A public e-survey to explore community understanding of the role of the midwife in Australia

Lois McKellar, Lois McKellar and Angela Brown, Angela Brown and Pamela Adelson, Pamela Adelson (2019) A public e-survey to explore community understanding of the role of the midwife in Australia. European Journal of Midwifery, 3 (2). pp. 1-9. ISSN 2585-2906

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Abstract

INTRODUCTION There is compelling evidence that when a woman sees the same midwife there are better outcomes. Yet in Australia, access to midwifery continuity of care remains limited. There are a number of reasons for this but one barrier appears to be a lack of public understanding regarding the role of the midwife. This study undertook an e-survey to explore Australian public perceptions of the role of the midwife. METHODS A public opinion sample e-survey, using an exploratory design, a Likert
scale and open-ended questions, was distributed through social media over six weeks. The survey was open to Australian residents and was completed by 1657
participants. Of these, 96.9% identified as female and 82.1% of participants had children. RESULTS Nearly half of the participants believed that a woman must see a doctor
during pregnancy and after birth, compared to 21.9% during birth. Many participants described midwives as caring and supportive but there was a lack of understanding about their level of skill and expertise. A dominant theme was the alignment of medical care with safety and the perception that medical practitioners reduce risk. These misperceptions may impact on women making an informed choice regarding
midwifery model of care in Australia. CONCLUSIONS There is an underlying public narrative whereby the public primarily
associate midwives with birth and perceive them as assistants rather than lead care providers. The study findings informed a public awareness campaign in South
Australia conducted to educate the public’s understanding of the role of the midwife.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	midwifery, midwife, public awareness, continuity of care, model of care
Subjects:	R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences > School of Medicine
Depositing User:	Mrs Ni Made Yunia Dwi Savitri
Date Deposited:	04 Jul 2022 00:41
Last Modified:	04 Jul 2022 00:41
URI:	http://eprints.triatmamulya.ac.id/id/eprint/1198

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