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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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?
Subjects:
Creators:
Power, A.
Publisher:
MA Healthcare Ltd.
Faculties, Divisions and Institutes:
Date:
2 September 2015
Date Type:
Publication
Page Range:
pp. 654-657
Journal or Publication Title:
British Journal of Midwifery
Volume:
23
Number:
9
Language:
English
ISSN:
0969-4900
Status:
Published / Disseminated
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