Partnership in midwifery care in New Zealand.
OBJECTIVE
to examine whether equal power is essential to the perceptions of partnership in midwifery practice and to propose an alternative model of how power might best be shared.


METHODS
a cross-sectional design was employed using the predominant methods of interview, questionnaires and thinking aloud tape recordings as triangulation of data.


METHODS
two large metropolitan hospitals in Auckland, New Zealand and home birth settings.


METHODS
Forty one independent and hospital-based midwives and 37 nulliparous women at low obstetric risk for whom labour care was provided.


RESULTS
the majority of the midwives and the women in the two studies presented believed they had achieved a midwifery partnership with little emphasis placed on the need for equality in decision making.


CONCLUSIONS
the model proposed provides a framework that identifies how power can be shared without the need for equality. The integration of this model into practice may assist midwives and women to recognise and utilise differences in their experience and knowledge to achieve their aims of achieving a partnership and a successful birth.
Freeman
Lesa M
LM
School of Education, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. lesa.freeman@bigpond.com
Timperley
Helen
H
Adair
Vivienne
V
D000328:Adult; D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000451:nursing*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008880:Midwifery / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D016294:Models, Nursing; D009520:New Zealand; D009721:Nurse Midwives / Q000592:standards*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires