Iellamo Efrelyn A, Posadas John Joseph B, Ngaya-An Floreliz V, Banayat Aprille Campos, Siongco Kathryn Lizbeth L
College of Nursing, University of the Philippines Manila.
Acta Med Philipp. 2024 Jul 15;58(12):86-92. doi: 10.47895/amp.v58i12.9286. eCollection 2024.
Midwives play a vital role in the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals related to the health and well-being of mothers and newborns. Strengthening the leadership and management capacities of midwives is pivotal to the fulfillment of their mandate beyond assisting in birth and delivery. The study explores the perspectives of midwives about professional education and practice, which are aimed to serve as bases for developing a leadership course for midwives to enhance their roles in public health.
The study employed a descriptive-qualitative design. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, online focus group discussions (FGDs) with midwives from the academe, professional organization, and clinical practice were conducted. Through directed content analysis, the gathered information was analyzed to include the participants' insights on , and .
A total of eleven (11) participants contributed to the FGDs, which included midwives from the academe (dean, faculty), professional organization (board member of the Professional Regulation Commission), and clinical practice (public and private institutions). Notably, participants shared their perspectives regarding the similarities/differences in the terminal competencies of midwifery programs. The demands of outcomes-based education, coupled by the shift to online learning due to the pandemic, pushed the need for modifications in program delivery for the students. Results highlighted the need for supplementary courses and capacity building on leadership and management, research, and interprofessional collaboration. Midwives shared factors that affect their professional practice, which include insufficient training, inadequate manpower, and differences in expectations/standards in task performance.
The findings indicate the need to develop capacity-building courses for midwives to enhance their contribution towards universal health care. The results of this study also highlight the importance of understanding and improving the competencies of midwives across the building blocks of the health system, which include health service delivery, human resources for health, health information systems, health financing, health governance, and health regulation. Notably, key concepts recommended for the Leadership Development Course for Midwives include: leadership and management, research, and interprofessional collaboration.
助产士在实现与母亲和新生儿健康福祉相关的可持续发展目标方面发挥着至关重要的作用。加强助产士的领导和管理能力对于其履行除协助分娩之外的职责至关重要。本研究探讨了助产士对专业教育和实践的看法，旨在为开发助产士领导力课程提供依据，以增强他们在公共卫生中的作用。
本研究采用描述性定性设计。通过半结构化问卷，与来自学术界、专业组织和临床实践的助产士进行了在线焦点小组讨论。通过定向内容分析，对收集到的信息进行分析，以纳入参与者对……的见解。
共有11名参与者参与了焦点小组讨论，其中包括来自学术界（院长、教员）、专业组织（专业监管委员会董事会成员）和临床实践（公立和私立机构）的助产士。值得注意的是，参与者分享了他们对助产士课程最终能力的异同的看法。基于结果的教育的要求，再加上由于疫情转向在线学习，促使有必要对学生的课程交付方式进行调整。结果强调了对领导力和管理、研究以及跨专业协作方面的补充课程和能力建设的需求。助产士分享了影响其专业实践的因素，包括培训不足、人力不足以及任务执行中的期望/标准差异。
研究结果表明有必要为助产士开发能力建设课程，以增强他们对全民医疗保健的贡献。本研究结果还强调了理解和提高助产士在卫生系统各个组成部分的能力的重要性，这些组成部分包括卫生服务提供、卫生人力资源、卫生信息系统、卫生筹资、卫生治理和卫生监管。值得注意的是，为助产士领导力发展课程推荐的关键概念包括：领导力和管理、研究以及跨专业协作。
