Improving Midwifery Students' Communication and Counseling Skills in Maternal Nutrition: A Quality Improvement...

Maternal nutrition is a key determinant of pregnancy, birth, and child health outcomes, yet many women who are pregnant do not meet dietary guidelines. Midwives play a central role in providing nutritional counseling, but gaps persist in students' preparedness. Opportunities for structured, immersive practice in nutrition-focused communication are limited within midwifery degree programs in Italy. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to implement an integrated educational intervention designed to strengthen midwifery students' communication and counseling skills in maternal nutrition and to evaluate students' perceptions of its relevance, effectiveness, and impact on their learning experience.

The Perinatal Education and Agro-food Counseling and Communication initiative included 3 components: (1) foundational theoretical seminars, (2) an online knowledge-sharing repository, and (3) an off-site residential training weekend. Twenty-three second-year and third-year students were selected based on academic criteria and motivational interviews. The intervention employed participatory, experiential teaching strategies. A qualitative descriptive approach was used, with all participants taking part in a postintervention focus group. Data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis using ATLAS.ti.

Analysis revealed 6 interconnected thematic areas: (1) agro-food integration, (2) clinical influence, (3) communication skills, (4) counseling challenges, (5) knowledge gain, and (6) perception of effectiveness. Students reported enhanced clarity, empathy, and confidence in communication; improved understanding of the role of nutrition in antenatal care; and appreciation for experiential group activities and the residential setting. The program fostered teamwork, reflection, and deeper engagement. However, challenges in conducting independent nutrition counseling persisted, highlighting the need for further structured practice.

This QI initiative demonstrated that combining targeted nutrition content with experiential communication training can improve midwifery students' confidence and perceived readiness to provide nutritional counseling. Embedding similar approaches within midwifery curricula may enhance competency development and support high-quality antenatal care. Future work should include longitudinal follow-up and expanded implementation across cohorts.