Knowledge of women in Poland on the profession and competencies of a midwife
Introduction The profession of a midwife, despite its long tradition in Poland, is still not widely known in the society. Both in terms of the competencies and roles, it is often confused with other medical professions such as nurses or gynecologists. In this study, we assessed the knowledge of wome...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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European Publishing
2024-03-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Midwifery |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.europeanjournalofmidwifery.eu/Knowledge-of-women-in-Poland-on-the-profession-and-ncompetencies-of-a-midwife,183910,0,2.html |
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| author | Agnieszka Wyrębek Julia Klimanek Alicja Misztal Beata Szlendak Grażyna Bączek |
| author_facet | Agnieszka Wyrębek Julia Klimanek Alicja Misztal Beata Szlendak Grażyna Bączek |
| author_sort | Agnieszka Wyrębek |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction
The profession of a midwife, despite its long tradition in Poland, is still
not widely known in the society. Both in terms of the competencies and roles, it is often
confused with other medical professions such as nurses or gynecologists. In this study, we
assessed the knowledge of women in Poland on the profession of a midwife. The aim of
the research project was to obtain detailed data on the knowledge of women regarding the
specific professional competencies of midwives.
Methods
The study used the method of a cross-sectional survey. A survey of 1134 adult
Polish women was conducted. A 20-item questionnaire was developed with fourteen of
the questions being based on the midwife’s professional competencies. The study was
conducted in 2019 and the questionnaire was distributed through various social groups
for Polish women.
Results
Knowledge about the professional competencies of midwives increases
proportionally to the level of the education of the respondents, their age and the scope of
cooperation with midwives. The most well-known forms of midwifery were those related
to lactation education (78.7%) and puerperal care (78.9%). The lowest rates, among
other results, were prescribing drugs (23.1%) and collecting samples for cervical cytology
(24.4%).
Conclusions
The profession of a midwife in Poland is insufficiently popularized.
Competencies shared with doctors require more dissemination. It is worth paying particular
attention to the promotion of the profession in younger age groups, so that women can
use their knowledge at subsequent stages of their lives. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T13:42:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a7d34fb1e6a84e1684ff90f92ffe8ddd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2585-2906 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T13:42:00Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | European Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Midwifery |
| spelling | doaj.art-a7d34fb1e6a84e1684ff90f92ffe8ddd2024-04-04T08:28:38ZengEuropean PublishingEuropean Journal of Midwifery2585-29062024-03-018March1710.18332/ejm/183910183910Knowledge of women in Poland on the profession and competencies of a midwifeAgnieszka Wyrębek0https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6387-5421Julia Klimanek1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0010-0963Alicja Misztal2https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8334-0927Beata Szlendak3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8227-8166Grażyna Bączek4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7897-9499Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Didactics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology Didactics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology Didactics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Midwifery, Center of Postgraduate Medical Education in Warsaw, Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology Didactics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, PolandIntroduction The profession of a midwife, despite its long tradition in Poland, is still not widely known in the society. Both in terms of the competencies and roles, it is often confused with other medical professions such as nurses or gynecologists. In this study, we assessed the knowledge of women in Poland on the profession of a midwife. The aim of the research project was to obtain detailed data on the knowledge of women regarding the specific professional competencies of midwives. Methods The study used the method of a cross-sectional survey. A survey of 1134 adult Polish women was conducted. A 20-item questionnaire was developed with fourteen of the questions being based on the midwife’s professional competencies. The study was conducted in 2019 and the questionnaire was distributed through various social groups for Polish women. Results Knowledge about the professional competencies of midwives increases proportionally to the level of the education of the respondents, their age and the scope of cooperation with midwives. The most well-known forms of midwifery were those related to lactation education (78.7%) and puerperal care (78.9%). The lowest rates, among other results, were prescribing drugs (23.1%) and collecting samples for cervical cytology (24.4%). Conclusions The profession of a midwife in Poland is insufficiently popularized. Competencies shared with doctors require more dissemination. It is worth paying particular attention to the promotion of the profession in younger age groups, so that women can use their knowledge at subsequent stages of their lives.https://www.europeanjournalofmidwifery.eu/Knowledge-of-women-in-Poland-on-the-profession-and-ncompetencies-of-a-midwife,183910,0,2.htmlknowledgepolandwomenmidwifecompetences |
| spellingShingle | Agnieszka Wyrębek Julia Klimanek Alicja Misztal Beata Szlendak Grażyna Bączek Knowledge of women in Poland on the profession and competencies of a midwife European Journal of Midwifery knowledge poland women midwife competences |
| title | Knowledge of women in Poland on the profession and
competencies of a midwife |
| title_full | Knowledge of women in Poland on the profession and
competencies of a midwife |
| title_fullStr | Knowledge of women in Poland on the profession and
competencies of a midwife |
| title_full_unstemmed | Knowledge of women in Poland on the profession and
competencies of a midwife |
| title_short | Knowledge of women in Poland on the profession and
competencies of a midwife |
| title_sort | knowledge of women in poland on the profession and competencies of a midwife |
| topic | knowledge poland women midwife competences |
| url | https://www.europeanjournalofmidwifery.eu/Knowledge-of-women-in-Poland-on-the-profession-and-ncompetencies-of-a-midwife,183910,0,2.html |
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