What is it about?
This paper reports on the views of final year midwifery students regarding their ability to give contraceptive advice to the women in their care. We discuss the relationship between confidence and competence and how midwifery education might help improve both.
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Why is it important?
Midwives are in a good position to give timely advice on contraception to women in their care. Our paper identifies some shortcomings in the preparedness of midwifery students to take on this role and discusses how this might be improved.
Perspectives
Midwives form close and trusting relationships with the women in their care. They are very well placed to provide advice on an intimate and sensitive issue like contraception following the birth of a baby. This paper demonstrates that student midwives, who are the midwives of tomorrow, are keen to take on this role but lack confidence, and sometimes adequate knowledge to do so. I hope that this paper, and others like it, will help to inform the midwifery curriculum and continuing professional development, so that midwives of the future have the opportunity to become experts in post-partum contraception.
Dr Susan H Walker
Anglia Ruskin University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Knowledge and reported confidence of final year midwifery students regarding giving advice on contraception and sexual health, Midwifery, May 2014, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2014.02.002.
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