Sexual health-related training of Canadian midwives and its association with practice outcome

Byers-Heinlein, Alyssa; McCallum, Ali; Byers, E. Sandra; Pukall, Caroline F.

doi:10.1016/j.wombi.2019.03.017

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…It is therefore important to encourage further development of brief training programs like this one, which focuses simultaneously on knowledge, attitudes, and perceived counseling skills for health care professionals and paraprofessionals. Such programs could bridge the gaps frequently observed in human sexuality training for midwives and for nurses in general practice 7,15,16,21–23 . Even more, such a training program is consistent with the expected holistic clinical practice guidelines including sexual health during and after pregnancy supported by different professional health care organizations such as the Canadian Association of Midwives, 34 the Canadian Association of Perinatal and Women's Health Nurses, 35 and the American College of Nurse‐Midwives 36…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Before doing so, they first need to know physiologic and behavioral changes and possible problems in sexuality during this period, then develop positive attitudes toward the topic and toward its inclusion in professionals consultations, and finally develop the appropriate counseling skills to deal with patients’ sexual changes. A brief online training session like the one developed for this study can facilitate this process and could be integrated in the basic training and continuing education for any perinatal professional and paraprofessional, including midwives and nurses 7,15,16,20,21 . To follow suit with the results found in this study, a similar online training session on the same topic could be offered to students and residents in midwifery, nursing, obstetrics and gynecology, and family medicine.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because the perinatal period can pose challenges in terms of sexuality, pregnant and postpartum couples must adapt to changes in their sexual lives. Although pregnant and postpartum individuals who are not in a coupled relationship may also experience sexual changes, the couple's sexual adaptation during and after pregnancy is important because sexuality is an essential element of the couple's relationship and is intrinsically linked to the quality and stability of the relationship 7–9 . Moreover, in their study of 261 pregnant women, Vannier and Rosen found that experiencing more sexual distress and sexual problems was associated with lower sexual and relationship satisfaction, highlighting the interdependence of sexuality and relationship well‐being 10 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, discussing sexual concerns is rarely done by nurses in general practice 20,21 . As for midwives, discussions about sexual issues with patients are also limited during and after pregnancy 7,22 . Although midwives in a qualitative study from Sweden believed in the importance of incorporating sexuality into their clinical practice, they described many barriers preventing them from doing so 15…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lack of knowledge and training is also a recurrent obstacle perceived by midwives in discussing sexual issues with patients 15,22 . Two recent Canadian studies with midwives found that their training in human sexuality is limited and that they perceived a gap in their knowledge, which does not prepare them adequately to encounter a range of sexual issues within their practice 7,16 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Testing an Online Training Session on Couples’ Perinatal Sexual Changes Among Health Care Professionals and Paraprofessionals

Pierrepont

Brassard

Lessard

et al. 2021

J Midwife Womens Health

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Introduction During and after pregnancy, couples have to adapt to sexual changes. Although many couples have questions and preoccupations regarding those changes, they are rarely addressed by professionals and paraprofessionals in perinatal health care, mainly because of lack of knowledge and training. An online training session that addressed couples’ perinatal sexual changes tailored for health care perinatal professionals (nurses and midwives) and paraprofessionals (doulas) was developed, implemented, and evaluated. Methods Participants completed 4 steps: (1) a baseline online questionnaire assessing training needs and measures on knowledge, attitudes, and perceived counseling skills regarding couples’ perinatal sexual changes; (2) a 2‐hour online training session on the topic with theoretical and practical content; (3) an online post‐training satisfaction questionnaire; and (4) a one‐month follow‐up assessment using the same measures as at baseline. Results Of the 74 participants (20 nurses, 20 midwives, 34 doulas) who completed the study, 37.8% had previous training in sexuality and 18.9% in perinatal sexuality. Results showed pre‐ to post‐training significant increases in knowledge and attitudes toward couples’ perinatal sexual changes, characterized by more positivity, flexibility, openness, and sense of competence regarding the topic. There were also significant pre‐ to post‐training increases in perceived utility, comfort, intention, and sense of self‐efficacy related to counseling skills regarding couples’ perinatal sexual changes. After training, more participants discussed couples’ sexual changes with couples during and after pregnancy. After training, significantly fewer participants reported lack of knowledge, lack of training, and lack of discomfort as barriers to discussions on couples’ perinatal sexual changes, whereas more reported lack of time as a barrier. Global satisfaction with the training was high. Discussion This training can help foster more discussions on the topic from perinatal professionals and paraprofessionals to better meet couples’ needs for information and support.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%