| Summary: | Introduction
According to WHO, midwives are found competent to provide evidencebased
and normalcy-facilitating maternity care. Models for midwifery care exist, but
seem to be lacking explicit epistemological status, mainly focusing on the practical and
organizational level of care delivery. To make the values and attitudes of care visible, it
is important to implement care models with explicit epistemological status. The aim of
this paper is to identify and gain an overview of publications of theoretical models for
midwifery care.
Methods
A mapping review was conducted with systematic searches in nine databases
for studies describing a theoretical model or theory for midwifery care that either did or
was intended to impact clinical practice. Eligibility criteria were refined during the selection
process.
Results
Six models from six papers originating from different parts of the world
were included in the study. The included models were developed using different
methodologies and had different philosophical underpinnings and complexity gradients.
Some characteristics were common, the most distinctive being the emphasis of the
midwife–woman relationship, secondly the focus on woman-centeredness, and thirdly the
salutogenic focus in care.
Conclusions
Overall, scarcity exists regarding theoretical models for midwifery care
with explicit epistemological status. Further research is needed in order to develop generic
theoretical models with an epistemological status to serve as a knowledge base for
midwifery healthcare.
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