Babies born with ambiguous genitalia: Developing an educational resource for Australian midwives
Chloe A Hanna1, Allison Cummins2, Deborah Fox3
1Department of Gynaecology, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Reproductive Development Laboratory, Murdoch Children's Research Institute Melbourne, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Australia.
Summary
Midwives lack formal education for supporting families with ambiguous genitalia. Developing evidence-based resources is crucial for providing essential psychosocial and clinical care to these families.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Midwifery
- Pediatric Care
Background:
- Birth of a baby with ambiguous genitalia is rare and unexpected.
- Inconsistent communication from healthcare professionals impacts families.
- Initial interactions significantly affect long-term family outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To understand current midwifery practices for ambiguous genitalia cases.
- To identify knowledge gaps among midwives.
- To develop educational content for appropriate midwife responses.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative descriptive research design.
- Semi-structured interviews with 14 Australian midwives.
- Findings informed the development of a midwifery educational resource.
Main Results:
- Midwives reported no formal education on supporting families with ambiguous genitalia.
- Essential skills identified include emotional support, advocacy, and information translation.
- Midwives learned about ambiguous genitalia primarily through media.
Conclusions:
- Midwives play a vital psychosocial support role but lack formal guidance.
- Evidence-based education is desired by midwives for supporting parents.
- A midwifery education digital resource was developed based on study findings.
