Assessment of professional empowerment among midwives in selected LAC: A multisite descriptive study

Objective

to identify the perception of professional empowerment among midwives in selected Latin American countries (LA). Specifically, this study aimed to compare i) the global level of empowerment among midwives in different LA countries, ii) the scores according to the different dimensions of the scale, and iii) scores according to area the of expertise.

Design

A quantitative, observational, analytical, cross-sectional and multisite study using an adaptation of the Perceptions Midwifery Empowerment Scale (PEMS).

Settings

Clinical, educational and managerial midwifery positions in 5 LA countries belonging to a Latin American Research Network in Midwifery. All the participating countries reported a similar profile regarding type of education, association and regulation procedures.

Participants

A total of 1127 responses from midwives with different professional backgrounds were included in the study.

Findings

A total mean score of 73.28 (74.23–72.03) points was reported. Chile reported the lowest score of empowerment compared to the other countries, while Argentina reported the highest. Midwives' perceptions of empowerment within their area of expertise, primary health care (PHC) was the area of reference, and gynaecology reported a significantly lower score. Midwives working in management were significantly more empowered compared with those in other areas. Midwives who had continuous education and postgraduate studies were the most empowered. Regarding the provision of woman-centred Care, Chile and El Salvador differed significantly from Argentina (reference), while Uruguay reported a significantly higher score in this dimension. Midwives working in hospital wards reported significantly lower scores compared to those working in PHC.

Key conclusions and implications for practice

This study suggests that midwifery programmes in the LA countries would benefit from prioritising professional empowerment, especially in the areas of hospital practice, where midwives' perceptions of empowerment were most limited.