Rules, Responsibility, and Empathy in Maternity Hospitals: A Qualitative Study in Iran

Background: Empathy has been known as one of the fundamental principles of medical professions. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the perspectives of midwives’ trainers, students, and personnel about empathy in maternity hospitals. Methods: A qualitative design using a content analysis approach was used to explore the experiences of midwives’ trainers, students, and personnel in the maternity setting in Gachsaran, Iran. The study involved the recruitment of 41 participants, including 24 students, 14 personnel, and 3 midwifery trainers, who were selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected through 2 rounds of semi-structured interviews conducted via WhatsApp, with participants responding to 2 sets of questions. The text was analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis, and the extracted codes were managed using MAXQDA software. Results: In general, 265 codes were extracted from the participants' interviews, which were classified into 3 categories (ie, "Client management is a top priority for every midwife, "the meaning of empathy," and “essentials in empathy”) and 9 subcategories. A total of 121 codes explained how to manage clients, 64 codes were related to the meaning of empathy, and 77 codes were linked to what people must consider in empathy. Conclusions: Empathy is a crucial concept in the field of midwifery and should be included in the curriculum. It is essential to emphasize the correlation between empathy and other aspects of midwifery, such as communication skills, clinical competence, and ethics. We recommend that both staff and students undergo ongoing training in the area of professional conduct to enable them to make informed decisions in challenging situations.