The compassion levels of midwives working in the delivery room

Abstract

Background: Compassion-based practices in midwifery are the most important expression of the depth of care quality. This concept is insufficiently represented in literature, therefore, studies on this subject are of utmost importance. Objectives: This study aims to determine the levels of compassion of midwives working in the delivery room and the factors affecting these levels. The study was carried out in Kocaeli, Turkey. Methods: This descriptive study was carried out from 1 February to 15 April 2019 in delivery rooms of six different hospitals located in the provincial centre of Kocaeli, Turkey, with 78 actively working midwives. Data were collected using a ‘Compassion Scale’ and analysed using the Mann–Whitney U test, the Kruskal–Wallis H test and the Spearman correlation test. Ethical considerations: This study was conducted according to ethical scientific guidelines. Results: The compassion score of the midwives were found to be 4.19 ± 0.39. The total compassion score was affected by professional factors such as number of patients, alternating shift work, number of traumatic births and work satisfaction. While the kindness subscores decreased depending on shift work and number of traumatic births, it was determined that the midwives who were satisfied with their work had higher kindness scores than those who were not. Also, as the age and professional experience of the midwives and the number of traumatic births increased, their indifference score also increased. Midwives who reported that they were not satisfied with their job had higher scores regarding separation and disengagement scores than those who were satisfied with their job. Conclusion: It was determined that the compassion levels of midwives were found to be negatively affected by factors such as age, professional experience, job satisfaction and number of monthly traumatic births in a month. They should be reminded that compassionate midwifery care for women is a basic human right.

Midwives’ ethical practice in selected labour units in Tshwane, Gauteng Province, South Africa

“…Dissatisfaction with remuneration leads to job dissatisfaction, which negatively affects the compassion levels of midwives, as supported by a study by Ergin et al [34] on the compassion levels of midwives working in the delivery room.…”

Spiritual care, compassion and associated factors of midwives working in delivery rooms

“…The increase in the indifference subdimension scores indicates that individuals are more insensitive to events (Pommier, 2011). In another study, those who worked 11 or more extra hours per month obtained significantly higher scores on the indifference subdimension (Ergin et al, 2019). In this study, indifference scores increased in parallel with the number of traumatic births the midwives had been exposed to.…”

“…Past studies have examined midwives' perceptions of compassion and spiritual care. However, these studies are limited to only a few populations, contexts, societies and cultures (Ergin et al, 2019; Gönenç et al, 2016; Moloney & Gair, 2015). Studies conducted in different cultures are needed to determine the factors that affect the level of spiritual care and compassion of midwives around the world.…”

The Relation Between Emphatic Tendency and Level of Compassion among Midwifery Students

“…The compassion scale score has been found as 94.63±11.58 among all midwifery students. Ergin et al have found the compassion scale score of midwives working in the delivery high (23). Total compassion point is influenced by the professional factors such as total compassion point, number of patients, rotating shift work, number of traumatic births and job satisfaction (23).…”

“…Ergin et al have found the compassion scale score of midwives working in the delivery high (23). Total compassion point is influenced by the professional factors such as total compassion point, number of patients, rotating shift work, number of traumatic births and job satisfaction (23). In this study, it has been found that the total point of compassion scale has been affected only by the marital status; and the compassion levels of the single students have been significantly higher than those of the married students.…”