Aspects of midwifery care for asylum seeking women during labour

Abstract

From a transcultural point of view, midwives must deliver a service that is culturally sensitive and appropriate. However, for a variety of reasons there is growing concern that midwives are not adequately prepared to give optimal care to culturally diverse women during labour and birth. This cross-sectional, survey design, quantitative study was aimed to explore midwives' views when caring for asylum seeking women during labour. The objectives of this study were to assess midwives' awareness of cultural and communication issues, and to determine whether midwives viewed transcultural midwifery education as important, in order to deliver appropriate care. Data was obtained from a convenience sample of twenty-five registered midwives (N=25) working at the Central Delivery Suite at the General Hospital, who were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire, which yielded a 100 % response rate. Data was manually analyzed and represented using figures, percentages. Findings revealed that respondents do take into consideration the cultural needs of the woman during labour. Respondents reported that cultural barriers such as communication and the mother's attitude do influence the care given by the midwives during labour and birth. Furthermore, all respondents suggested that midwives do not have enough transcultural awareness to give optimal care, and suggested that they would like further education to help them meet the needs of asylum seeking women during labour. This study offers some insights into transcultural midwifery practice and in accordance with the findings, identifies recommendations for improving these practices within midwifery and midwifery education.