INDICATORS FOR ACHIEVING THE SUCCESS OF MIDWIVES' EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS: A REVIEW FROM MIDWIFERY SERVICES
Keywords:
Communication skills, effective communication, midwifery services, communication indicatorsAbstract
Effective communication is a fundamental skill in midwifery, playing a crucial role in building trust, ensuring the safety of patients, and enhancing the health outcomes for both mothers and newborns. This review of existing literature focuses on studies that evaluate the communication skills of midwives across different healthcare settings. The research included articles published from 2015 to 2025, sourced from databases like PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. The findings show that midwives use various forms of communication, including spoken words, body language, written notes, and interactions with others, all of which greatly influence the quality of care they provide. While many studies indicate that midwives often show empathy and are good listeners, there are still challenges in areas such as being confident in expressing needs, maintaining proper records, and communicating effectively across different cultures. It is important for midwives to recognize the signs of effective communication in their work, such as possessing strong communication abilities, understanding human behavior, having training in effective communication techniques, and being able to use technology. The review concludes that ongoing learning and development in communication skills are vital for improving midwives' abilities and delivering care that is centered around the needs of patients.
Downloads
References
Abeid, H. M. S., Omar, F. A. A., Eltarhuni, A. S., Mustafa, T. A. M. (2024). Patient satisfaction and communication skills of healthcare professionals: cross sectional study at Benghazi Medical Center. Asian Journal of Research in Nursing and Health, 7(1), 41-50.
Ahmed, H. M. (2020). Role of verbal and non-verbal communication of health care providers in general satisfaction with birth care: a cross-sectional study in government health settings of Erbil City, Iraq. Reproductive health, 17(1), 35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-020-0894-3
Anita, N. (2024). Midwifery practices in promoting maternal and neonatal health. Advances in Healthcare Research, 2(1), 1 – 12.
Febriana, D. T., Zakaria, A., Srtyawan, A. C., Asumta, M. Z. (2025). The influence of effective communication, supervision of the head of the room, and documentation of nursing care on improving patient safety in inpatient rooms (systematic literature reviews). Journal of Innovative and Creativity, 5(2), 19550-19562.
Bohren, M. A., Hofmeyr, G. J., Sakala, C., Fukuzawa, R. K., & Cuthbert, A. (2017). Continuous support for women during childbirth. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 7(7), CD003766. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003766.pub6
Boissy, A., Windover, A. K., Bokar, D., Karafa, M., Neuendorf, K., Frankel, R. M., Merlino, J., & Rothberg, M. B. (2016). Communication Skills Training for Physicians Improves Patient Satisfaction. Journal of general internal medicine, 31(7), 755–761. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-016-3597-2
Cahyani, M., & Surani, E. (2025). Evaluation of midwives’ compliance in implementing the principles of respectful maternity care in antenatal care services at community health centers. Jurnal Maternitas Kebidanan, 10(2), 109–118.
Chang, Y. S., Coxon, K., Portela, A. G., Furuta, M., & Bick, D. (2018). Interventions to support effective communication between maternity care staff and women in labour: A mixed-methods systematic review. Midwifery, 59, 4–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2017.12.014
Doherty, J., Coughlan, B., Lynch, S., Sheehy, L., et al. (2023). The importance of communication and involvement in decision-making: A study in Ireland exploring birth satisfaction using the Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (BSS-R). European Journal of Midwifery, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.18332/ejm/162943
Ganisia, A., & A'zdom, M. K. (2025). Effective communication in midwifery practice strengthening patient trust and maternal health outcomes. Journal of Nutrition and Health Care, 2(2), 65-73. https://doi.org/10.62012/junic.vi.33
Gessesse, A. G., Mohammed Haile, J., & Woldearegay, A. G. (2022). The nexus between physician-patient communication and health outcomes: level of patient communication satisfaction and its impact on adherence in Ethiopian comprehensive specialized hospitals. Patient preference and adherence, 16, 2509 - 2519. https://doi.org/ 10.2147/PPA.S381937
Grant, J. J., Jones, J., Candrian, C., et al. (2025). The role of nursing communication: A critical interpretive synthesis. International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances, 9, 100373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnsa.2025.100373
Hooper, G., Vanderloo, M. J., Akers, K., Braun, E., Call, M., & Ciarkowski, C. (2025). Impact of Flexible Communication Skills Training on Healthcare Professionals' Communication Knowledge and Confidence. Research square, rs.3.rs-6864165. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6864165/v1
Howick, J., Bennett-Weston, A., Solomon, J., Nockels, K., Bostock, J., & Keshtkar, L. (2024). How does communication affect patient safety? Protocol for a systematic review and logic model. BMJ open, 14(5), e085312. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-085312
Katebi, M. S., et al. (2016). Evaluating Midwives Communication Skills from the Perspective of Parturient Women Attending to Hospitals for Delivery. Journal of Midwifery & Reproductive Health, 5(2), 882-890.
Keutchafo, W. E. L., Kerr, J., & Baloyi, O. B. (2022). A Model for Effective Nonverbal Communication between Nurses and Older Patients: A Grounded Theory Inquiry. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 10(11), 2119. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10112119
Kim, A. Y., & Sim, I. O. (2020). Communication Skills, Problem-Solving Ability, Understanding of Patients’ Conditions, and Nurse’s Perception of Professionalism among Clinical Nurses: A Structural Equation Model Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(13), 4896. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134896
Kwame, A., & Petrucka, P. M. (2021). A literature-based study of patient-centered care and communication in nurse-patient interactions: barriers, facilitators, and the way forward. BMC nursing, 20(1), 158. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00684-2
Lefebvre, S., & Beaucousin, V. (2025). Emotional responses during communicational comfort: the effect of personality through the prism of process communication model. Cognition and Emotion, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2025.2487521
Lee, J. L., Rawl, S. M., Dickinson, S., Teal, E., Baker, L. B., Lyu, C., Tarver, W. L., & Haggstrom, D. A. (2020). Communication About Health Information Technology Use Between Patients and Providers. Journal of general internal medicine, 35(9), 2614–2620. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-020-05903-1
Leinweber, J. & Stramrood, C. (2024). Improving birth experiences and provider interactions: Expert opinion on critical links in Maternity care. European Journal of Midwifery, 8, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.18332/ejm/191742
Lunda, P., Minnie, C. S., & Lubbe, W. (2024). Perspectives of midwives on respectful maternity care. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 24(1), 721. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-024-06894-1
Melisa, M., and Susanti A. I. (2025). Digitalizing midwifery education: Trends, tools, and transformation. Curricula: Journal of Curriculum Development, 4(1), 633-648.
Mulyani, E. Y, Rakhmawati, T., Damayanti, S., Sumaedi, S. (2024). Digital communication media and maternal health education: Integration of bibliometric analysis, methodological analysis, and meta-synthesis. DIGITAL HEALTH, 10. doi:10.1177/20552076241304819
Okeke, N., & Ngunyulu, R. (2025). Barriers and facilitators influencing midwives' implementation of South Africa's maternal care guidelines in postnatal health: a scoping review. Primary health care research & development, 26, e16. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1463423625000015
Olde Loohuis, K. M., de Kok, B. C., Bruner, W., Jonker, A., Salia, E., Tunçalp, Ö., Portela, A., Mehrtash, H., Grobbee, D. E., Srofeneyoh, E., Adu-Bonsaffoh, K., Brown Amoakoh, H., Amoakoh-Coleman, M., & Browne, J.L. (2023). Strategies to improve interpersonal communication along the continuum of maternal and newborn care: A scoping review and narrative synthesis. PLOS global public health, 3(10), e0002449.
Peimani, M., Tanhapour, M., Majlesi, M., & Nasli-Esfahani, E. (2025). Training in communication skills for healthcare providers in chronic care: a systematic review. BMC medical education, 25(1), 1314. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07797-1
Radeva, S. (2023). Importance of communication in obstetric practice. Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 11(E),362-366.
Rezaei‑Abhari, F., et al. (2019). Effect of workshop training on midwives’ communication skills and maternal satisfaction in maternity block. Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences, 6(4), 157-163
Samir, M. M., Eisa, N. M., et al. (2025). The impact of communication skills training on patient-centered attitude and patient satisfaction: A longitudinal study of Egyptian physicians. Preventive Medicine Reports, 55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2025.103117
Sari, L. P., Marbun, U., Irnawati, I., Kadir, A., Dahniar, D. (2024). Ethics and Communication in Providing Health Education in Midwifery Services. J Liaquat Uni Med Health Sci, 1-12.
Saptyasari, A., Rahayu, T. P., Puspa, R., Isnaeni, S., Widodo, S., Septiani, D., Suteja, R. S. A., et al. (2025). Communication skills training for health workers to improve services of public health center at Sidoarjo. Jurnal Layanan Masyarakat (Journal of Public Services), 9(1), 095–106. https://doi.org/10.20473/.v9i1.2025.095-106
Seger, H. R., & Oleiwi. S. S. 2025. Effect of Communication Skills Training on Nurses' and Midwives' Practices: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Bahrain Medical Bulletin, 47(2), 2864-2869.
Shakibazadeh, E., Namadian, M., Bohren, M. A., et al. (2017). Respectful care during childbirth in health facilities globally: a qualitative evidence synthesis. BJOG 2018; 125: 932–942. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.15015
Shamoradifar, Z., Asghari-Jafarabadi, M., Nourizadeh, R., Mehrabi, E., Areshtanab, H. N., & Shaigan, H. (2022). The impact of effective communication-based care on the childbirth experience and satisfaction among primiparous women: an experimental study. The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association, 97(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42506-022-00108-2
Stefan, A.-M., Rusu, N.-R., Ovreiu, E., & Ciuc, M. (2024). Empowering Healthcare: A Comprehensive Guide to Implementing a Robust Medical Information System—Components, Benefits, Objectives, Evaluation Criteria, and Seamless Deployment Strategies. Applied System Innovation, 7(3), 51. https://doi.org/10.3390/asi7030051
Wakelin, K. J., McAra-Couper, J., Fleming, T., Erlam, G. D. (2023). Communication technology practices used by midwives with pregnant women/people in Aotearoa New Zealand to ensure quality maternal and newborn care. Midwifery, 120(2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2023.103637 0266-6138
Yeganeh, Z., Javadnoori, M., Abbaspoor, Z., Ebadi, A., & Montazeri, S. (2025). "Inspiring mothers' self-entrustment to midwives." midwives' and mothers' perceptions of effective communication in the maternity ward: a qualitative study. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 25(1), 962. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-025-08092-z
