Resilience strategies against working pressures in midwives: A qualitative study

The lack of experienced midwifery in obstetrics and gynecology centers would have harmful consequences. Resilience could increase midwives' endurance while caring for women and neonates in the maternity hospitals. Research on resilience of midwives is rare. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe resilience strategies against working pressures in midwives in Sabzevar, Iran.

The qualitative study was conducted using content analysis method. Twelve midwives, who had at least 1 year of work experience, were selected by purposeful sampling. Data collection was conducted using semi-structured deep interviews on midwives' resilience strategies. The analysis was carried out using conventional content analysis method.

The five main categories of data were extracted, including self-management, supporters in the workplace, sense of usefulness and reassuring, the nature of creation, and life dynamic in the workplace, and accountability. Reading recitation and recourse, obtaining decision-making power, and problem-solving were subcategories of the self-management. Intimate the communication, peer support, physician support, and family support were subcategories of supporters in the workplace. The subcategories of sense of usefulness and reassuring were work autonomy, satisfaction of applying the knowledge in practice, the feeling of energy evacuating with much work, and trying to reassuring mothers.

All extraction factors were related to the midwife and did not relate to the therapeutic system and management. However, hospital managers can provide their supporting and facilitating role to reduce the risk of depreciation and burnout in midwives.