Joys and challenges of relationships in Scotland and New Zealand rural midwifery: A multicentre study.

CONCLUSIONS: To meet the challenges of rural practice the importance of relationship needs acknowledging. Relationships are created, built and sustained at a distance with others who have little appreciation of the rural context. Social capital for rural midwives is thus characterised by social trust, community solidarity, shared values and working together for mutual benefit. Rural communities generally exhibit high levels of social capital and this is key to sustainable rural midwifery practice.
IMPLICATIONS: Midwives, educationalists and researchers need to address the skills required for building social capital in rural midwifery practice. These skills are important in midwifery pre- and post-registration curricula.
PMID: 29693545 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Women Birth - April 21, 2018 Category: Midwifery Authors: Crowther S, Deery R, Daellenbach R, Davies L, Gilkison A, Kensington M, Rankin J Tags: Women Birth Source Type: research