OBJECTIVE: To explore the perceptions and experiences of midwives caring for couples who experience a stillbirth.
METHODS: Qualitative study based on Gadamer\'s hermeneutic phenomenology.
METHODS: This study was conducted with midwives (n = 18) at the birth unit of a third-level public hospital in Jaén (Spain) in 2023. Personal semi-structured interviews were recorded in audio for later transcription by two researchers following steps described by Fleming.
RESULTS: Two themes were identified as important aspects of the practise of midwives in a situation of the birth of a stillborn child: (1) the importance of each action of the midwife, and (2) the availability of resources determines the care provided.
CONCLUSIONS: Having a stillbirth is a very complex experience, in which the psychological support and human and material resources involved are the basic tool for the care of these families. Acknowledging limitations of the available resources, the assistance and care provided by midwives are in line with the clinical practice guidelines, which can have an emotional impact on them.
UNASSIGNED: The care to be provided in stillbirth requires appropriate human and material resources for these families. Midwifery and nursing professionals are in a unique position for acting in cases of families with a stillbirth, updated protocols and, in general, the coordination of the different agents involved within the healthcare system. WHAT PROBLEM DID THE STUDY ADDRESS?: The midwives´ experiences in cases which end with the delivery of a stillborn. WHAT WERE THE MAIN FINDINGS?: Each action of the midwife is as important as the availability of resources to offer the most appropriate care. WHERE AND ON WHOM WILL THE RESEARCH HAVE AN IMPACT?: In each woman who receives the care of a midwife who attends the birth of a stillborn.
UNASSIGNED: COREQ checklist.
UNASSIGNED: No patient or public contribution occurred for this study as this research focused on exploring staffs\' perspectives from the specific viewpoint of their personal experience.

Background and objective Comprehensive health literacy and prevention have been the key methods to reduce the spread of human papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV-associated disease development. Raising awareness among young individuals about the risk factors and the ways to prevent the infection is often the starting point of primary prevention. In light of this, we aimed to assess the awareness of midwifery students at Medical University-Pleven about (HPV) and HPV-associated diseases. Material and methods We conducted a survey-based study among first-year students at Medical University-Pleven in the period spanning January to March 2020, which involved a direct group survey. We initially reached out to 445 students and 284 (63.8%) of them responded; 12 of them were midwifery students. In the period from May through November 2022, the same type of survey was repeated among 75 midwifery students, and 47 (62.7%) responded. A set of classic statistical methods were used to present and analyze the collected quantitative and qualitative data. The responses in the questionnaires were reviewed and recoded according to the requirements of the statistical program. The significance of the results, the findings, and the conclusions was set at p<0.05. A comparative analysis was employed to statistically compare the results to present the differences between the groups of traits studied. Data processing was performed using MS Office Excel 2019 and SPSS Statistics v.28 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results Over half (70.6%) of the first-year midwifery students were aware of the infection caused by HPV. Among them, 10 students (29.4%) were familiar with the risk factors for HPV and HPV-associated diseases, and all of the fourth-year respondents knew about the studied issue. The majority of the respondents - 61.8% of the freshmen and 100% of the fourth-year students- were aware of HPV vaccine availability. Conclusions In the course of their training, the midwifery students at Medical University-Pleven acquired enough knowledge about the risk factors of HPV-associated diseases and the availability of vaccines to prevent them.

UNASSIGNED: The COVID pandemic prompted an increase in the use of digital clinical consultations (telephone or video calls) within midwifery and nursing care. This paper reports on a realist review project related to maternity care that seeks to illuminate for whom such consultations can safely and acceptably be used, how, for what purposes and in what contexts.
UNASSIGNED: This paper addresses the first phase of a realist enquiry - initial programme theory development - focusing particularly on the role of stakeholder involvement (including digital transformation leaders, midwives, obstetricians, service users and community organisations).
UNASSIGNED: Three sub-stages of initial programme theory development are described highlighting the contribution of stakeholder groups to each stage: (i) consultation to focus the review question, (ii) focused searching and (iii) further consultation.
UNASSIGNED: Realist literature searching strategies yielded limited theory-rich evidence on digital consultations. Stakeholders provided essential additional contributions resulting in the development of 13 initial programme theories and a conceptual framework.
UNASSIGNED: More research on the implementation of virtual midwifery/nursing consultations is needed. Nursing/midwifery digital researchers should involve stakeholders to help shape research priorities, deepen contextual understanding and sense-check emerging findings.

BACKGROUND: More women are experiencing pregnancy with two or more long-term health conditions such as hypertension, depression or HIV (MLTC). Care can be complex and include multiple teams, health professionals and services. The type and range of maternity care models for these women and the role of the midwife within such models is unknown.
OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of the literature on models of care for pregnant, birthing, and postnatal women with MLTC and the role of the midwife.
METHODS: We conducted a scoping review guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology. Five databases MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus, PsycINFO, EMBASE and The Maternity and Infant Care database were searched from inception until August 2022. A total of 3458 titles and abstracts and 56 full text papers were screened independently by two researchers. Data was extracted from five papers and synthesised narratively.
RESULTS: Multidisciplinary care models are described or recommended in all five papers. Midwives have a varied and core role in the multidisciplinary care of women with MLTC.
CONCLUSIONS: Models of care for those with MLTC covered part or all the maternity journey, primarily antenatal and postnatal care. A focus on delivering high-quality holistic care throughout the maternity journey, including postnatally is needed. There is a lack of evidence on how midwifery continuity of care models may impact experiences of care and outcomes for this group.
CONCLUSIONS: There is a lack of empirical evidence on how best to provide midwifery and multi-disciplinary care for those with MLTC and a need for research to understand this.
UNASSIGNED: Our aims refer to \'pregnant, birthing, and postnatal women and birthing people with MLTC\'. We acknowledge that not all those accessing maternity services will identify as a woman. We continually strive to ensure that our research and public involvement is inclusive and sensitive to the needs of everyone. Our search terms did not narrow to either women or birthing people specifically and used broad terms of pregnancy, antenatal, prenatal, childbirth and postnatal care. All included papers use the term woman or women throughout therefore, we have used this terminology when describing their findings. Where the term \'woman\' is used this should be taken to include women and people who do not identify as women but are pregnant or have given birth. This builds on our Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement work which has highlighted the need to use inclusive language.

BACKGROUND: The debate on the safety and outcomes of home versus hospital births highlights the need for evidence-based evaluations of these birthing settings, particularly in Catalonia where both options are available.
OBJECTIVE: To compare sociodemographic characteristics and maternal and neonatal outcomes between low-risk women opting for home versus hospital births in Catalonia, Spain.
METHODS: This observational cross-sectional study analysed 3,463 low-risk births between 2016 and 2018, including 2,713 hospital and 750 home births. Researchers collected sociodemographic data, birthing processes, and outcomes, using statistical analysis to explore differences between the settings.
RESULTS: Notable differences emerged: Women choosing home births typically had higher education levels and were predominantly Spanish. They were 3.43 times more likely to have a spontaneous birth and significantly less likely to undergo instrumental births than those in hospitals. Home births were associated with higher utilization of non-pharmacological analgesia and a more pronounced tendency to iniciate breastfeeding within the first hour post birth and stronger inclination towards breastfeeding. Hospital births, conversely, showed higher use of the lithotomy position and epidural analgesia. There were no significant differences in neonatal outcomes between the two groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Home births managed by midwives offered better obstetric and neonatal outcomes for low-risk women than hospital births. These results suggest home birth as a safe, viable option that promotes natural birthing processes and reduces medical interventions. The study supports the integration of midwife-led home birth into public health policies, affirming its benefits for maternal and neonatal health.

High-risk pregnancies not only heighten concerns about the baby\'s health but also have the potential to impact the mother-infant relationship by shifting the mother\'s focus towards her own health needs. This study aims to delve into the intricacies of motherhood roles among women experiencing high-risk pregnancies compared to those with uncomplicated pregnancies, aiming to shed light on the disparities between the two groups. The participants of this descriptive, comparative, and correlational study consisted of literate mothers admitted to a hospital in Eastern Turkey, diagnosed with high-risk pregnancies, and with no prior history of psychological support. Due to an inability to reach the entire population, an unknown sampling method was employed for sampling calculation. The sample comprised 133 mothers with high-risk pregnancies and an equal number of healthy mothers, totaling 266 participants. Data were collected using the \"Maternal Introduction Form\" and the \"Maternal Role Gaining Scale\", and analyses were conducted using the SPSS Statistical Programme. Given the non-normal distribution of the variables, nonparametric tests were applied post reliability analysis. There is a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in the scores of maternal attitude and anxiety, as well as maternal role and the Maternal Role Gaining Scale, based on various demographic factors such as marriage duration, spouse\'s education, family economic status, pre-pregnancy health issues, medication use, hospitalization status and reason, assigned sex of the baby and desired gender, total pregnancies, mode of delivery, postpartum difficulties, support for baby care, feeding method, high-risk pregnancy diagnosis, and week of diagnosis. A Bonferroni corrected analysis also revealed significant differences between mothers with and without high-risk pregnancies.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the levels of nomophobia among nurses and midwives employed at a gynecology and children\'s hospital and to explore its impact on their lives.
METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a gynecology and pediatrics hospital situated in the western region of Turkey. The research sample comprised 112 nurses and midwives. Data collection was facilitated through an \"Introductory Information Form\" and the \"Nomophobia Scale,\" with adherence to the STROBE checklist for reporting this cross-sectional study.
RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 34.50 ± 9.98 years. The average total score on the nomophobia scale was 68.45 ± 24.62, with 54.5% of participants classified as having moderate levels of nomophobia. Factors such as age, years of experience in nursing or midwifery, work patterns, and the habit of checking their phones immediately upon waking and before sleeping were found to influence their levels of nomophobia.
CONCLUSIONS: The study observed that mobile phone usage among nurses and midwives in a gynecology and pediatrics setting negatively affects their mental and physical health, with a moderate level of nomophobia being prevalent. Notably, older age and increased work experience were associated with lower nomophobia scores.
CONCLUSIONS: Initiatives aimed at preventing the onset of nomophobia are recommended, especially targeting younger nurses and midwives who play a crucial role in health service delivery.

UNASSIGNED: Giving the existing formal education through the internet without a planned transition to distance education negatively affected the learning processes of the students.
UNASSIGNED: The study aims to identify the midwifery students\' changing life conditions and e- learning experiences on the state of their anxiety and hopelessness during the Covid-19 pandemic.
UNASSIGNED: Designed as cross-sectional research, the study was performed with the participation of 1,296 midwifery undergraduate students. The survey form comprised of questions that explored the students\' demographic characteristics, life conditions changing during the Covid-19 pandemic and distance education experiences, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7, and the Beck Hopelessness Scale were used in the data collection.
UNASSIGNED: It was discerned that, of the participant midwifery students, 55.2% spent the period of the pandemic in the province center, 51.7% used smartphones to have access to the distance education, 50.3% had trouble in following up the courses due to the limited computer and internet access, 63.5% failed to follow up the courses because of the infrastructure problems related to the distance education. It was found that, of the participant midwifery students, 54.6% exhibited anxiety symptoms and 26.3% had hopelessness symptoms. It was identified that having trouble in following up the courses increased anxiety by 1.438 times (CI:1.103-1.875) and hopelessness by 1.980 times (CI:1.459-2.687), having tensions in the family relations increased anxiety by 2.362 times (CI:1.780-3.134) and hopelessness by 1.789 times (CI:1.235-2.594), and having psychological support for anxiety and worry increased anxiety by 2.914 times (CI:2.208-3.8477) and hopelessness by 1.875 times (CI:1.083-3.247). It was ascertained that hopelessness increased anxiety by 2.878 times (CI:2.075-3.991) whilst anxiety increased hopelessness by 2.755 times (CI:1.985-3.823) (p<0.05).
UNASSIGNED: As well as the Covid-19 pandemic, health, social life, and economic changes; the digital separation that accompanies distance education also affects the students\' mental health. Solving the technical problems experienced in distance education, facilitating the follow-up of the courses, and equipping the midwifery students with problem-solving and coping skills will be useful for reducing the midwifery students\' hopelessness and anxiety levels.

Postpartum depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in women after giving birth. This study was conducted to examine the effect of telecounseling support on depression in primiparous mothers. This study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial with a parallel group pretest-posttest design. The study comprised 50 participants each in the intervention and control groups. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with all participants, and the Maternal Information Form and the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) were administered. The intervention group received telecounseling for 6 weeks, while the control group received routine postnatal care. After the 6-week period, EPDS was re-administered to both groups. In the intervention group, the EPDS mean score decreased from 7.12 ± 3.96 to 6.34 ± 3.73 after telecounseling (p < 0.001). Conversely, in the control group, the EPDS mean score increased from 6.62 ± 3.55 to 7.90 ± 4.65 without any intervention (p = 0.002). The results indicate that telecounseling is an effective method for reducing the risk of depression among mothers during the postpartum period. It is recommended that healthcare professionals extend their support by providing telecounseling for mothers.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the pre-implementation context and implementation approach, for a clinician researcher career pathway.
BACKGROUND: Clinician researchers across all health disciplines are emerging to radically influence practice change and improve patient outcomes. Yet, to date, there are limited clinician researcher career pathways embedded in clinical practice for nurses and midwives.
METHODS: A qualitative descriptive design was used.
METHODS: Data were collected from four online focus groups and four interviews of health consumers, nursing and midwifery clinicians, and nursing unit managers (N = 20) between July 2022 and September 2023.
RESULTS: Thematic and content analysis identified themes/categories relating to: Research in health professionals\' roles and nursing and midwifery, and Research activity and culture (context); with implementation approaches within coherence, cognitive participation, collective action and reflexive monitoring (Normalization Process Theory).
CONCLUSIONS: The Pathway was perceived to meet organizational objectives with the potential to create significant cultural change in nursing and midwifery. Backfilling of protected research time was essential.
UNASSIGNED: The Pathway was seen as an instrument to empower staff, foster staff retention and extend research opportunities to every nurse and midwife, while improving patient experiences and outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians, consumers and managers fully supported the implementation of clinician researchers with this Pathway. The Pathway could engage all clinicians in evidence-based practice with a clinician researcher leader, effect practice change with colleagues and enhance patient outcomes.
UNASSIGNED: This study adheres to relevant EQUATOR guidelines using the COREG checklist.
UNASSIGNED: Health consumers involved in this research as participants, did not contribute to the design or conduct of the study, analysis or interpretation of the data, or in the preparation of the manuscript.