2023 Volume 37 Issue 1 Pages 39-48
Purpose
The purpose of the study was to determine the current status of contraceptive education and counseling provided by midwives.
Methods
The anonymous web-based questionnaire survey was administered to midwives working in medical institutions and in the community. The survey included: the implementation (within 3 years) of individual counseling and group education on contraception, the target population, the place of implementation, the content of implementation, and the facilitating and inhibiting factors in the implementation of individual counseling and group education. Descriptive statistics were calculated for quantitative data, and content analysis was conducted for qualitative data.
Results
Responding were 708 midwives. Individual counseling on contraception was provided by 278 (39.3%) and group education by 274 (38.7%). Respondents (55.8%) provided individual consultations with 155 women who were hospitalized after childbirth and 21.9% provided for 61 women who were hospitalized before or after abortion. A majority of consultations (n=206, 74.1%), took place at hospitals, clinics, and midwifery centers. There were 107 (39.1%) midwives providing group education for women hospitalized after childbirth, 104 (37.8%) junior high school students, and 95 (34.7%) high school students. The most common place of implementation for group education was school or university 164 (59.9%). The most common content of implementation was “general information on contraceptive methods” for both individual counseling and group education, by 246 (88.5%) and 263 (96.0%) respondents, respectively. The most common factor promoting individual counseling and group education was the improvement of midwives' knowledge and skills. The inhibiting factors included difficulties in accessing women's partners and limited educational content in schools.
Conclusion
The implementation rate of both contraceptive counseling and education by midwives was about 40%. The issues for promoting the implementation of contraceptive education and counseling were identified. Midwives as a profession need to acquire not only general knowledge about contraception, but also in-depth knowledge and support skills regarding contraception to assist women.
