Activiteit

The holistic approach of healthcare practice in midwifery demands the use of evidence-based practice (EBP) in all aspects of clinical care. Applying EBP in every day healthcare practice by midwives offers various significant benefits. The aim of the present study was to investigate and assess the knowledge and awareness of midwives in Greece with regard to EBP.

Data collection took place from October 2012 to January 2013 among midwifery staff within two national ‘urban’ healthcare hospitals of Athens and the department of midwifery in the Athens Technological Institute. The sample consisted of 209 participants of which 109 were midwives and 100 student midwifes. find more Both were invited to complete a questionnaire specifically designed for the study.

Only 43.5% of midwives declared awareness of the term EBP, while 36.4% had to search for general evidence about twice a month in order to support their role. The first source of information to support clinical practice was found to be ‘asking colleagues’ (52.2%) followed by ‘internet search in general’ (48.8%), but not in the EBP databases. In addition, 61.2% of respondents stated that EBP would definitely contribute to the provision of better quality midwifery care.

For a successful implementation of EBP, it is required initially to train personnel to develop their abilities, to provide information on the way to use different data sources and encourage midwifery personnel to take initiatives and be part of the decision-making process.

For a successful implementation of EBP, it is required initially to train personnel to develop their abilities, to provide information on the way to use different data sources and encourage midwifery personnel to take initiatives and be part of the decision-making process.

Midwifery practice, which contributes to the improvement of the health and well-being of mothers and infants, varies greatly across the world. In former Soviet Union countries, midwifery was developed in a context marked by the Soviet regime and often remains underdeveloped. However, it is now gaining momentum in several countries including Lithuania where midwives have gained some autonomy in the past years. This study aims to explore the professional identity of student-midwives in Lithuania.

Semi-directed interviews were conducted with six student-midwives recruited in two educational institutions in Kaunas, Lithuania. The interviews addressed the respondents’ perception of midwifery in Lithuania as well as their personal experiences.

This study suggests that the participants view midwifery as a medical profession, strongly anchored in the biomedical world. Indeed, they associate midwifery with medicine and nursing, they greatly value their medical degree, and they associate their profession with the hospital setting. The respondents further defined their profession by emphasizing their holistic woman-centred approach, which sets them apart from other healthcare professions. These elements of the participants’ professional identity can be viewed as professionalization strategies used to better establish their profession within the field of maternal healthcare.

These findings suggest that the participant student-midwives view midwifery as a medical profession, rooted in the biomedical field, but also characterized by a unique care approach. This exploratory study thus contributes to a better understanding of midwifery in Lithuania.

These findings suggest that the participant student-midwives view midwifery as a medical profession, rooted in the biomedical field, but also characterized by a unique care approach. This exploratory study thus contributes to a better understanding of midwifery in Lithuania.

The incidences and types of missed nursing care in the acute care and community sectors are both ubiquitous and quantifiable, however, there are few research studies relating to the type and frequency of missed maternity-based care for mothers and families. The aim of this study is to estimate the incidences and types of Australian missed midwifery care and to identify those factors that have causal links to it.

A non-experimental, descriptive method using a Likert developed MISSCARE scale was used to ascertain consensus estimates made by Australian midwives. Electronic invitations were extended to their membership using an inclusive link to the MISSCARE survey. Inclusion criteria were all ANMF members who were midwives and currently employed within the Australian public and private healthcare systems. Data analysis was undertaken using both Rasch analysis and Structural Equation Modelling.

The type and frequency of missed Australian midwifery care can be quantified and several demographic factors are significant predictor variables for overall missed midwifery care. The most prevalent aspects of missed care in the Australian midwifery setting are midwives’ hand hygiene, supportive care, perinatal education, and surveillance type midwifery practices.

As the frequencies and types of missed midwifery care in Australia have been identified, it is possible for midwives to be mindful of minimising care omissions related to hand hygiene, providing supportive care and education to mothers as well as surveillance-type midwifery practices.

As the frequencies and types of missed midwifery care in Australia have been identified, it is possible for midwives to be mindful of minimising care omissions related to hand hygiene, providing supportive care and education to mothers as well as surveillance-type midwifery practices.

Ongoing developments in prenatal anomaly screening necessitate continuous updating of counsellors’ knowledge. We explored the effect of a refresher counselling course on participants’ knowledge of prenatal screening.

We investigated the association between knowledge and counsellors’ working experience. Also, the association between knowledge and counsellors’ attitude towards prenatal screening was determined. All counsellors in the North-West region of the Netherlands were invited to attend a refresher counselling course and fill in both a pre-course and a post-course questionnaire. The participants consisted of midwifes, sonographers and gynaecologists. A 55-item questionnaire assessed pre-course (T0) and post-course (T1) knowledge. At T0, counsellors’ attitude towards the prenatal screening program was assessed and its association with knowledge analysed.

Of 387 counsellors, 68 (18%) attended the course and completed both questionnaires. Knowledge increased significantly from 77.7% to 84.6% (p<0.01).