Midwives’ knowledge and practice of respectful maternity care and related factors in Golestan province, Iran: A cross-sectional study

Background: Respectful maternity care (RMC) involves providing healthcare that upholds women's dignity, privacy, and confidentiality. It also entails protecting women from harm, supporting informed decision-making, and providing continuous support throughout labor and delivery. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and practices of midwives working in hospitals in Golestan Province regarding respectful maternity care. Methods: In a cross-sectional study conducted in ۲۰۲۳, a total of ۱۳۷ midwives working in the maternity wards of hospitals in Golestan Province, Iran, were selected through census sampling. Data were collected using the Respectful Maternity Care questionnaire, which covers emotional support, safe care, and the prevention of mistreatment. The data were analyzed using SPSS ۱۸ and the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, generalized linear models (GLMs), and Wilcoxon signed-rank test, with the significance level set at P < ۰.۰۵. Results: The median (Interquartile range) knowledge and practice scores for respectful maternity care were ۹۵.۶۲ (۱۳.۰۴) and ۹۰.۲۱ (۱۱.۴۱), respectively. Knowledge scores were significantly higher than practice scores for the overall score (P < ۰.۰۰۱) and in the domains of providing emotional support (P < ۰.۰۰۱) and preventing mistreatment (P < ۰.۰۰۱). In the generalized linear regression analysis, the RMC knowledge score was significantly associated with education level (B = -۶۷.۶۰, ۹۵% CI: -۱۳۲.۸۲ to -۲.۳۹, P = ۰.۰۴), whereas the RMC practice score was significantly associated with the overall knowledge score (B = ۲۴۶.۷۳, ۹۵% CI: ۱۵۲.۹۴-۳۴۰.۵۲, P < ۰.۰۰۱). Conclusion: Midwives demonstrated high levels of knowledge and practice regarding respectful maternity care. However, discrepancies between knowledge and practice in some domains highlight the need for interventions that facilitate the translation of knowledge into routine clinical practice.

کلیدواژه ها:

Midwifery ، Respect ، Maternal Care ، Awareness ، Professional Practice