Developing the Learning about Midwives and Birth Settings Video for Teaching About Birth Care Options

Abstract

BACKGROUNDU.S. women's reports have indicated misconceptions about midwifery care and related birth options, yet these care approaches are associated with healthy birth outcomes. From the perspective of person-centered care, we aimed to address existing knowledge gaps on midwifery care by creating an accessible learning tool help inform future parents and community educators of evidence-based birth care options.METHODApplied action research (AR) principles to develop a learning tool for public use. We conducted focus groups with nulliparous young adults who were university students, those who were nonstudent community members, and medical professionals to build content. We collected pre–post viewing data on knowledge, attitudes, and future behavioral intentions with university and community samples.RESULTSOur resultant 17-minute video contains content in three areas: (a) narratives from midwives, (b) narratives from parents, (c) information on midwives' credentialing and scope of care, birth settings, and safety studies. Evaluation data indicated that the video positively influenced viewers' related knowledge, attitudes, and future behavioral intentions.DISCUSSIONOur iterative developmental process yielded a learning tool responsive to viewer input on communicating about nonnormative, safe birth care options. Initial data indicated promise of positively influencing viewers' attitudes and behavioral intentions toward midwife-attended birth in- and out-of-hospital. Future plans include publicly releasing the video and assessing long-term learning impact with initial study samples.