Abstract
Background: Research into the attitudes of midwives towards chiropractors in South Africa is currently lacking. If a multidisciplinary approach is to be recognized, there is a need to determine inter-professional relationships and attitudes between other healthcare professionals. Aim: The primary aim of this study was to determine the attitudes and knowledge of Gauteng’s private practicing midwives towards chiropractic. The research also determined whether midwives felt confidently informed about the chiropractic profession and their willingness to refer to and receive referrals from chiropractors. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study made use of an online and hard copy selfadministered quantitative questionnaire. An extensive review of the literature and consultation with the UJ STATKON assisted in the development of the questionnaire. Results: Seventy private practicing midwives responded. The descriptive statistical results were tabulated or put in graphs, allowing for a better understanding of the midwives perceptions and knowledge to chiropractic care. In total, the sharing and caring domains had shown a promising reaction towards chiropractic care from the responses received from midwives. Only 47% of respondents had consulted a chiropractor for their own healthcare. The majority (75.5%) had never received a referral from a chiropractor. The results showed that 68% of midwives were willing to receive a referral from a chiropractor. Respondents overall did not feel confident in their knowledge of chiropractic, did not know the scope of chiropractors and could not confidently advise their patients when seeking chiropractic care. A total of 94% of midwives were willing to learn more about the chiropractic profession. Conclusion: The current rate of inter-professional referrals and knowledge of the chiropractic profession with regards to midwives, in target private hospitals is evidently low, and this may have implications for patient care. Conclusions can be made that there is a necessity for developing professional relationships between chiropractors and midwives, increasing the knowledge of each other’s scope of practice and encouraging multidisciplinary collaborations.
M.Tech. (Chiropractic)