Security and Trust in Obstetric Care in Communities in Northern Norway

Restructuring healthcare in Northern Norway faces challenges, including regarding obstetric institutions. The evolution of Norway's public health system has transitioned birthing practices from community-based to medicalized and technologized, institutional settings. While this shift has improved maternal and child survival rates, Northern Norway still faces challenges, including population changes, staffing shortages, and economic constraints. These issues are amplified by resistance groups that emphasize the importance of accessible obstetric care for sustainable overall community well-being. Healthcare workers in the region often need to navigate a balance between institutional demands and lived experiences, reflecting a broader conflict between everyday life and political decision-making.

The goal of this project is therefore to explore the meeting of everyday life and politics in the debate about obstetric institutions in Northern Norway beginning with the perspectives of expecting women.

The project is part of the Robust Communities research group at ISV, which researches various forms of community in Norwegian society, with health and welfare as central components. The research environment mainly consists of sociologists employed at ISV/UiT and the National Center for e-Health Research who use both qualitative and quantitative methods and are oriented towards both empirical and theoretical issues.