ArticleBMC nursing2025
Exploring midwifery competence and confidence based on midwives' experiences and stakeholders' insights in Kenya: a descriptive phenomenological approach.
Article in BMC nursing, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Challenges to community midwives in the provision of maternal services to rural communities of Pakistan.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Midwives' Perceived Social Pressures in Addressing Prenatal Maternal Mental Health: A Qualitative Study in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.SAGE open nursingArticle
- Article
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Abstract
backgroundMidwives who are educated and regulated to international standards can provide 90% of the needed essential care for women and newborns and reduce preventable maternal and child mortalities. However, inadequacies in midwifery care, especially in low- and middle-income countries, leads to lack of competence and confidence among midwives to achieve their potential. The study objective was to explore midwives' experiences and stakeholder insights into midwives' competence and confidence in the four International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) domains; general competence, pre-pregnancy and antenatal care, labour and childbirth, and ongoing care of the woman and the baby.
methodsA descriptive phenomenological study was utilised to explore these experiences. Ten midwives were purposively selected from subcounty, county and tertiary referral hospitals. Further, stakeholders (nine County Chief Nursing Officers and one Chief Executive Officer from the tertiary hospital in Kenya) were included. Interview guide questions were developed following the findings of the midwives' self-perceived competence and confidence. All interviews were recorded, translated, and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was done using the Colaizzi framework. Atlas. ti 9 software was utilised to assist with the coding categorisation and creating the themes.
findingsFour themes emerged from the analysis. They included qualification categories, clinical practice experience, clinical practice environment and the need to optimise midwifery. In addition, multidisciplinary support and standardisation of midwifery practice were identified as key to promote the confidence and competence of midwives.
conclusionsMidwives had disparities in competence and confidence during clinical practice, based on their different qualifications. A supportive environment emerged as necessary in enabling appropriate clinical experience, confidence, and competence. Standardisation of midwifery qualification promotes competence, which promotes the confidence of midwives in the clinical environment.
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