Northampton Electronic Collection of Theses and Research

Contemporary midwifery practice: Art, science or both?

Power, A. (2015) Contemporary midwifery practice: Art, science or both? British Journal of Midwifery. 23(9), pp. 654-657. 0969-4900.

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Power_Alison_BMJ_2015_Contemporary_midwifery_practice_Art_science_or_both
Power_Alison_BMJ_2015_Contemporary_midwifery_practice_Art_science_or_both.pdf - Accepted Version
Information
Abstract:
Current midwifery practice is regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), whose primary role is to safeguard the public through setting standards for education and practice and regulating fitness to practise, conduct and performance through rules and codes (NMC, 2012; 2015a). Practice is informed by evidence-based guidelines developed and implemented by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence based on hierarchies of evidence, with meta-analyses and systematic reviews being identified as the ‘gold standard’. This positivist epistemological approach as developed by Auguste Comte (1798–1857), with scientific evidence at the top of a knowledge hierarchy, fails to acknowledge the ‘art of midwifery’, where a constructivist paradigm of experiential, intuitive and tacit knowledge is used by reflective practitioners to provide high-quality care. As midwifery pre-registration education is now degree-level, is the essence of midwifery practice being ‘with woman’ providing holistic care under threat, as the drive for a systematic and analytical approach to decision-making gathers momentum?
Uncontrolled Keywords:
Contemporary midwifery practice, Midwifery, Midwife
Creators:
Power, A.
Faculties, Divisions and Institutes:
Faculties > Faculty of Health & Society > Midwifery
Date:
2 August 2015
Date Type:
Acceptance
Page Range:
pp. 654-657
Journal or Publication Title:
British Journal of Midwifery
Volume:
23
Number:
9
Number of Pages:
4
Language:
English
DOI:
10.12968/bjom.2015.23.9.654
ISSN:
0969-4900
Status:
Published / Disseminated
Refereed:
Yes
Related URLs:
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