{"title":"Ethical dilemmas experienced by midwives in their professional practice in Northwestern Ethiopia: a phenomenological interview study.","authors":"Tadesse Getu, Ayenew Tega, Getie Mihret Aragaw, Misgana Desalegn Menesho, Robel Demelash, Habtamu Wale, Zemenu Addis","doi":"10.1186/s12910-025-01266-6","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Ethical dilemmas in healthcare arise from conflicts among ethical beliefs, duties, principles, and theories. Midwives face ethical dilemmas in their clinical practice, where their decisions significantly affect the well-being of mothers and infants. However, there is a scarcity of data about midwives' experience of ethical dilemmas in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to explore the ethical dilemmas faced by midwives in their professional practice in northwestern Ethiopia, 2024.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative study with a phenomenological approach was conducted from December 2023 to January 2024 in three referral hospitals in northwest Ethiopia. A purposive sampling technique was used to select fourteen midwives with at least two years of clinical experience. In-depth, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis method with the support of Atlas.ti version 23.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Five major themes and ten sub-themes emerged from participants: Cultural and religious views, including religious beliefs versus abortion care and cultural constraints on women's autonomy; Confidentiality and communication, particularly dilemmas around truth-telling versus preventing harm and confidentiality versus preventing harm; Autonomy versus beneficence, including patient refusal of care and maternal-fetal conflicts; Unsafe work environments, such as personal safety versus professional duty and resource constraint versus highest quality care; and Professional role conflict, including limited decision-making power and restricted practice. Midwives addressed these dilemmas through consultation and negotiation strategies.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study showed that midwives faced various ethical dilemmas in their professional practice resulting from the interface of personal values, cultural influences, institutional limitations, and professional roles. These dilemmas significantly impacted their ability to provide respectful, autonomous, and equitable care. Promoting ethical competence, empowering midwives, and encouraging supportive institutional structures are essential for improving ethical decision-making and the quality of maternal care.</p>","PeriodicalId":55348,"journal":{"name":"BMC Medical Ethics","volume":"26 1","pages":"102"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275365/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"BMC Medical Ethics","FirstCategoryId":"98","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-025-01266-6","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ETHICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
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Abstract
Background: Ethical dilemmas in healthcare arise from conflicts among ethical beliefs, duties, principles, and theories. Midwives face ethical dilemmas in their clinical practice, where their decisions significantly affect the well-being of mothers and infants. However, there is a scarcity of data about midwives' experience of ethical dilemmas in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to explore the ethical dilemmas faced by midwives in their professional practice in northwestern Ethiopia, 2024.
Methods: A qualitative study with a phenomenological approach was conducted from December 2023 to January 2024 in three referral hospitals in northwest Ethiopia. A purposive sampling technique was used to select fourteen midwives with at least two years of clinical experience. In-depth, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis method with the support of Atlas.ti version 23.
Results: Five major themes and ten sub-themes emerged from participants: Cultural and religious views, including religious beliefs versus abortion care and cultural constraints on women's autonomy; Confidentiality and communication, particularly dilemmas around truth-telling versus preventing harm and confidentiality versus preventing harm; Autonomy versus beneficence, including patient refusal of care and maternal-fetal conflicts; Unsafe work environments, such as personal safety versus professional duty and resource constraint versus highest quality care; and Professional role conflict, including limited decision-making power and restricted practice. Midwives addressed these dilemmas through consultation and negotiation strategies.
Conclusion: This study showed that midwives faced various ethical dilemmas in their professional practice resulting from the interface of personal values, cultural influences, institutional limitations, and professional roles. These dilemmas significantly impacted their ability to provide respectful, autonomous, and equitable care. Promoting ethical competence, empowering midwives, and encouraging supportive institutional structures are essential for improving ethical decision-making and the quality of maternal care.
期刊介绍：
BMC Medical Ethics is an open access journal publishing original peer-reviewed research articles in relation to the ethical aspects of biomedical research and clinical practice, including professional choices and conduct, medical technologies, healthcare systems and health policies.
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