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Midwives’ recognition and response to maternal deterioration: A national cross-sectional study703.09 kB
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Midwives recognition and response to maternal deterioration: a national cross-sectional study
Birth, Vol.50(2), pp.438-448
06/2023
Appears in Recent Faculty of Health Publications
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Abstract
Background
Early warning systems (EWS) are used across health care settings as a tool for the early identification of clinical deterioration and to determine the need to escalate care. Early detection of clinical deterioration and appropriate escalation of care in maternity settings is critical to the safety of pregnant women and infants; however, underutilization of EWS tools and reluctance to escalate care have been consistently reported. Little is known about midwives' use of EWS in the Australian context.
Methods
Using a cross-sectional approach, we elicited the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of a purposive sample of Australian midwives (n = 87) with respect to the Maternal Early Warning Trigger Tool (MEWT). Participants answered a 25-question Likert scale survey and one open-ended question. Qualitative answers were analyzed using consensus coding.
Results
Midwives reported positive attitudes toward the MEWT, describing it as a valuable tool for identifying clinical deterioration, especially when used as an adjunct to clinical judgment. However, midwives also identified training gaps; 25% had received no training, and only half of those who had received training felt it was effective. In addition, professional tension can create a significant barrier to the effective use of the MEWT. Midwives also reported feeling influenced by their peers in their decision-making with respect to use of the MEWT and being afraid they would be chastised for escalating care unnecessarily.
Conclusions
Although the MEWT is valued by Australian midwives as a useful tool, barriers exist to its effective use. These include a lack of adequate, ongoing training and professional tension. Improving interdisciplinary collaboration could enhance the use of this tool for the safety of birthing women and their infants.
Details
- Title
- Midwives recognition and response to maternal deterioration: a national cross-sectional study
- Creators
- Lyn Ebert - Southern Cross UniversityDebbie Massey - Southern Cross UniversityTracy Flenady - Central Queensland UniversitySamantha Nolan - Gold Coast University HospitalTrudy Dwyer - Central Queensland UniversityKerry Reid-Searl - Central Queensland UniversityBridget Ferguson - Central Queensland UniversityElaine Jefford - University of the Sunshine Coast
- Publication Details
- Birth, Vol.50(2), pp.438-448
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Grant note
- Open access publishing facilitated by Southern Cross University, as part of the Wiley - Southern Cross University agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.
- Identifiers
- 991013044513702368
- Copyright
- © 2022 The Authors. Birth published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Academic Unit
- Allied Health and Midwifery; Faculty of Health; Nursing
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article