A Situational Analysis of the Status of Midwifery in North Africa and the Middle East

Ghérissi, Atf; Brown, Judith M.

doi:10.1891/2156-5287.4.2.69

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Making midwifery related higher education accessible in Africa, provides a pathway by which to increase availability of skilled midwives trained to ICM standards 24 . The integration of midwifery programs of study within degree-granting pathways, such as the LMD level, has been perceived in Europe 25 , some Africa and Middle-East countries 14 as a reform that offers midwives the opportunity of academic advancement and may pave the way to career progression. Nevertheless, it has to be determined which terminology is needed to distinguish the different educational levels.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In several African countries, the fundamental issue faced by midwives is their unclear identity buried among a multitude of health workers educated and employed as midwives who do not meet the International Definition of the Midwife of the ICM (International Confederation of Midwives) 13 . In several African countries midwifery, la pratique de sage-femme, is carried out by different health professionals such as obstetricians, general practitioners, nurses, registered and community midwives, community health extension workers, and often traditional birth attendants 2,14 . There is no specific regulatory body for midwives in some African countries and midwifery is not legally classified as an autonomous profession in many 4 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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French-speaking Africa and translation: From midwifery to maïeutique?

Atchoumi¹,

Vermeulen²,

Tsou³

et al. 2022

Eur J Midwifery

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INTRODUCTIONIn the French version of The Lancet Series (2014) midwifery has been translated as maïeutique. Likewise, the term maïeuticien has recently been introduced in some countries to name (male) midwives. This change of terminology has not been the subject of broad stakeholder consultation. The aim of this study is to explore the opinion of African midwives on the use of the terminologies pratique de sage-femme/maïeutique (midwifery) and sage-femme/maïeuticien (midwife). METHODS A quantitative study was conducted using an online survey among members of francophone professional midwifery associations in 17 French-speaking African countries. RESULTS From 140 invited midwives, 82 responses were received. The respondents represented 12 francophone African countries. Respondents obviously prefer the terms pratique de sage-femme and sage-femme above maïeutique and maïeuticien. The sagefemme is acknowledged and deeply rooted in African society. Midwifery is comprehensive, while maïeutique does not describe the full scope of midwifery. Though, some respondents believe that maïeutique has the potential to differentiate sages-femmes from other health professionals, can diminishing role ambiguity, and value midwifery practice. Respondents in favor of the term maïeutique are referring to the modernization of the midwifery profession and its scientific evolution. CONCLUSIONS Internationally, midwives closely follow the developments on the linguistic subject of maïeutique. The results of this study may support current discussion about the evolution and modernization of terminology in the francophone community worldwide. Midwives need to be actively involved in these discussions. Nevertheless, at all times we need to be cautious not to break away from midwives' cherished historical, social, and cultural roots.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

French-speaking Africa and translation: From midwifery to maïeutique?

Atchoumi¹,

Vermeulen²,

Tsou³

et al. 2022

Eur J Midwifery

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“…Internationally, it is suggested that medicalization of birth limits midwifery autonomy (Ghérissi & Brown, 2014). Therefore, infrastructure and culture at work impacts on autonomy in midwifery practice (Zolkefli et al, 2020), while collegial relationships could support or hinder midwives' autonomy (Clemons et al, 2021).…”

Section: Backg Rou N Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defining midwifery autonomy in Belgium: Consensus of a modified Delphi study

Vermeulen

Buyl

Luyben

et al. 2022

Journal of Advanced Nursing

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Aims:Although there is substantial literature on autonomy of midwifery, the concept remains vague, and what it exactly constitutes is little clear. Attempts to define this have been carried out, but did not result in a communal understanding. The aim of this study therefore was to define a consistent definition of midwifery autonomy in Belgium. Design: A modified Delphi survey with content experts. Methods: Critical components of the available definitions on midwifery autonomy were retrieved from the literature, and translated into Dutch and French. An online Delphi panel of content expert assessed components of autonomy in midwifery on clarity and relevance between June and October 2021. From the validated components, a preliminary consolidated definition was generated, which was validated in a final Delphi round.Results: After round one, content experts (n = 27) evaluated 10 out of 17 components to be clear and relevant. Two components were judged inappropriate and therefore removed. After further adaptation four additional components were identified appropriate after the second round, and one component after a third Delphi round. Experts' suggestions for improving the clarity and relevance were taken into account. Finally, experts assessed the preliminary definition. After minor modifications the definition of midwifery autonomy in Belgium was confirmed valid. Conclusion:We established a communal definition of midwifery autonomy in Belgium, the creation of such a definition results in a joint understanding of the concept of midwifery autonomy.Impact: If midwives internationally want to successfully achieve autonomy, a clear understanding of the concept of midwifery autonomy is needed. The consensus definition of midwifery autonomy in Belgium comprises 15 components related to midwives' work content, professionalism and relationship with others. Our definition of midwifery autonomy has the potential to encourage an international dialogue, grounded in a common understanding of autonomy, enabling stakeholders in maternity care to strengthen professional midwifery autonomy.

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“…Today, the improved quality of midwifery services is one of the major international controversies, and among healthcare providers, midwives play substantial roles in maintaining and improving the health of mothers and children at three levels of health and treatment centers, family and society (11). Midwives in developing countries face numerous challenges in the areas of education, laws, lack of autonomous professional associations, and management and support issues (12). The most fundamental problem is midwives' unclear identity and job duties, which sometimes, because of reasons such as lack of job planning and inappropriate service conditions including salaries, rewards and educational bene ts, not only prevent their professional progress, but also leads to job burnout caused by working in uncertain conditions, insecure workplace and lack of appropriate reference system (12).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Midwives in developing countries face numerous challenges in the areas of education, laws, lack of autonomous professional associations, and management and support issues (12). The most fundamental problem is midwives' unclear identity and job duties, which sometimes, because of reasons such as lack of job planning and inappropriate service conditions including salaries, rewards and educational bene ts, not only prevent their professional progress, but also leads to job burnout caused by working in uncertain conditions, insecure workplace and lack of appropriate reference system (12). By contrast, many developed countries, by formulating community-based policies, provide opportunities for midwives to strengthen their skills in organizing and directing local services for women and families (13).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Job adjustment predictive factors of healthcare midwives in health system reform in Iran

Moradali

Hajian

Majd

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background Having sensitive duties and multiple responsibilities in the country's health system, especially after the implementation of the health reform in Iran, midwives need to be able to perform their duties optimally in their new job position as healthcare providers. However, it is not clear to what extent the midwives have adjusted to their new roles and related duties since the implementation of this plan in the country. The aim of the present study was to determine the predictive factors of job adjustment of healthcare midwives in Iran. Methods In this cross-sectional analytical study, 310 midwives were selected from 209 health centers of West Azarbaijan province in Iran and entered the study by census method to answer the research questionnaires. Data were collected using job adjustment, job satisfaction and organizational commitment scales. For data analysis, SPSS software version 25 was used to calculate coefficients of ANOVA and multiple linear regression tests. Moreover, to determine predictive variables, path analysis was used by AMOS software. Results The mean age of the participants was 37.67 ± 7.1 years. Most of the participants (35.5%) were interested in their occupation as a midwife, and mostly had a medium to high tendency (76.1%) to stay in their new profession. Additionally, 58.1% of the participants had moderate job adjustment. "Desire to stay in the midwifery profession" and "organizational commitment" were important predictors of job adjustment for healthcare midwives. “Desire to stay in the midwifery profession”, with a direct effect, and “interest in the new profession” with an indirect effect affected the job adjustment of midwives. Moreover, “adequacy of income to expenses”, “job satisfaction” and “organizational commitment” through the mediating role of the “desire to stay in the profession” can directly and indirectly affect their job adjustment. Conclusion Based on the results of this study, in order to make midwives more adjusted to their role as healthcare provider midwife, organizational managers should focus their efforts and planning mainly on providing incentives to increase the longevity of staying in the profession of midwifery in order to increase job adjustment, job satisfaction and organizational commitment, thereby, improving the quality-of-service delivery.

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A Situational Analysis of the Status of Midwifery in North Africa and the Middle East

Cited by 9 publications

References 2 publications

French-speaking Africa and translation: From midwifery to maïeutique?

French-speaking Africa and translation: From midwifery to maïeutique?

Defining midwifery autonomy in Belgium: Consensus of a modified Delphi study

Job adjustment predictive factors of healthcare midwives in health system reform in Iran

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