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Promoting Women's and Children's Health: Strengthening High-Quality Midwifery Care

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A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Nursing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 7351

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Hong Lu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Nursing, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
Interests: midwifery care; maternal and child care; midwifery education and policy; health care management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, and adolescent health (SRMNAH) is an essential component of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Midwives, as core members of the SRMNAH workforce, can meet about 90% of the need for essential SRMNAH interventions across the life course. The positive impact of high-quality midwifery care on women and families across the globe is richly detailed. Midwives, when educated, licensed, and fully integrated into a supported environment can provide a wide range of clinical interventions and contribute to broader health goals, such as advancing primary healthcare, addressing sexual and reproductive rights, promoting self-care interventions, and empowering women. Universal coverage of midwife-delivered interventions could avert two-thirds of maternal and neonatal deaths as well as stillbirths, allowing 4.3 million lives to be saved annually by 2030. Midwifery-led continuity of care, in which midwives support women throughout the antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal continuum, makes a difference to women’s and newborns’ health outcomes. However, the structure and organization of healthcare systems, in addition to the economic, social, and cultural contexts in which they operate, differ widely between countries, in turn influencing the models of maternity care available to women.

The goal of this Special Issue, “Promoting women's and children's health: strengthening high-quality midwifery care”, is to highlight the recent advances and challenges in high-quality midwifery care. We welcome original research, reviews, and other papers that address these challenges and encourage submissions that cover a broad range of topics, including clinical, educational, political, social, and cultural aspects as well as experiences with women and child health promotion through strengthening high-quality midwifery care.

This Special Issue will be of interest to researchers, midwives, clinicians, educators from various fields, policymakers, officials, and politicians for enabling and empowering the midwife workforce.

Prof. Dr. Hong Lu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

women and child health
midwifery care
health promotion
healthcare system
healthcare policy

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 693 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Using Sitting Position versus Lithotomy Position during the Second Stage of Labour on Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes and the Childbirth Experience of Chinese Women: A Prospective Cohort Study

by Li Fu, Jing Huang, Danxiao Li, Huide Wang, Lili Xing, Tao Wei, Rui Hou and Hong Lu

Healthcare 2023, 11(22), 2996; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11222996 - 20 Nov 2023

Viewed by 1356

Abstract

Existing research concerning the effects of the sitting birth position during the second stage of labour on maternal and neonatal outcomes remains controversial, and there is a lack of studies to explore its effect on the childbirth experience. The objective of this study is to explore whether the sitting birth position would influence maternal and neonatal outcomes, as well as the childbirth experience. The prospective cohort design was conducted in the study from February to June 2023, a total of 222 women (including primiparous women and multiparous women) were enrolled in our study, and they were divided into the sitting position cohort (n = 106) or the lithotomy position cohort (n = 116). The pre-designed questionnaire and Childbirth Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) were used for data collection during hospitalisation. Chi-square, Fisher’s exact test, t-tests, or the Mann–Whitney U test were utilised to assess differences between groups. Multivariate linear regression and logistic regression were employed to control possible confounders. The study found that primiparous women in the sitting position cohort had a shorter duration of the second stage of labour, higher spontaneous vaginal birth rates, lower episiotomy rates, and a better childbirth experience (p < 0.01). After adjusting for confounding factors through multiple linear and logistic regression analyses, the results remained consistent with those reported above. No neonate in each cohort had Apgar scores at 1 min and 5 min postpartum less than 7 or a Cord artery pH less than 7.00, regardless of parity. Based on the findings, we recommend that women could take the sitting birth position into account when giving birth for a positive childbirth experience, especially for primiparous women. The study could also serve as a reference for healthcare providers in the management of childbirth positions and the development of high-quality maternal care. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promoting Women's and Children's Health: Strengthening High-Quality Midwifery Care)

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16 pages, 311 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Muslim and Christian Women’s Perceptions of the Influence of Spirituality and Religious Beliefs on Motherhood and Child-Rearing: A Phenomenological Study

by Isabel del Mar Moreno-Ávila, Jose Manuel Martínez-Linares, Karim Mimun-Navarro and Carmen Pozo-Muñoz

Healthcare 2023, 11(22), 2932; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11222932 - 9 Nov 2023

Viewed by 1085

Abstract

(1) Background: Spirituality is a factor that plays a role in decisions related to health and illness. When a woman becomes a mother, she undergoes physical, psychological, and social changes for which healthcare professionals must provide the necessary care. However, women may feel misunderstood and stigmatized when they carry out their religious practices and express their spirituality related to motherhood. The aim of this study was to describe the experiences of women with Muslim and Christian religious ideologies on the influence of spirituality and religious beliefs in motherhood and child-rearing. (2) Methods: A descriptive phenomenological qualitative study with two groups of women of Islamic and Christian ideology, respectively. Three focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted, recorded, transcribed, and analyzed with ATLAS.ti 7.0. An inductive analysis was carried out according to the Moustakas model. (3) Results: Three themes were identified: religious and cultural aspects that determine child-rearing, the influence of spirituality and family on the mother’s role, and the support received from healthcare personnel. (4) Conclusions: Spirituality and religious beliefs are manifested during motherhood and child-rearing in the form of infant feeding, the need for their protection, or the need for support from mothers. Healthcare personnel must be able to offer culturally competent and spiritually respectful care. Patients should not be judged based on their spirituality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promoting Women's and Children's Health: Strengthening High-Quality Midwifery Care)

12 pages, 553 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Perception and Educational Needs of Developmentally Supportive Care At-Home for Parents of Pre-Term Newborns

by Jeong Soon Kim and Hae Ran Kim

Healthcare 2023, 11(12), 1700; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11121700 - 9 Jun 2023

Viewed by 997

Abstract

After discharge from neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), the parents of pre-term newborns have to provide developmentally supportive care (DSC) to their children; thus, educational support for parents is essential. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of parents providing DSC to their children born as pre-term newborns at home and to investigate their parenting-related needs. This study included 10 mothers who were identified through theoretical sampling. In-depth interviews were conducted for data collection. For data analysis, grounded theory was used according to Corbin and Strauss’s process. The mother’s perception and educational needs were characterized by the phenomena “Coexistence of familiarity and unfamiliarity” and “Desire for expert support”. Causal conditions include the “Incomplete education system” and “Gap between expectations and reality”. Contextual conditions include the “Fear of developmental disability” and “Lack of good evaluation criteria”. Intervening conditions include the “Difficulty in obtaining useful information”. Action/interaction strategies include the “Active information seeking” and “Continuing to provide DSC”. The consequences were the “Needs for professional educational support”. The core category was the “Parenting routine that continues without awareness” and “Hope to establish parenting system supported by multidisciplinary experts”. These results may provide the preliminary evidence base for suitable educational programs and for developing a social support system for parents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promoting Women's and Children's Health: Strengthening High-Quality Midwifery Care)

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12 pages, 500 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Medication Adherence and Contraceptive Counseling

by María Inmaculada de Molina-Fernandez, Laura Reyes-Martí, Miriam De la Flor-López, Maria Jesús Aguarón-García, Alba Roca-Biosca, Lourdes Rubio-Rico, Rosa Dolors Raventós Torner and Francesc Valls-Fonayet

Healthcare 2023, 11(9), 1304; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11091304 - 3 May 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1642

Abstract

Combined oral contraceptives (COC) are a very popular form of birth control. Incorrect use and lack of adherence to treatment reduce the effectiveness of this method. Having a standard tool to identify poor-adherence profiles quickly and objectively can be helpful for midwives and potentially for COC users. The MMAS-4 adherence scale has been used in various medical fields, but there is little evidence of its potential in contraceptive consultation. This paper presents a piece of multicenter observational research based on a sample of 327 women who had attended contraceptive counselling in Spain and were COC users or had informed the midwife that they want to start to use this method. Two interviews were conducted: at the time of consultation and after one year. In our research, the MMAS-4 identified high-risk behaviors: during the 1-year follow-up period, COC users classified as poorly adherent had a significantly higher risk of missed contraceptive pills, more incidents and problems related to the method of contraception, as well as a lower degree of satisfaction with the contraceptive method. One case of unplanned pregnancy and two cases of emergency contraception were identified, all of them corresponding to poorly adherent women. The use of MMAS-4 in consultation can improve midwives’ contraceptive counselling. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promoting Women's and Children's Health: Strengthening High-Quality Midwifery Care)

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Review

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23 pages, 2606 KiB

Open AccessReview

Herbal Medicine for Postpartum Pain: A Systematic Review of Puerperal Wind Syndrome (Sanhupung)

by Na-Yoen Kwon, Hee-Yoon Lee, Su-In Hwang, Soo-Hyun Sung, Su-Jin Cho, Young-Jin Yoon and Jang-Kyung Park

Healthcare 2023, 11(20), 2743; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11202743 - 16 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1476

Abstract

Mothers in the postpartum period often experience musculoskeletal disorders and pain, impacting their ability to care for themselves and their infants. Conventional treatments have limitations, prompting interest in alternative options like herbal medicine. This systematic review aimed to confirm the effectiveness and safety of herbal medicine treatment to improve maternal health in patients with postpartum pain (puerperal wind syndrome). We searched eight electronic databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the effects of herbal medicines on puerperal wind syndrome. Nine RCTs, including 652 patients, were selected. Following a meta-analysis of RCTs, both herbal medicine and combination treatments improved the visual analog scale scores, total effective rate, scores of Traditional Chinese Medicine syndromes, Oswestry Disability Index, and quality of life in patients with role-emotional puerperal wind syndrome. All adverse events were minor, and the incidence rate was not high compared with that of the control group. In conclusion, herbal medicine supports the improvement in pain, other systemic symptoms, and the quality of life of patients with puerperal wind syndrome. Moreover, no serious side effects were observed; therefore, herbal medicines appear to be safe. It can be the preferred treatment option for puerperal wind syndrome, which is currently managed symptomatically. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promoting Women's and Children's Health: Strengthening High-Quality Midwifery Care)

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