Enhancing Midwives’ Occupational Well-Being: Lessons From New Zealand’s COVID-19 Experience
Loading...
Files
Size: 312.03 KB, File format: Adobe PDF
Size: 313.6 KB, File format: Adobe PDF
Date
Authors
Mharapara, Tago L
Ravenswood, Katherine
Clemons, Janine H
Kirton, Gill
Greenslade-Yeats, James
Supervisor
Item type
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Abstract
Background
The World Health Organization posits that adequate maternity health is possible if midwives are supported, respected, protected, motivated, and equipped to work safely and optimally within interdisciplinary health care teams. Based on qualitative survey data, we argue that the COVID-19 pandemic amplified job demands and resources, professional invisibility, and gender norms to negatively impact midwives' well-being.
Purposes
We aim to develop a refined understanding of the antecedents of well-being in midwifery to equip policymakers, administrators, and professional associations with the knowledge to enhance midwives' well-being postpandemic.
Methodology/Approach
Drawing on the Job Demands–Resources model, we thematically analyzed qualitative survey data (N = 215) from New Zealand midwives to reveal how job demands, resources, and structural factors impacted midwives' well-being.
Results
We identified fear of contracting and spreading COVID-19, financial and legal imperatives (job demands), work-related hypervigilance, sense of professional duty, practical and social support, and appreciation and recognition (job resources) as key antecedents of midwives' well-being. These job demands and resources were influenced by professional invisibility and gender norms.
Conclusion
Policy and practice solutions must address job demands, resources, and structural factors to meaningfully enhance midwives' well-being postpandemic.
Practice Implications
We recommend that policymakers, administrators, and professional associations monitor for signs of overcommitment and perfectionistic strivings and then take appropriate remedial action. We also suggest that midwives receive equitable pay, sick leave, and other related benefits.
Description
Keywords
1117 Public Health and Health Services, 1503 Business and Management, 1605 Policy and Administration, Health Policy & Services, 3507 Strategy, management and organisational behaviour, 4203 Health services and systems, 4206 Public health
Source
Health Care Management Review, ISSN: 0361-6274 (Print); 1550-5030 (Online), Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). doi: 10.1097/hmr.0000000000000406
Rights statement
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.
Permanent link
Collections
Endorsement
Review
Supplemented By
Referenced By
Creative Commons license
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.