Lay summary
Best Start is an early pregnancy assessment tool that has been developed for use in primary care as part of the Gen2040 programme, a life-course approach to support whānau Māori, starting with Māori hapū māmā and pēpī Māori. This DHB Collaborative research project will focus on the implementation of the tool in the Whanganui region and involves hapū māmā and their whanau, general practices, midwives, secondary care maternity services, and pregnancy support community agencies.
There are three research modules proposed:
Module 1 is called Hapū Māmā Village and uses a collaborative service design process to develop the service delivery model from both hapū māmā and clinician perspectives.
Module 2 is called Clinical Team and focuses on capacity and capability building within the service. Module 3 is called Wrap Around and develops the referral processes for pregnancy risks and a social services platform for needs identified during the Best Start checks.