Characteristics of included studies
| Author(s) and title | Year | Country (income level) | Context | Study design | Participants and location/focus of study | Quality rating |
| Al Tarawneh, et al.59 ‘Being relieved and puzzled’: A qualitative study of first-time fathers’ experiences postpartum in Jordan | 2019 | Jordan (upper middle) | Urban—employees at a public university | Qualitative and exploratory informed by semi-structured interviews | 12 first-time fathers. All aspects of PNC | B |
| Amare, et al.60 Early postnatal home visits: a qualitative study of barriers and facilitators to achieving high coverage | 2018 | Ethiopia (low) | Rural—healthcare districts in South-East Ethiopia | Qualitative and exploratory using interviews and focus group discussions (FGD) | 25 interviews and 4 FGDs with mothers, 4 FGDs with fathers and 4 with grandmothers. Home visits by community health workers | B |
| Barimani M & Vikstrom A.61 Successful early postpartum support linked to management, informational, and relational continuity. | 2015 | Sweden (high) | Urban—participants recruited from antenatal clinics in a Swedish city | Qualitative and exploratory using FGDs | 7 FGDs with 18 mothers and 16 fathers. Facility based care and home visits | B |
| Danbjorg DB, et al .62 Do families after early postnatal discharge need new ways to communicate with the hospital? A feasibility study. | 2014 | Denmark (high) | Urban—postnatal ward of a city hospital | Participatory design process derived from Action Research and framed with critical theory | 7 interviews with parents plus 1 FGD with primiparous parents (n=5), and 1 FGD with multiparous parents (n=4) including 5 fathers. Facility-based care and home visits | B |
| de Montigny F & Lacharite C.63 Fathers’ Perceptions of the Immediate Postpartal Period. | 2003 | Canada (high) | Urban—postnatal ward of a city hospital | Qualitative and descriptive using semi- structured interviews | 13 first-time fathers. Facility-based care | B+ |
| de Oliveira EMF & de Brito RS.64 Actions in care carried out by the father in the puerperism (Ações de cuidado desempenhadas pelo pai no puerpério). | 2009 | Brazil (upper middle) | Urban—in a large city hospital in Brazil (Natal) | Qualitative and descriptive using semi structured interviews | 15 fathers. Facility-based care | C+ |
| Fredriksson GEM, et al.65 Postpartum care should provide alternatives to meet parents’ need for safety, active participation, and ‘bonding. | 2003 | Sweden (high) | Urban—on a hospital midwifery ward and a family suite | Qualitative and descriptive (part of a larger qualitative study exploring different kinds of maternity care), using semi structured interviews | 11 couples and one mother, including both first-time and experienced parents. Facility-based care in a ‘family suite’ and at home following discharge | B |
| Gaboury J, et al.66 Effect of the Postpartum Hospital Environment on the Attainment of Mothers’ and Fathers’ Goals. | 2017 | Canada (high) | Urban hospital—participants recruited from postnatal ward | Qualitative and descriptive informed by interviews | 10 women (of various parities) and 8 partners interviewed separately in the immediate post-partum phase (within 48 hours). Facility-based care | A- |
| Grant M, et al.67 Trust of community health workers influences the acceptance of community-based maternal and child health services | 2017 | South Africa (upper middle) | Rural—8 clinics in 5 rural districts in KwaZulu-Natal province | Qualitative and exploratory informed by FGDs | 19 FGDs in total including 3 with 21 fathers and 3 with 19 grandmothers of children<5. Home-based care by community health workers | B |
| Gupta ML, et al.58 Grandmothers as gatekeepers? The role of grandmothers in influencing health-seeking for mothers and newborns in rural northern Ghana, | 2015 | Ghana (lower middle) | Rural—a rural district in the North East region of Ghana | Qualitative and exploratory using interviews and FGDs (conducted with a wide variety of stakeholders) | 35 interviews with mothers and 18 FGDs including 8 with grandmothers (n=81). Community clinics and home-based care | B |
| Henshaw EJ, et al.68 ‘Trying to Figure Out If You’re Doing Things Right, and Where to Get the Info’: Parents Recall Information and Support Needed During the First 6 weeks Postpartum. | 2018 | USA (high) | Urban—an urban centre in Ohio using flyers and online methods | Qualitative and exploratory based on grounded theory, informed by FGDs with parents | 5 FGDs with 26 mothers, 5 fathers and 1 sister of young children. All aspects of PNC | A- |
| Hunter L.69‘The views of women and their partners on the support provided by community midwives during postnatal home visits.’ | 2004 | UK (high) | Urban and rural—sample recruited by community midwives working for a National Health Service Trust serving urban and rural populations | Qualitative and exploratory utilising a grounded, hermeneutical approach and informed by interviews | 5 cohabiting couples (5 fathers) up to 6 weeks after birth. All first-time parents. Home-based care by midwives | B- |
| Johansson M, et al.70 Fathers want to stay close to their partner and new baby in the early postnatal period: the importance of being able to room in after a surgical birth. | 2013 | Sweden (high) | Urban—a regional city hospital in Northern Sweden | Qualitative and descriptive, informed by telephone interviews with fathers whose partners had experienced a caesarean section | 21 fathers of babies born by elective or emergency caesarean section. Facility-based care | C+ |
| Kurth E, et al.71 Safe start at home: what parents of newborns need after early discharge from hospital—a focus group study. | 2016 | Switzerland (high) | Urban and sub-urban—in the region of Basel | Qualitative and descriptive using a ‘playful’ design informed by focus groups | 24 participants in 6 FGDs including 5 with mothers (n=20) and 1 with partners (n=4) conducted up to 9 months postpartum. Home-based care | A- |
| Mbekenga CK, et al.72 Postpartum experiences of first-time fathers in a Tanzanian suburb: a qualitative interview study. | 2011 | Tanzania (lower middle) | Urban—recruited via a health clinic in a suburb of Dar es Salaam | Qualitative and descriptive informed by interviews | 10 first-time fathers from a variety of different ethnic groups. All aspects of PNC | B+ |
| Memon Z, et al.73 Residual Barriers for Utilization of Maternal and Child Health Services: Community Perceptions From Rural Pakistan. | 2015 | Pakistan (lower middle) | Rural—10 ‘socio-economically underdeveloped’ districts in Sihdh province | Qualitative and exploratory utilising an extensive network of FGDs with relevant stakeholders in 10 rural (hard to reach) areas of Pakistan | 60 FGDs in total including 20 with mothers and 20 with fathers (approximately 10 participants in each group). All aspects of maternity care including PNC | B- |
| Newbrander W, et al.74 Barriers to appropriate care for mothers and infants during the perinatal period in rural Afghanistan: a qualitative assessment. | 2013 | Afghanistan (low) | Rural—small communities (close to and far from health facilities) in five disparate rural areas of Afghanistan | Qualitative and descriptive utilising interviews, FGDs and community observations | 30 in-depth household interviews, 29 FGDs and 15 direct observations with women, their husbands, mothers-in-law, grandmothers and other family members. All aspects of maternity care including PNC | B- |
| Persson EK & Dykes AK.75 Parents experience of early discharge from hospital after birth in Sweden | 2002 | Sweden (high) | Urban—following discharge from maternity/family ward at the Helsingborg Hospital in southern Sweden | Qualitative and inductive using grounded theory for analysis | 12 cohabiting parents (mix of parities), including 6 fathers whose babies were discharged home early (after 26 hours). Home-based care following early discharge | B+ |
| Persson EK, et al.76 Fathers' sense of security during the first postnatal week-a qualitative interview study in Sweden. | 2012 | Sweden (high) | Urban—3 hospital uptake areas and 5 different postnatal wards in Southern Sweden. | Qualitative and inductive using interviews and FGDs, analysed using grounded theory | 8 fathers in 3 FGDs and 5 interviews (mix of first time and 2nd/3rd time fathers). Facility and home-based care during first week | B |
| Probandari A, et al.77 Barriers to utilization of postnatal care at village level in Klaten district, central Java Province, Indonesia. | 2017 | Indonesia (lower middle) | Rural—Central Java province | Qualitative and exploratory informed by interviews | 8 mothers, 6 family members (no details) and 5 midwives. Focus on barriers to all aspects of PNC engagement | B |
| Raven JH, et al.78 Traditional beliefs and practices in the postpartum period in Fujian Province, China: a qualitative study. | 2007 | China (upper middle) | Urban and rural—one rural and one rapidly developing urban county in Fujian Province. | Qualitative and descriptive utilising interviews | 12 mothers, 12 husbands and 12 grandmothers of babies born in last 4 months. Focus on beliefs associated with PNC | B- |
| Ross NJ, et al.79 The Perspectives of Young Men and Their Teenage Partners on Maternity and Health Services During Pregnancy and Early Parenthood. | 2012 | UK (high) | Urban—public health context around teen parenting | Qualitative, exploratory and longitudinal (data collected by interview in late pregnancy and 18 months postpartum) | 30 young couples including men aged 16–24 and women aged 16–19. All aspects of maternity care including PNC | C |
| Reuben Mahiti G, et al.80 Perceptions about the cultural practices of male partners during postpartum care in rural Tanzania: a qualitative study. | 2017 | Tanzania (lower middle) | Rural—Kongwa district of the Dodoma region, located in central Tanzania. | Qualitative and descriptive, informed by FGDs | 14 FGDs with a total of 93 men. Focus on beliefs associated with PNC | B |
| Sharkey A, et al.81 Maternal and newborn care practices in Sierra Leone: a mixed methods study of four underserved districts. | 2017 | Sierra Leone (low) | Rural—4 relatively remote areas of Sierra Leone (Kambia, Tonkolili, Kailahun and Pujehun). | Mixed methods—household cluster survey plus in-depth interviews and FGDs | Grandmothers or aunties (16 interviews; 8 FGDs) and fathers (23 interviews; 8 FGDs). Focus on beliefs associated with PNC engagement | A- |
| Shorey S, et al.82 Lived experiences of Asian fathers during the early postpartum period: Insights from qualitative inquiry. | 2018 | Singapore (high) | Urban—a tertiary public hospital in Singapore. | Qualitative and descriptive informed by interviews | 50 first-time and experienced fathers. Facility-based care | A- |
| Simbar M, et al.83 Fathers' educational needs for perinatal care in urban Iran: a qualitative approach. | 2010 | Iran (lower middle) | Urban—4 city hospitals | Qualitative and descriptive informed by FGDs | 8 FGDs (n=46 participants) including 4 FGDs with fathers (n=22). Focus on engagement with PNC | C+ |
| Solberg B & Galvin K.84 Fathers want to play a more active role in pregnancy and maternity care and at the child health centre. | 2018 | Norway (high) | Urban—a medium-sized municipality in South East Norway | Qualitative and descriptive informed by semi-structured interviews | 13 interviews with first-time fathers. All aspects of maternity care including PNC | B |
| Tesfaye G, et al.85 Delaying factors for maternal health service utilization in eastern Ethiopia: A qualitative exploratory study. | 2020 | Ethiopia (low) | Urban and Rural— Kersa district, Eastern Ethiopia. | Qualitative and interpretive using FGDs | 3 FGDs with mothers-in-law (n=19) and 3 with fathers (n=24). Focus on barriers to all aspects of PNC engagement | A |
| Vikström A & Barimani M.86 Partners' perspective on care-system support before, during and after childbirth in relation to parenting roles. | 2016 | Sweden (high) | Urban—a large Swedish city | Qualitative and exploratory informed by FGDs | 3 FGDs with fathers (n=14) and 1 with co-mothers (n=3) including 12 first-time parents. All aspects of maternity care including PNC | C+ |
| Zamawe CF, et al.87 The role of the parents’ perception of the postpartum period and knowledge of maternal mortality in uptake of postnatal care: a qualitative exploration in Malawi. | 2015 | Malawi (low) | Unclear. An area in central Malawi with high levels of poverty and low uptake of postnatal care services | Qualitative and descriptive informed by interviews and focus groups | 1 FGD with 14 partners (fathers) plus FGDs with 36 first-time mothers up to 1 year postpartum. Focus on beliefs associated with PNC engagement | B |
PNC, postnatal care.