The development of a classification system for maternity models of care.

BACKGROUND: A lack of standard terminology or means to identify and define models of maternity care in Australia has prevented accurate evaluations of outcomes for mothers and babies in different models of maternity care.

OBJECTIVE: As part of the Commonwealth-funded National Maternity Data Development Project, a classification system was developed utilising a data set specification that defines characteristics of models of maternity care.

METHOD: The Maternity Care Classification System or MaCCS was developed using a participatory action research design that built upon the published and grey literature.

RESULTS: The study identified the characteristics that differentiate models of care and classifies models into eleven different Major Model Categories.

CONCLUSION: The MaCCS will enable individual health services, local health districts (networks), jurisdictional and national health authorities to make better informed decisions for planning, policy development and delivery of maternity services in Australia.