title: Midwives' knowledge of, attitudes towards and experiences of caring for women with intellectual disability during pregnancy and childbirth: a cross-sectional study in Sweden.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to investigate midwives' knowledge of, attitudes towards and experiences of caring for women with intellectual disability (ID) during pregnancy and childbirth.
  
  
  METHODS
  a cross-sectional study among six hundred midwives working at antenatal care and labour wards in Sweden.
  
  
  RESULTS
  more than four out of five (81.5%) midwives had experience of caring for women with ID. Almost all midwives (97.1%) reported that caring for women with ID is different from caring for women without ID. Almost one-half (47.3%) had not received any education about pregnancy and delivery of women with ID, and a majority of the midwives (95.4%) requested evidence-based knowledge of women with ID in relation to childbirth. High proportion (69.7%) of the midwives were of the opinion that women with ID cannot satisfactorily manage the mother role, and more than one-third (35.7%) of the midwives considered that women with ID should not be pregnant and give birth at all. Most midwives partly/totally agreed that children of women with ID should grow up with their parents supported by the social authorities, but nearly one-fifth (19.1%) partly/totally agreed that the children should grow up in foster care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  even if the majority of midwives had experience of caring for women with ID, they were uncertain about how to adapt and give advice and they needed more knowledge about these women. Some midwives had negative attitudes towards childbearing among women with ID. Health Service providers should encourage midwives to update their knowledge and provide supportive supervision in midwifery care for women with ID.
authors: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. berit.hoglund@kbh.uu.se
authors: Berit
authors: B
authors: Höglund
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Lindgren
authors: Margareta
authors: M
authors: Larsson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000451:nursing*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008880:Midwifery; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D036801:Parturition; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden
keywords: Attitudes; Experiences; Intellectual disability; Knowledge