gms | German Medical Science

Background: Midwifery care is regulated by law and directive [1], [2]. In accordance with the regulation a midwife provides midwifery care in an individual type. As a result there are many models of midwifery care based on different values and theories. This shows a great flexibility of professional midwifery care.

Aim/Research Question: This research explores the interprofessional collaboration of midwives with nurses and physicians in the clinical setting. The structural conditions of the interprofessional situation and the subjective perspective of midwives on collaboration are examined.

Methods: This qualitative research follows the Grounded-Theory-Methodology [3]. Participative observation in the labour ward and the postnatal ward and episodic interviews with midwives (observation n=20, interview n=14) deliver the data [4]. Data collection and analysis were complemented with theoretical sampling [3], [4]. Analysis generates a Grounded-Theory.

Results: The professional identity of midwives is one key in the collaboration with other professions in the clinical setting. It is characterized by a process of identity-construction [5] and includes different parts of identity: ,autonomous expert’, ‘part of the obstetrical team’ and ‘medical-oriented companion of the woman’. Each part of identity differs in the aspects of competence, work area, guiding principles of work and relationship to the woman. The different parts of identity are visible in varying everyday work. Midwives act in a range of autonomous to subordinated work (‘autonomy’, ‘dispute’, ‘cooperation’, ‘integration’ and ‘subordination’).

Relevance: Results are good for professional midwifery care and the performance of different models of healthcare. Each part of professional identity of midwives enables different ways of midwifery care and interprofessional collaboration. Professional identity of midwives may strengthen autonomous work or not. Just as parts of identity may make interprofessional collaboration easier or difficult.

Recommendations/Conclusion: The professional identity of midwives is not as clear as expected. The division of identity opens scope for professional midwifery care. Bachelor’s degree in midwifery leads to the question of an identity as an academic midwife. Reflection on actual work conditions in the clinical setting and all sorts of theoretical background for midwifery care is of importance. Midwifery students should be encouraged to build professional identity.

Ethics and conflicts of interest: No vote on ethics was obtained. The research was financed by own resources. There are no conflicts of interest.