Measuring job satisfaction of midwives: A scoping review

Background

Given the global shortage of midwives, it is of utmost interest to improve midwives’ job satisfaction and working environments. Precise measurement tools are needed to identify both predictors of job satisfaction and intervention strategies which could increase it. The aim of this study is to collate, describe and analyse instruments used in research to assess the job satisfaction of midwives working in hospitals, to identify valid and reliable tools and to make recommendations for the further development of specific instruments for midwifery practice and future midwifery research.

Methods

We conducted systematic literature searches of the following databases: CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane Database. Studies which assessed the job satisfaction of midwives working in a hospital setting were eligible for inclusion.

Findings

Out of 637 records 36 empirical research articles were analysed, 27 of them cross-sectional studies. The studies had been conducted in 23 different countries, with sample sizes ranging between nine and 5.446 participants. Over 30 different instruments were used to measure midwives’ job satisfaction, with considerable differences in terms of domains evaluated and number of items. Twelve domains relevant for job satisfaction of midwives working in hospitals were identified from the empirical studies. Four instruments met the defined reliability and validity criteria.

Conclusion

Autonomy, the significance of the job, the challenges of balancing work and private life, and the high emotional and physical demands of midwifery are job characteristics which are underrepresented in instruments measuring job satisfaction. The influence of the physical working environment has also not yet been researched. There is a need to develop or adapt instruments to the working environment of midwives.

Robust but weak winter atmospheric circulation response to future Arctic sea ice loss

The possibility that Arctic sea ice loss weakens mid-latitude westerlies, promoting more severe cold winters, has sparked more than a decade of scientific debate, with apparent support from observations but inconclusive modelling evidence. Here we show that sixteen models contributing to the Polar Amplification Model Intercomparison Project simulate a weakening of mid-latitude westerlies in response to projected Arctic sea ice loss. We develop an emergent constraint based on eddy feedback, which is 1.2 to 3 times too weak in the models, suggesting that the real-world weakening lies towards the higher end of the model simulations. Still, the modelled response to Arctic sea ice loss is weak: the North Atlantic Oscillation response is similar in magnitude and offsets the projected response to increased greenhouse gases, but would only account for around 10% of variations in individual years. We further find that relationships between Arctic sea ice and atmospheric circulation have weakened recently in observations and are no longer inconsistent with those in models.

A cross-country survey of attitudes toward childbirth technologies and interventions among university students

PROBLEM & AIM

Cultural beliefs that equate birth technology with progress, safety and convenience contribute to widespread acceptance of childbirth technology and interventions. Little is known about attitudes towards childbirth technology and interventions among the next generation of maternity care users and whether attitudes vary by country, age, gender, childbirth fear, and other factors.

METHODS

Data were collected via online survey in eight countries. Students who had never had children, and who planned to have at least one child were eligible to participate.

FINDINGS

The majority of participants (n=4569) were women (79.3%), and the median age was 22 years. More than half of students agreed that birth technology makes birth easier (55.8%), protects babies from harm (49.1%) and that women have a right to choose a medically non-indicated cesarean (50.8%). Respondents who had greater acceptance of childbirth technology and interventions were from countries with higher national caesarean birth rates, reported higher levels of childbirth fear, and were more likely to report that visual media or school-based education shaped their attitudes toward birth. Positive attitudes toward childbirth technology and interventions were also associated with less confidence in knowledge of birth, and more common among younger and male respondents.

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION

Educational strategies to teach university students about pregnancy and birth in ways that does not frighten them and promotes critical reflection about childbirth technology are needed. This is especially true in countries with high rates of interventions that reciprocally shape culture norms, attitudes, and expectations.