Research confirms the need for change

You’ll know Mary Sidebotham as one of the lead educators of this course. also leads an international consortium of researchers called WHELM (Work, Health, and Emotional Lives of Midwives) who together are looking at the work, health-life balance, and emotional wellbeing of midwives in a number of countries around the world. So far, research has been completed in Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Sweden, Canada, Lithuania, Norway, Holland, Denmark, and Germany.

Their research has confirmed that midwives are exhausted and at risk of burnout, with worryingly high levels of work-related stress identified in midwives across all of these countries.

While this video focuses on on some of the WHELM data looking at midwives, similar results have been found in research on obstetricians, with high numbers experiencing stress, fatigue, and burnout. While we can look at individual reasons for health professionals’ burnout and stress, at the core of the issue is a system-wide dysfunction in the way services are organised.

The WHELM consortium is doing more than just researching the problem. They’re also focused on identifying solutions to this growing issue. What’s emerged from the research is this: midwives need to work in a different way. Where midwives provide relationship-based, one-to-one continuity of care, they are happier, more fulfilled, and less likely to experience stress, anxiety and burnout. Where midwives provide care within a fragmented system, they are more stressed, more overwhelmed, and more likely to burn out.

The research confirms: relationship-based care is the most powerful solution to midwives’ stress, anxiety, and burnout.

Over to you

You will have seen from Mary’s video that there is increasing evidence that midwives are struggling with fragmented maternity care systems.

How do you think midwives and other maternity health professionals can avoid burnout? What’s causing such high levels of stress and anxiety?

References

1. Creedy, D., Sidebotham, M., Gamble, J., Pallant, J., & Fenwick, J. (2017). Prevalence of burnout, depression, anxiety and stress in australian midwives: A cross-sectional survey. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, doi:10.1186/s12884-016-1212-5
2. Dixon , L., Guilliland, K., Pallant, J., Sidebotham, M., Fenwick, J., McAra-Couper, J., & Gilkison, A. (2017). The emotional wellbeing of New Zealand midwives: comparing responses for midwives in caseloading and shift work settings. New Zealand College of Midwives Journal(53), 5-14. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.12784/nzcomjnl53.2017.1.5-14
3. Hildingsson, I., Westlund, K., & Wiklund, I. (2013). Burnout in Swedish midwives. Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare, 4(3), 87-91. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.srhc.2013.07.001
4. Hunter, B., Fenwick, J., Sidebotham, M., & Henley, J. (2019) Midwives in the United Kingdom: Levels of burnout, depression, anxiety and stress and associated predictors. Midwifery (79), 1-12.