Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Centre for Midwifery, Child and Family Health, University of Technology Sydney, P.O. Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia.
Midwifery. 2009 Dec;25(6):673-81. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2007.11.003. Epub 2008 Feb 13.
to research the role of midwives in Australia from the perspectives of women and midwives. This study was part of a commissioned national research project to articulate the scope of practice of Australian midwives and to develop national competency standards to assist midwives to deliver safe and competent midwifery care.
a multi-method approach with qualitative data collected from surveys with women and interviews with midwives.
participants represented each state and territory in Australia.
midwives who were randomly selected by the regulatory authorities across the country and women who were consumers of midwifery care and involved in maternity activism.
midwives and women identified a series of key elements that were required of a midwife. These included: being woman centred; providing safe and supportive care; and working in collaboration with others when necessary. These findings were consistent with much of the international literature.
a number of barriers to achieving the full role of the midwife were identified. These included a lack of opportunity to practice across the full spectrum of maternity care, the invisibility of midwifery in regulation and practice, the domination of medicine, workforce shortages, the institutional system of maternity care, and the lack of a clear image of what midwifery is within the wider community. These barriers must be addressed if midwives in Australia are to be able to function according to the full potential of their role.
从妇女和助产士的角度研究澳大利亚助产士的角色。这项研究是受委托进行的全国性研究项目的一部分，旨在阐明澳大利亚助产士的实践范围，并制定国家能力标准，以帮助助产士提供安全和熟练的助产护理。
一种混合方法，使用从妇女调查和助产士访谈中收集的定性数据。
参与者代表澳大利亚的每个州和地区。
全国监管机构随机挑选的助产士和接受助产护理的妇女以及参与产妇活动的妇女。
助产士和妇女确定了助产士需要具备的一系列关键要素。这些要素包括以妇女为中心；提供安全和支持性的护理；并在必要时与他人合作。这些发现与许多国际文献一致。
确定了实现助产士充分作用的若干障碍。这些障碍包括缺乏在整个孕产护理范围内实践的机会、监管和实践中助产士的隐形、医学的主导地位、劳动力短缺、产妇护理的制度体系以及更广泛社区中对助产护理的明确形象的缺乏。如果澳大利亚的助产士要能够充分发挥其作用，就必须解决这些障碍。
