The Role of Midwives in the Course of Natural Childbirth—Analysis of Sociodemographic and Psychosocial Factors—A Cross-Sectional Study

Patrycja Guzewicz () and Matylda Sierakowska
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Patrycja Guzewicz: Department of Integrated Medical Care, Medical University of Bialystok, ul. M. Skłodowskiej—Curie 7A, 15-096 Białystok, Poland
Matylda Sierakowska: Department of Integrated Medical Care, Medical University of Bialystok, ul. M. Skłodowskiej—Curie 7A, 15-096 Białystok, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 23, 1-16

Abstract: Background: An important role in the course of natural childbirth is played by midwives, who should effectively work on relieving pain. This study aims to present the opinions of midwives on non-pharmacological methods of relieving labor pain; the frequency of their use and reasons for their abandonment; and the relationship between the use of non-pharmacological methods of relieving labor pain and perceived job satisfaction, burnout, and self-efficacy of the midwife. Methods: The study was conducted online, with the participation of 135 Polish midwives working in the delivery room. The author’s survey questionnaire, the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), the LBQ Burnout Questionnaire, and the Scale of Job Satisfaction were used. Results: Among the surveyed midwives, 77% use vertical positions in work with a patient giving birth. Almost all respondents consider vertical positions as an example of a non-pharmacological method of relieving labor pain; those with master’s degree felt more prepared for their use ( p = 0.02). The most common reason for abandoning their use was disagreement on the part of co-workers ( p = 0.005). An association was observed between the use of vertical positions and the level of burnout ( p = 0.001) and a significant correlation between preparation for their use and self-efficacy assessment, burnout, and job satisfaction. Conclusion: Our research shows that it would be important to conduct additional training on the use of non-pharmacological methods to relieve labor pain and to present their benefits. In contrast to other research results, our results showed that midwives feel well prepared to use these methods; however, similar to other research, we found that they often feel disagreement from colleagues and a lack of support from their leaders. The use of vertical positions is related to burnout.

Keywords: labor pain; non-pharmacological labor pain-relief methods; midwife; childbirth (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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