Competencies for respectful maternity care: Identifying those most important to midwives worldwide.

Background: A respectful, person-centered philosophy of maternity care has been emerging over several decades. Research conducted on behalf of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) to identify essential competencies for midwifery practice also identified the knowledge, skills, and professional behaviors that should be hallmarks of respectful maternity care practices among the global community of midwives.

Methods: A three-round, online, modified Delphi survey was conducted between April 2016 and October 2016.

Abortion-related care and the role of the midwife: a global perspective.

Introduction: The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) represents 132 midwifery associations in 113 countries. The ICM disseminates the Essential Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice (EC) that describes the global scope of midwifery practice. The basic (core) and expanded (additional or optional) role of midwives in providing abortion-related care services was first described in 2010.

Competence for basic midwifery practice: Updating the ICM essential competencies.

Objective: To obtain consensus amongst midwifery experts globally about the essential competencies for basic midwifery practice.

Design: A modified Delphi approach, involving a three-round online survey.

Participants: Midwifery leaders, educators and regulators in all ICM regions, along with representatives of organisations affiliated to ICM.

Global competencies for midwives: external cephalic version; ultrasonography, and tobacco cessation intervention.

Problem And Background: The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) conducts regular updates to the Essential Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice to determine the introduction or retention of items in the global scope of midwifery practice guidance document.

Aim: This article presents the review process that underpinned the deliberation about three specific clinical practices: external cephalic version, prenatal ultrasonography, and tobacco cessation interventions that occurred during the 2016-2017 global update study.

Methods: A brief outline of the research methodology used in the 2016-2017 study is provided.