Research Article
Have access already?
Get access to this article:
Or get access to the particular issue:
- Perpetual access Add to cart ($49.95)
Or get access to the entire journal:
Advertisement
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Midwives are a vital component of addressing maternal mortality crisis in the United States (US); however, there is scant understanding of the elements of midwifery practice that affect patient outcomes and the stability of the midwifery workforce in the country. This study investigates US midwives’ perceptions of factors influencing their practice and willingness to stay in the profession.
METHODS
We applied a pragmatic qualitative design using summative content analysis techniques to code 1,035 comments from a national sample of 2,887 certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives. Two coders identified categories and themes of midwives’ perceptions of their practice environments, which were confirmed by an independent auditor.
RESULTS
Eight themes emerged from the data: I love midwifery but…; feeling valued and respected…or not; workload; time and its consequences; the multilevel geography of midwifery practice; changes at odds with quality midwifery care; midwives withdrawing from practice to cope; and the ambiguity of “I just want to practice like a midwife.”
CONCLUSION
Midwives readily identified aspects of their practice environment that negatively impact quality of care and stability of the midwifery workforce, including not valuing midwives, high workload, regulatory restrictions, and moral distress; however, respondents expressed strong commitment to the profession of midwifery. The findings also demonstrated the lack of a universally accepted definition of midwifery care within respondents’ professional communities and among respondents. Initiatives to increase integration of midwifery into the US perinatal health system will benefit from taking these findings into consideration.
Article usage
| Period | Abstract | Full | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2024 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 26 |
| Mar 2024 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 37 |
| Feb 2024 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 28 |
| Jan 2024 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 38 |
| Dec 2023 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 19 |
| Nov 2023 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
| Oct 2023 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 37 |
| Sep 2023 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| Aug 2023 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Jul 2023 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
| Jun 2023 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| May 2023 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 54 |
| Apr 2023 | 40 | 1 | 2 | 43 |
| Mar 2023 | 58 | 1 | 1 | 60 |
| Feb 2023 | 40 | 3 | 0 | 43 |
| Jan 2023 | 126 | 0 | 0 | 126 |
| Dec 2022 | 201 | 0 | 0 | 201 |
| Nov 2022 | 396 | 0 | 0 | 396 |
| Oct 2022 | 398 | 0 | 0 | 398 |
| Sep 2022 | 326 | 0 | 1 | 327 |
| Aug 2022 | 290 | 1 | 1 | 292 |
| Jul 2022 | 340 | 0 | 0 | 340 |
| Jun 2022 | 487 | 0 | 0 | 487 |
| May 2022 | 606 | 0 | 1 | 607 |
| Apr 2022 | 93 | 0 | 0 | 93 |
Cited by