Transforming midwifery education in Eswatini

Abstract

Midwives are instrumental in decreasing mortality rates among mothers and newborns. However, midwifery education has been  criticised for being inadequate in producing competent midwives. Despite that midwifery training institutions in Eswatini have adopted  competency-based midwifery education, there is a lack of research-based evidence on transforming midwifery education in the country.  This study was carried out to explore antecedents and enablers of transforming midwifery education in Eswatini. A grounded theory  approach was applied based on a qualitative research paradigm in which eleven female participants were purposively sampled from  various health sectors in Eswatini. These included the Ministry of Health, lecturers in midwifery, unit managers, and preceptors. Data  were collected through semi-structured interviews, using open-ended questions. The constant comparative method was used for data  analysis, the findings of which indicated that for midwifery education reform to occur, there has to be a genuine need for the reform and  enablers to facilitate the desired transformation. Based on the findings, the study proposes the Midwifery Education Reform Theory  (MERT) as a viable model for explaining the phenomenon.