Rhetorical skills as a component of midwifery care.
OBJECTIVE
this article argues that rhetorical skills are an important quality factor of midwifery care. In particular, it aims to identify and discuss the relevance of three classical means of persuasion: ethos, pathos and logos.


METHODS
secondary analysis, rhetorical analysis of semi-structured interviews.


METHODS
Slovenia. Interviews were carried out predominantly in 2006. Data refer to childbirths in 2005 and 2006.


METHODS
four women with recent experience of childbirth.


RESULTS
analysis identified the presence of all three means of persuasion in the interaction between midwives and women. Focusing on midwives, the quality of their awareness and command of rhetorical skills remains questionable. In particular, women experienced lack of a rational account of the situation and decisions made by health-care professionals involved in maternity care.


CONCLUSIONS
acknowledging professional ethics, awareness and good command of all three means of persuasion [but above all, argumentative persuasion (logos)] is an integral component of midwifery care. It can contribute to collaborative relations between midwives and women, and thus promote women-centred midwifery care.


CONCLUSIONS
knowledge of the three classical rhetorical means of persuasion should be integrated into professional midwifery curricula.
Domajnko
Barbara
B
University of Ljubljana, College of Health Studies, Poljanska 26a, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. barbara.domajnko@vsz.uni-lj.si
Drglin
Zalka
Z
Pahor
Majda
M