R. Blais et al., MIDWIFERY DEFINED BY PHYSICIANS, NURSES AND MIDWIVES - THE BIRTH OF ACONSENSUS, CMAJ. Canadian Medical Association journal, 150(5), 1994, pp. 691-697
Objective: To describe the form of midwifery practice preferred by phy
sicians practising obstetrics, nurses providing maternity care and mid
wives. Design: Mail survey conducted in 1991. Setting: Province of Que
bec. Participants: A systematic random sample of 844 physicians, 808 n
urses and 92 midwives; 597, 723 and 92 respectively completed the ques
tionnaire; for an overall response rate of 80%. Main outcome measures:
Midwife training options, range of responsibilities, location of midw
ifery care, relationship to other maternity care providers and degree
of autonomy. Results: Most:of the physicians, nurses and midwives surv
eyed agreed that if midwifery was legalized, midwives should have a un
iversity degree, provide basic care to women with normal pregnancy and
delivery, provide prenatal and postnatal care in hospitals and commun
ity health centres, perform delivery in hospitals and work in close co
llaboration with the other maternity care professionals. Disagreement
existed concerning the level of university training required, the need
for training in nursing first, the scope of medical intervention perf
ormed by midwives, out-of-hospital delivery, the autonomy of midwives
and control over their practice. Conclusion: Some consensus on midwife
ry practice exists between physicians, nurses and midwives. In jurisdi
ctions where opposition to midwives is strong, such consensus could se
rve as the starting point for the introduction of midwifery.