Setting the stage for health: Salutogenesis in midwifery professional knowledge in three European countries

Meier Magistretti, Claudia; Downe, Soo; Lindstrom, Bengt; Berg, Marie; Tritten Schwarz, Katharina (2016). Setting the stage for health: Salutogenesis in midwifery professional knowledge in three European countries International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being, 11(1), pp. 1-12. Taylor & Francis 10.3402/qhw.v11.33155

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Abstract There is a lack of systematic evidence concerning health orientation in maternity practice in the current climate of risk avoidance. The midwifery professional project is orientated toward the preservation of normal physiological processes during the maternity episode. This study investigates accounts of midwives who were working in health-orientated birth settings, to examine if and how they frame a health orientation in professional practice. Twenty-seven narrative interviews were conducted with midwives working in pre-, peri-, and postnatal care in different maternity care settings in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. In-depth and comparative pattern data analyseswere conducted. The distinct practice orientation of the participants was revealed in three main concepts, underpinned by a common framework mirroring the three parameters of the Sense of Coherence (comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness) described in Aaron Antonovsky’s salutogenic theory. The midwives’ implicit salutogenic knowledge shaped their reported actions in supporting mothers, fathers, and families to have health-promoting experiences in maternity care. These results suggest that an implicit health orientation in maternity care practice can be prefered through examination of the practice reports of midwives working in settings that have a healthpromoting philosophy. Implications formidwifery practice and research are discussed.Consideration is given to the relevance of the results for debates about avoiding overtreatment and for the operationalization of salutogenic theory in health care practice.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	School of Health Professions
Name:	Meier Magistretti, Claudia; Downe, Soo; Lindstrom, Bengt; Berg, Marie and Tritten Schwarz, Katharina
ISSN:	1748-2623
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Language:	English
Submitter:	Service Account
Date Deposited:	02 Dec 2019 08:29
Last Modified:	02 Dec 2019 08:29
Publisher DOI:	10.3402/qhw.v11.33155
ARBOR DOI:	10.24451/arbor.5624
URI:	https://arbor.bfh.ch/id/eprint/5624