Irish maternity: a changing ethnic landscape

Aim  We have experienced an increase in non-Irish women booking at the Rotunda Hospital. The aim of this study was to identify changing trends in ethnicity in women booking for prenatal care at the Rotunda Hospital.  Methods  A retrospective review of hospital data on ethnicity of 90,715 mothers booking over an 11-year period (2001-2012) was undertaken. Trends in numbers of Irish vs. non-Irish women were compared. A Linear regression model was used to analyse if these trends reached statistical significance.  Results  A total of 62,259 Irish and 28,456 non-Irish women booked over the study period. The number of Non-Irish women booking each year significantly increased over the study timeframe, from 1453 women in 2001 to 3136 women in 2012 (p Conclusion  In a single large tertiary referral maternity hospital, we witnessed a significant increase in the number of women booking of non-Irish ethnicity over the past decade. Barriers to language, as well as cultural differences, will be encountered, and will require attention to improve clinical outcomes, and maternal well-being.  </p