Midwives knowledge and education/training in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM): A national survey
Moderate EvidenceIn Plain Language
Despite the proliferation of research exploring complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in maternity care and midwifery practice, there is a gap on midwives' level of CAM knowledge and education/training. This national survey investigated Australian midwives' knowledge and education/training in CAM. A total of 571 midwives completed the survey (16%). Over half (54.3%) had some level of CAM education/training (self-learning to diploma) and with multiple CAM modalities. The top four modalities that midwives had received education/training were acupressure (66.5%), aromatherapy (60.3%), massage (45.5%), and reflexology (37.7%). There was a significant correlation between midwives attending a CAM workshop with competency-assessment (p < 0.000) and confidence to discuss CAM options with pregnant women compared with participants who have not. There are no other health-related therapies used by women consumers with such frequency where clinicians are not expected to have baseline knowledge and understanding. Midwifery education programs need to include evidence-based information on CAM modalities.
Key Findings: what this cross-sectional study found
- ✓Over half (54.3%) of Australian midwives surveyed had some level of CAM education and training, ranging from self-learning to diploma level.
- ✓Reflexology was one of the top four CAM modalities that midwives had received education/training in, with 37.7% of midwives trained in this technique.
- ✓Midwives who attended CAM workshops with competency assessment showed significantly higher confidence to discuss CAM options with pregnant women compared to those without such training (p < 0.000).
What This Means for You
Reflexology is recognized and used by over one-third of Australian midwives, suggesting some integration into maternity care, though evidence for its effectiveness remains limited.
What This Means for Practitioners
Formal training and competency assessment in reflexology significantly increases midwives' confidence to discuss and recommend the therapy to pregnant women, highlighting the value of professional credentialing.
Study Design: how this cross-sectional study was run
Common questions about this study
What does this study mean in practice?
Reflexology is recognized and used by over one-third of Australian midwives, suggesting some integration into maternity care, though evidence for its effectiveness remains limited.
What did this study find?
Over half (54.3%) of Australian midwives surveyed had some level of CAM education and training, ranging from self-learning to diploma level. Reflexology was one of the top four CAM modalities that midwives had received education/training in, with 37.7% of midwives trained in this technique. Midwives who attended CAM workshops with competency assessment showed significantly higher confidence to discuss CAM options with pregnant women compared to those without such training (p < 0.000).
How strong is this evidence?
This is a cross-sectional study and we rate its evidence moderate. It covers 571 participants. It was published in Complementary therapies in clinical practice, a Q2 journal. This study is indexed here for context; it did not test reflexology itself.
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