Midwives' evaluations of the labour care guide: a cross-sectional study from Türkiye

Abstract

Research on midwives' perceptions of the World Health Organization's labour care guide remains limited, despite its increasing use in intrapartum care. This study aimed to evaluate midwives' perceptions of the guide's comprehensibility, importance and clinical applicability as a potential replacement for the partograph. This descriptive cross-sectional study involved 349 midwives working in maternity units in Southeastern Anatolia, Türkiye. Data were collected using a researcher-developed tool. Independent samples t-tests and one-way ANOVA were used to analyse the data. Overall, 67.9% of participants had prior knowledge of the labour care guide. Less experienced midwives reported higher scores when rating the importance of and their participation in various aspects of the guide, while views on clinical applicability were mixed. Perceptions of the labour care guide varied by professional experience and knowledge of the guide. Participants had mixed views on replacing the partograph. Structured in-service training, adapted clinical workflows and institutional support may facilitate integration of the labour care guide into routine practice and promote consistent, evidence-based, woman-centred intrapartum care.