Abstracts Category : Other

The role ofadvanced midwives regarding maternity care in tertiary hospitals inGauteng

by Mbulaheni Rhona Luphai

The researcher explored the role of advanced midwivesallocated in maternity care in tertiary hospitals in Gauteng.Advanced midwives form part of the multidisciplinary team inGauteng tertiary hospitals in accordance with the staffing normsas prescribed by the Maternity Guidelines of South Africa foradvanced practice nurses. Advanced practice nursing (APN)strengthens nursing and advanced practices to assist and fill inwhere there is a shortage of physicians in rural and denselypopulated areas. The scope of practice in tertiary hospitals foradvanced practice nurses is not explicit; the role of advancedmidwives in these hospitals is not clearly defined and, as aresult, the role of the advanced midwife and physician overlap intertiary hospitals in South Africa. A qualitative, exploratory,descriptive and contextual research design was followed. Advancedmidwives allocated in three selected tertiary hospitals in Gautengserved as the study population. After conducting a pilot study atthe fourth tertiary hospital in Gauteng, data collection occurredduring three focus group interviews. Field notes were taken.Application letters for obtaining ethical permission andpermission in the setting were sent to the chief executiveofficers (CEOs) of the three selected hospitals. All ethicalprinciples were strictly adhered to. A moderator was used toconduct the focus groups in a quiet setting of each hospital.Participation was voluntary and informed consent was signed. Thecollected data was analysed by using the 8 steps of the Teschsmodel of data analysis. Trustworthiness was adhered to withconfirmability, credibility, dependability and transferability. Thestudy findings were discussed and confirmed by literature control.The limitation of this study was highlighted. The findingsrevealed three main themes: positive attributes of advancedmidwives, responsibilities of advanced midwives in tertiaryhospitals and challenges posed by patients who do not adhere tothe admission criteria. The recommendations were made for thesupport and supervision of the utilisation of advanced midwives intertiary hospitals by the Gauteng Department of Health employingbody, support by training institutions/universities, support foradvanced midwives by nursing management, and self-empowerment ofthe advanced midwife. The conclusion was that advanced midwivesare not optimally utilised. Support recommendations were made todifferent stakeholders on strengthening multidisciplinary teamdecision making on management of patient care. Further researchstudies on the placement of advanced midwives within tertiaryhospitals were recommended.Advisors/Committee Members: Yazbek, Mariatha (advisor), Mataboge, M.L.S. (coadvisor).