Midwives' knowledge and attitudes of substance misusing mothers

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore midwives' knowledge and attitudes with regards to substance misuse in women during pregnancy. The main objectives of the study were to explore the midwives' knowledge with regards to the effects of substance misuse in pregnant women and their baby; to explore the midwives' attitudes towards this client group and to explore the educational needs of midwives regarding substance misuse in pregnancy. Thirty midwives working at the Obstetric Wards at the State General Hospital were recruited by convenience sampling. A questionnaire, which was adapted from 2 previously tested tools, was distributed to 40 participants. A response rate of 75% (n= 30) was achieved. The data was manually analysed through the application of descriptive statistics and content analysis. Results revealed that the majority of the participants lacked sufficient knowledge regarding the effects of heroin and cocaine use during pregnancy; despite that the majority of the midwives had received formal pre-registration training on the subject. Furthermore, the researcher noted that midwives who had attended post registration courses had overall higher knowledge scores when compared to midwives who had never attended such a course. Additionally, the majority of the midwives generally held positive attitudes towards women affected by substance misuse. Following the analysis of the results, various recommendations for practice, education and research were put forward in order to improve care for these women and their infants.