Educational Needs Assessment of Midwives in the Covid-19 Pandemic; A Case Study of North Khorasan Province

Getting infected with Covid-19 in pregnant women has more serious risks than their non-pregnant counterparts. On the other hand, the information of midwives in this matter is not enough and it seems that training in this field is necessary. Therefore, the present study was carried out with the aim of assessing the educational needs of midwives in the conditions of the newly emerging disease of Covid-19.

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from May to June 2020 on 283 midwives in North Khorasan province who had access to the Internet and communication software. Subjects were selected by available sampling method. Information was collected using the form of individual-social characteristics and a needs assessment questionnaire designed based on health protocols to fight against Covid-19, which was prepared electronically. Data were analyzed using SPSS 24 software.

Midwives needed training in all areas including pregnancy (3.66±0.70), childbirth (3.60±0.90), postpartum care (3.62±0.90), breastfeeding (3.64±0.90), mental health (3.69±0.80), sexual intercourse (3.61±0.90) and personal protection (3.31±1.06). Pamphlets (48.4%) were the most common source of midwives' information and receiving information about Covid-19 through online education systems (44.88%) was the best preferred source among midwives.

The greatest educational need of midwives in North Khorasan province during the Covid-19 pandemic is the need for educational topics in the field of mental health and the least educational need is related to the field of personal protection.