Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 12, 2026
07:29
Online Explorative Study on the Learning Uses of Virtual Reality Among Early Adopters
Published on: November 22, 2019
8.6K
Exploring moral problems and moral competences in midwifery: A qualitative study.
Stephan Oelhafen1, Settimio Monteverde2, Eva Cignacco1
1Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland.
Nursing Ethics
|March 29, 2018
Summary
Midwives face ethical challenges, primarily interpersonal conflicts stemming from autonomy limitations, often causing moral distress. Addressing these requires specific moral competences to improve midwifery education and practice.
Area of Science:
- Midwifery Ethics
- Healthcare Professional Competences
Background:
- Undergraduate midwifery curricula include ethics courses, but specific moral competences for practice remain underexplored.
- Understanding midwives' perspectives on relevant ethical issues is crucial for defining essential moral competences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify ethical issues encountered by midwives in daily practice.
- To determine key competences and resources for addressing these ethical issues.
- To assess phenomena related to moral distress in midwifery.
Main Methods:
- Conducted semi-structured interviews with ten healthcare professionals (eight midwives, two others).
- Analyzed interview transcripts using thematic analysis within an interdisciplinary research group.
Main Results:
- External constraints on autonomy and interpersonal conflicts were primary ethical issues linked to moral distress.
- Lack of interprofessional communication and trust, especially for less experienced midwives, exacerbated conflicts.
- Ethical issues concerning late abortions, prenatal diagnostics, and selective abortions were common but often managed.
Conclusions:
- An empirically grounded profile of moral competences for midwives was developed based on identified ethical issues and moral distress factors.
- Curricular adaptations for undergraduate midwifery education are critically discussed to address these competences.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development
1.0K
Kohlberg's theory of moral development uses the Heinz dilemma — a thought experiment in which a man, Heinz, must decide whether to steal an unaffordable drug to save his dying wife — to illustrate the evolution of moral reasoning. This framework, divided into three levels with two stages, highlights how individuals' understanding of right and wrong becomes increasingly complex.
Pre-Conventional Level
At the pre-conventional level, morality is primarily driven by personal...
Pre-Conventional Level
At the pre-conventional level, morality is primarily driven by personal...
1.0K
03:46Qualitative Analysis
24.9K
For solutions containing mixtures of different cations, the identity of each cation can be determined by qualitative analysis. This technique involves a series of selective precipitations with different chemical reagents, each reaction producing a characteristic precipitate for a specific group of cations. Metal ions within a group are further separated by varying the pH, heating the mixture to redissolve a precipitate, or adding other reagents to form complex ions.
For instance, group IV...
For instance, group IV...
24.9K
01:10Qualitative Analysis
1.5K
Qualitative analysis is the process of identifying elements, ions, or compounds in an unknown sample. It is the first and most fundamental type of analysis based on the hierarchy of analytical goals. This hierarchy is significant as it provides a structured approach to scientific research, with qualitative analysis serving as the initial step, providing essential information before moving on to quantitative or other forms of analysis.
There are two main approaches to qualitative analysis:...
There are two main approaches to qualitative analysis:...
1.5K
02:20Milgram's Obedience to Authority
7.4K
Obedience to authority is classically demonstrated in a more famous series of social psychology experiments performed by Stanley Milgram. He was a social psychology professor at Yale who was influenced by the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi war criminal. Eichmann’s defense for the atrocities he committed was that he was “just following orders.”
7.4K
01:22Case Studies
13.7K
There are many research methods available to psychologists in their efforts to understand, describe, and explain behavior and the cognitive and biological processes that underlie it.
13.7K
01:24Biodiversity and Human Values
17.2K
Human civilization relies on biodiversity in many ways. Sudden changes in species biodiversity result in environmental changes that can modify weather patterns and therefore human civilizations.
17.2K