Norwegian midwives' perceptions of empowerment
Journal article, Peer reviewed
“ n o t i c e: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in sexual & reproductive health care. changes resulting from the publishing process, such as editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. a definitive version was subsequently published in lukasse, m. & pajalic, z. (2015). norwegian midwives' perceptions of empowerment. sexual & reproductive health care. doi:10.1016/j.srhc.2015.11.010
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2015-12Metadata
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Lukasse, M. & Pajalic, Z. (2015). Norwegian midwives' perceptions of empowerment. Sexual & Reproductive HealthCare. doi:10.1016/j.srhc.2015.11.010 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.srhc.2015.11.010Abstract
Introduction: Midwives are educated to care for women during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. For midwives to be able to fulfill their professional role they need to be empowered to do so. Aim of the study: To investigate Norwegian midwives’ perception of empowerment in practice. Method: A cross-sectional study. In September 2014, a random sample of 1500 midwives were sent a questionnaire, which included the Perception of Empowerment in Midwifery Practice Scale (PEMS). Of 1458 eligible midwives 595 (41%) completed the PEMS. Exploratory factor analyses and comparative analyses were done. Results: Exploratory factor analyses identified three factors (subscales): Supportive management, Autonomous professional role, Equipped for practice. Midwives working in a hospital setting scored significantly lower on the factors Supportive management and Autonomous professional role compared to midwives not working in a hospital setting (p<0.001). Midwives with extra/special responsibilities scored higher than those without (p<0.001) on the same two factors. Midwives working at units with <2500 births scored significantly higher on all three factors compared to midwives working at units with ≥2500 births (p<0.001). Conclusion: The PEMS showed that Norwegian midwives’ perception of empowerment at work differed according to midwives´ education, role at work, duration of work experience, working situation and environment. This study supports the psychometric qualities of the PEMS