence the study outcome. Applying a critical perspective when evaluating Web-bas...

Objective Being pregnant and giving birth is a pivotal life event and one that a woman ordinarily remembers for most of her life. A negative childbirth experience can affect a woman’s health well beyond the episode of the labour and birth itself. This study explored the meaning of a poor childbirth experience, as expressed by women who had given bi...

Objectives: The aim was to explore and investigate associations between well-being, diabetes management and breastfeeding in mothers with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) up to six months postpartum. Methods: An explorative analysis of self-reported questionnaires measuring general well-being, sense of coherence, self-efficacy of diabetes managem...

Aims: To report results from and explore use of a multicentre, parallel-group, unblinded, randomized controlled trial testing the effectiveness in terms of well-being and diabetes management of a person-centred, web-based support programme for women with Type 1 diabetes, in pregnancy and postpartum. Methods: Between 2011 and 2014, 174 pregnant w...

Purpose: Becoming a mother is related to increased demands for women with type 1 diabetes mellitus, and more research is needed to identify their needs for support in everyday living. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the main concerns in daily life in early motherhood for women with type 1 diabetes and how they deal with these concerns. M...

Background: Neonatal units care for sick and premature newborns, and staff meet the children's parents on a daily basis. Some parents are immigrants and do not speak or understand the local language, hampering both verbal communication and the parents' opportunity to be involved in their child's care and treatment. Aim: To explore the experiences o...

Background Women’s childbirth experience can have immediate as well as long-term positive or negative effects on their life, well-being and health. When evaluating and drawing conclusions from research results, women’s experiences of childbirth should be one aspect to consider. Researchers and clinicians need help in finding and selecting the most...

Background In recent years Rwanda has achieved remarkable improvement in quality of maternity care services but there is evidence of deficiencies in care quality in terms of disrespectful care. Women’s overall childbirth experience is an important outcome of childbirth and a factor in assessing quality of care. The aim of this study was to investig...

There is a lack of systematic evidence concerning health orientation in maternity practice in the current climate of risk avoidance. The midwifery professional project is orientated toward the preservation of normal physiological processes during the maternity episode. This study investigates accounts of midwives who were working in health-orientat...

Background Peripartum cardiomyopathy is often associated with severe heart failure occurring towards the end of pregnancy or in the months following birth with debilitating, exhausting and frightening symptoms requiring person-centered care. The aim of this study was to explore women’s experiences of health care while being diagnosed with peripartu...

Background: Unnecessary routine interventions in uncomplicated labour and birth, like cardiotocography (CTG), amniotomy, use of scalp electrode and oxytocin treatment, are associated with further interventions that could harm the woman and the infant. A four year Action Research (AR) project was done on a labour ward to enhance the capacity of loc...

Background Bipolar Disorder (BD) is a mental disorder usually diagnosed between 18 and 30 years of age; this coincides with the period when many women experience pregnancy and childbirth. As specific problems have been reported in pregnancy and childbirth when the mother has BD, a systematic review was carried out to summarise the outcomes of pregn...

Denis Mukwege and Marie Berg describe the One Stop Centre at Panzi Hospital in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that provides care for girls and women who have been raped in combination with extreme bodily harm. Language: en

Objectives: To explore how actors connect in a system aiming at promoting the establishment of a midwifery profession in Nepal. Methods: A qualitative explorative study based on the framework of Complex Adaptive Systems. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 key people representing eight different organisations (actors) promoting the...

This paper explores well-being and diabetes management in women with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) in early pregnancy and investigates associations among perceived well-being, diabetes management, and maternal characteristics. Questionnaires were answered by 168 Swedish women. Correlation analyses were conducted with Spearman's correlation coeffici...

Background: Obesity during pregnancy is increasing and is related to life-threatening and ill-health conditions in both mother and child. Initiating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle when pregnant with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m(2) can improve health and decrease risks during pregnancy and of long-term illness for the mother and the child....

The increased access to effective antiretroviral treatment (ART) has made HIV comparable to a chronic disease in terms of life expectancy. Needs related to sexuality and reproduction are central to overall health and well-being. An interpretative meta-synthesis was performed to synthesize and assess how HIV-positive women's experiences of sexuality...

Background The midwifery profession is crucial for a functioning health system aiming at improved maternal and child health outcomes. Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) can be used as a tool to understand actors’ interactions in the system around midwifery profession for improved maternal and child health. The purpose of this study is to explore how ac...

Person-centred care, asserting that individuals are partners in their care, has been associated with care satisfaction but the value of using it to support women with obesity during pregnancy is unknown. Excessive gestational weight gain is associated with increased risks for both mother and baby and weight gain therefore is an important interventi...

Objective: To investigate the quality of intra-partum care provided to women with an expected normal birth at a university hospital in Nepal. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted during three weeks in November 2013. Nurses at the labor ward collected data from 292 consecutive births. Of these, 164 women of low risk were exp...

Objective: Peripartum Cardiomyopathy is a form of cardiac disease often associated with cardiac failure, occurring in late pregnancy or after childbirth. The anatomical and physiological changes in the mother associated with normal pregnancy are profound, and this may result in symptoms and signs that overlap with Peripartum Cardiomyopathy, leadin...

Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe the process of developing web information on miscarriage based on scientific evidence, for women and couples in Sweden experiencing miscarriage. Method: A participatory design was used which included researchers, professional experts and users. A participatory design was used involving researchers, pr...

The aim of this paper was to describe the first person perspective of being a peer midwife and a novice researcher initiating collaborative AR in her own organization to develop knowledge about the first encounters between the labouring woman and her care-givers in a hospital birthing context. It was motivated by the author’s longstanding professio...

Maternal obesity is linked with adverse outcomes for mothers and babies. To get an overview of risks related to obesity in pregnant women, a systematic review of reviews was conducted. For inclusion, reviews had to compare pregnant women of healthy weight with women with obesity, and measure a health outcome for mother and/or baby. Authors conducte...

Women with type 1 diabetes face particular demands in their lives in relation to childbearing. During pregnancy, in order to optimize the probability of giving birth to a healthy child, their blood glucose levels need to be as normal as possible. After childbirth, they experience a 'double stress': in addition to the ordinary challenges they face a...

Women with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) face many challenges during their pregnancy, birth and in the postnatal period, including breastfeeding initiation and continuation while maintaining stable glycaemic control. In both Sweden and Australia the rates of breastfeeding initiation are high. However, overall there is limited information about the breastf...

Objectives to identify primary and secondary outcome measures in randomised trials, and systematic reviews of randomised trials, measuring effectiveness of oxytocin for treatment of delay in the first and second stages of labour, and to identify any positive health-focussed outcomes used. Design eight relevant citation databases were searched up t...

Background Health care outcomes used in service evaluation and research tend to measure morbidity and mortality. This is the case even in maternity care, where most women and babies are healthy. Salutogenesis theory recognises that health is a continuum, with explicit inclusion of wellbeing as well as illness and pathology. This offers the potentia...

Aim: To gain an understanding of the use of the salutogenesis theory in maternity care contexts. Background: Current models of maternity care provision centre heavily on the application of technology and risk prevention based on pathogenic constructs of health, interested in studying pathology and its cure. In contrast, new ways of approaching heal...

Objective. The aim of this study was to provide a critical understanding of the role of theories and their compatibility with a person-centered approach in the design and evaluation of web-based support for the management of chronic illness. Methods. Exploration of web-based support research projects focusing on four cases: (1) preschool children a...

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jmmihs.v1i2.9907 Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences Vol.1(2) 2013; 41-44

To explore the frequency of women seeking care during the latent phase of labour at two delivery wards. Also, to investigate interventions during labour and birth outcomes in relation to parity and remaining in hospital or not during the latent phase. A retrospective, population-based cohort study in two delivery wards in Sweden. The sample was bas...

Background: E-health solutions are increasingly being developed to meet patients’ preferences and promote their participation in healthcare. Few studies have explored the participatory design process from the perspective of person-centeredness, including how it becomes materialized in technology. This paper explores how applied participatory approa...

Background: Departing from the widespread use of the internet in modern society and the emerging use of web applications in healthcare this project captures persons' needs and expectations in order to develop highly usable web recourses. The purpose of this paper is to outline a multi-case research project focused on the development and evaluation...

the professional midwife is a key person for promoting maternal and family health. Not all countries have yet reached the professional standard for midwives set by the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and Nepal is one of these countries. This study explores the feasibility to establish a professional midwifery cadre in Nepal that meets...

Perineal tears are one of the most common complications of vaginal births and may cause discomfort and pain long time after childbirth. Visual and digital examination of perineal tears is the most common way to assess and classify a perineal tear. Recent research indicates that many tears diagnosed are misclassified. The aim of this systematic lite...

Objective: to examine midwives' responses to a changed approach in the initial encounters with women and their partners in the labour ward. Design: as part of a local project to improve hospital based childbirth care, Action Research (AR) was undertaken with midwives. To establish their beliefs, practices, and responses to change during the firs...