The future of midwifery care and education in Belgium: A discussion paper.

Autor: Goemaes R; KU Leuven, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Academic Centre for Nursing and Midwifery, Kapucijnenvoer 7 blok g - box 7001, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: rgoemaes@gmail.com., Embo M; Ghent University, Healthcare Education Research Centre, Department of Education Studies, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, H. Dunantlaan 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Universiteit Antwerpen, Center for Research and Innovation in care (CRIC), Midwifery Research, Education & Policymaking (MidRep), Campus Drie Eiken - R.331, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium. Electronic address: mieke.embo@ugent.be., Hernandez-Garcia AB; Haute Ecole Léonard de Vinci, Department of Midwifery, Place de l'Alma 3, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: ana.hernandez@vinci.be., De Koster K; Institution not applicable (retired midwife). Electronic address: katelijne.dekoster@icloud.com., Castiaux G; Haute École de Namur-Liège-Luxembourg (Hénallux), Département Paramédical, Rue Louis Loiseau, 39, B-5000 Namur, Belgium. Electronic address: genevieve.castiaux@henallux.be., Hammoucha N; Haute Ecole Léonard de Vinci, Department of Midwifery, Place de l'Alma 3, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: naziha.hammoucha@vinci.be., Sulejmani F; Haute Ecole Libre de Bruxelles-Ilya Prigogine (HELB), Département Santé, Route de Lennick, 808, B-1070 Bruxelles, Belgium. Electronic address: feride.sulejmani@helb-rigogine.be., Beeckman K; Universiteit Antwerpen, Center for Research and Innovation in care (CRIC), Midwifery Research, Education & Policymaking (MidRep), Campus Drie Eiken - R.331, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Nursing and Midwifery Research Group (NUMID), Primary Care (PRIM), Laarbeeklaan 101, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium. Electronic address: katrien.beeckman@uzbrussel.be., Bogaerts A; KU Leuven, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Academic Centre for Nursing and Midwifery, Kapucijnenvoer 7 blok g - box 7001, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium; REALIFE Research Group, Research Unit Woman and Child, Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49PB 805, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium; Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA, United Kingdom. Electronic address: annick.bogaerts@kuleuven.be.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Midwifery [Midwifery] 2024 Nov 12; Vol. 141, pp. 104237. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Nov 12.
DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2024.104237
Abstrakt: Background: Advanced education of midwives acting during the first 1000 days in life is key in optimum care provision for intergenerational health and wellbeing.
Aim: This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the current context of midwifery care and (inter)national trends in midwifery education. Gaps for optimizing midwifery education in Belgium are defined.
Results: Societal, medical, and technological changes including medicalization of birth impact the midwife's profession and competency requirements. The World Health Organization demands adapted midwifery competency frameworks to meet these changes and achieve universal health coverage by 2030. While the European Union's directives address the recognition of professional qualifications of midwives, basic midwifery programs in Europe range from vocational to master's programs. In Belgium, basic midwifery programs are direct-entry bachelor programs; however, the program length varies according to the region. A horizon scanning by the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Center concluded that an extension and advancement of the current midwifery program are urgently needed to enable midwives to fulfil an autonomous role in accordance with national laws and international directives.
Discussion: Basic midwifery education anno 2023 does not fit (1) the changes in women's health towards 2030; (2) the future demands regarding midwifery competence, and (3) the current and future demands for autonomy according to the legal frameworks.
Conclusion: An extension and advancement of the basic midwifery programs are needed to sufficiently arm midwives to meet changes they are confronted with. Therefore, a debate involving all stakeholders concerned with the future of midwifery care and education is recommended.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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