The University of Queensland, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cavell Building, Herston Campus, Herston, Queensland 4029, Australia.
Midwifery. 2011 Jun;27(3):342-9. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2011.03.001. Epub 2011 Apr 8.
Existing workforce data, as an estimate of the current capability of the midwifery workforce to provide midwifery care, is confounded by systematic reporting issues that may overestimate the potential of the existing midwifery workforce. This paper reports the characteristics of qualified Australian midwives who responded to the baseline data collection in the Midwives and Nurses e-Cohort Study and compares those who are currently practising in midwifery with those who are not. Currently practising midwives represented only 52% of those respondents who identified as midwives and the profile of the typical midwife is female, aged over 40 years, Australian, married or in a de facto relationship. She has been registered for over 10 years, educated to postgraduate diploma level and currently works in a clinical midwifery role in a hospital for less than 35 hours per week. Specific deficits in the Australian midwifery workforce namely low numbers of indigenous midwives, independent practitioners and midwives suitably qualified to teach and undertake research in academia are identified. Drawing on the nationally representative e-cohort data, this cross-sectional analysis identifies for the first time the real face of the Australian midwifery workforce and provides an evidence-based foundation for future workforce planning and a methodology for other countries interested in accurately monitoring their actual and potential midwifery workforce.
现有劳动力数据是对现有助产士劳动力提供助产服务能力的估计，但由于系统报告问题，可能高估了现有助产士劳动力的潜力。本文报告了参与助产士和护士电子队列研究基线数据收集的合格澳大利亚助产士的特征，并比较了目前从事助产工作的助产士和未从事助产工作的助产士。目前从事助产工作的助产士仅占自认为是助产士的受访者的 52%，典型的助产士是女性，年龄在 40 岁以上，澳大利亚人，已婚或事实婚姻。她的注册时间超过 10 年，接受过研究生文凭教育，目前每周在医院的临床助产岗位工作不到 35 小时。还确定了澳大利亚助产士劳动力的具体不足，即土著助产士、独立从业者以及在学术领域有适当资格进行教学和研究的助产士人数较少。本横断面分析利用具有全国代表性的电子队列数据，首次确定了澳大利亚助产士劳动力的真实面貌，并为未来的劳动力规划提供了循证基础，并为其他有兴趣准确监测实际和潜在助产士劳动力的国家提供了一种方法。
