Models for midwifery care: A mapping review.

Area of Science:

• Maternal Health
• Nursing and Midwifery Research
• Healthcare Models

Background:

• Midwives are recognized by WHO for evidence-based maternity care.
• Existing midwifery care models often lack explicit epistemological grounding.
• There's a need for care models with clear epistemological status to highlight values and attitudes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and overview theoretical models for midwifery care.
• To assess the epistemological status of existing midwifery care models.
• To inform the development of knowledge bases for midwifery healthcare.

Main Methods:

• A mapping review was conducted.
• Systematic searches were performed across nine databases.
• Studies describing theoretical models for midwifery care impacting clinical practice were included.

Main Results:

• Six theoretical models from six papers globally were identified.
• Models varied in methodology, philosophical underpinnings, and complexity.
• Common characteristics included emphasis on the midwife-woman relationship, woman-centeredness, and salutogenesis.

Conclusions:

• A significant scarcity of theoretical models for midwifery care with explicit epistemological status was found.
• Further research is essential for developing generic theoretical models.
• These models should possess epistemological status to form a knowledge base for midwifery.