Midwifery students' views and experiences of birth on mainstream factual television

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate midwifery students' experiences of viewing childbirth on mainstream factual television and to explore implications for student career intentions and potential pedagogical uses of television excerpts in midwifery education.

Design: Twenty-two undergraduate midwifery students at one of two universities took place in focus groups between February and June 2019. Ethical approval was obtained at both sites. Thematic analysis was employed to generate key themes from the data.

Setting: Two UK universities based in the East Midlands and East Yorkshire regions of England.

Participants: Twenty-two midwifery students at any stage of their studies.

Findings: Researchers generated four key themes from the data a) Changed Perspectives on Televised Childbirth, b) Representations of Midwives and Social Implications, c) Representation of Childbirth and Social Implications and d) The Role of Televising Childbirth in Midwifery Education.

Key conclusions: Midwifery students often experience a change of perspective on birth on television as they acquire new knowledge and skills. They recognise the potential social implications of how childbirth and midwifery are represented on television. Pedagogical use of televised birth has potential benefits but needs further investigation in the context of midwifery education.

Implications for practice: Midwifery students are likely to begin their studies with pre-existing views and experiences around how birth is represented on mainstream factual television. They may need support to reflect on these to consider their expectations of the profession, to effectively support childbearing women and to potentially influence future production of media images of childbirth.

Keywords: Career intention; Childbirth; Factual television; Media; Midwifery education; Midwifery students.