Students' understanding of "Women-Centred Care Philosophy" in midwifery care through Continuity of Care (CoC) learning model: a quasi-experimental study.
BACKGROUND
The philosophy of midwifery education is based on the 'Women-centred care' model, which provides holistic care to women. Continuity of care (CoC) is integral to the concept of holistic women-centred care and fundamental to midwifery practice. The objective of this study was to determine any differences in students' understanding of midwifery care philosophy between students who underwent the CoC learning model and those who underwent the fragmented care learning model.


METHODS
We used a quasi-experiment design. This study was conducted by all final year midwifery students at two schools of midwifery in Indonesia. Fifty four students from one school attended 6 months of clinical training using the CoC learning model. The control group was comprised of 52 students from the other school. These students used the conventional clinical training model (the fragmented care learning model). The independent T-test using SPSS was used to analyse the differences between the two groups of students in terms of understanding midwifey care philosophy in five aspects (personalized, holistic, partnership, collaborative, and evidence-based care).


RESULTS
There were no significant differences between the groups before interventon. There were significant differences between the two groups after clinical training (p < 0.01). The mean post-clinical score of students using all five aspects of the CoC clinical learning model (15.96) was higher than that of the students in the control group (10.65). The CoC clinical learning model was shown to be a unique learning opportunity for students to understand the philosophy of midwifery. Being aligned with midwifery patients and developing effective relationships with them offered the students a unique view of midwifery practice. This also promoted an increased understanding of the philosophy of women-centred care. Zero maternal mortality rate was found in the experiment group.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study suggest that clinical trainingwith a CoC learning model is more likely to increase students' understanding of midwifery care philosophy. This in turn improves the quality ofclinical care, thereby enhancing overall health benefits for women.
Undergraduate Program of Midwifery Education, Estu Utomo Boyolali School of Health Science, Tentara Pelajar Street no. 12, Mudal, Boyolali 57351 Indonesia.
Yanti
Y
Yanti
Department of Medical Education and Family Medicine Graduate Program, Faculty of Medicine, Gadjah Mada University, Radiopoetro Building 6th floor, Farmako Street no. 1, Sekip Utara, Jogjakarta 55281 Indonesia.
Mora
M
Claramita
Department of Ob-Gyn and Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Gadjah Mada University, Farmako Street no. 1, Sekip Utara, Jogjakarta 55281 Indonesia.
Ova
O
Emilia
Department Ob-Gyn Faculty of Medicine, Gadjah Mada University, Jogjakarta, Indonesia.
Mohammad
M
Hakimi
Continuity of care; Midwifery care philosophy; Midwifery clinical learning; Women-centred care