Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 12, 2025
A Novel Method for Involving Women of Color at High Risk for Preterm Birth in Research Priority Setting
Published on: January 12, 2018
Exploring midwifery competence and confidence based on midwives' experiences and stakeholders' insights in Kenya: a
Edna Tallam1, Doreen Kaura2, Robert Mash2
1Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa. ednakimaiyo@gmail.com.
Background:
Midwives who are educated and regulated to international standards can provide 90% of the needed essential care for women and newborns and reduce preventable maternal and child mortalities. However, inadequacies in midwifery care, especially in low- and middle-income countries, leads to lack of competence and confidence among midwives to achieve their potential. The study objective was to explore midwives' experiences and stakeholder insights into midwives' competence and confidence in the four International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) domains; general competence, pre-pregnancy and antenatal care, labour and childbirth, and ongoing care of the woman and the baby.
Methods:
A descriptive phenomenological study was utilised to explore these experiences. Ten midwives were purposively selected from subcounty, county and tertiary referral hospitals. Further, stakeholders (nine County Chief Nursing Officers and one Chief Executive Officer from the tertiary hospital in Kenya) were included. Interview guide questions were developed following the findings of the midwives' self-perceived competence and confidence. All interviews were recorded, translated, and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was done using the Colaizzi framework. Atlas. ti 9 software was utilised to assist with the coding categorisation and creating the themes.
Findings:
Four themes emerged from the analysis. They included qualification categories, clinical practice experience, clinical practice environment and the need to optimise midwifery. In addition, multidisciplinary support and standardisation of midwifery practice were identified as key to promote the confidence and competence of midwives.
Conclusions:
Midwives had disparities in competence and confidence during clinical practice, based on their different qualifications. A supportive environment emerged as necessary in enabling appropriate clinical experience, confidence, and competence. Standardisation of midwifery qualification promotes competence, which promotes the confidence of midwives in the clinical environment.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Ethical Dilemmas I
Let us explore some examples to understand the potentially complex moral decisions nurses face.
Take the case of caring for minors, particularly in areas related to reproductive...
01:27Nursing Ethical Principles II
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's...
01:22The Professional Nurse
Communication skills: These are critical characteristics, especially speaking and listening.
01:30Theoretical Foundations of Nursing Practice
Theories provide a perspective to assess patients' conditions and organize data and methods. They also assist in analyzing and interpreting information. They represent a...
01:08Obedience
01:18The Scientific Method in Nursing Process
When using research findings to change practice, one must understand the process used to guide a study. The scientific method is a systematic, step-by-step process that supports the data's validity, reliability, and generalizability. As a result, findings can be...