An assessment of the Armenian national midwifery curriculum as per international standards

Abstract

Abstract Background Literature suggests increasing evidence that incompetent midwifery education results in poor quality of care. The study compared and evaluated the level of compliance of the Armenian national criterion on midwifery with the global competency standards and developed recommendations for improvement. Methods The study team conducted a document review using a standardized checklist, which was adapted from the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) core assessment tools. The document review explored if the main knowledge and skills/ability related elements of each ICM competency were separately covered by different modules of the national criterion using a scoring system with categories: not met, partially met, fully met and unspecified. Results Although the national criterion did not have specifically defined competencies, most of the elements required by the ICM were present as specific learning outcomes under different modules of the criterion. Midwifery program curriculum was described as intensive with unnecessarily heavy workload. Additionally, the document review reviled that most of the learning outcome defined in modules of the national criterion focused more on theoretical knowledge rather than practical skills and abilities. Overall, the ICM required competency in provision of care during pregnancy was the most comprehensively covered one in the national criterion, while the competency in facilitation of abortion related care was the lowest covered. National criterion did not highlight the importance of topics such as women's rights and health, principles of epidemiology, statistical methods of research, cultural, local and ethical beliefs. Conclusions The systematic comparison of the national criterion with internationally recognized essential competencies demonstrates significant gaps. The study team recommends revisions to the national criterion to make it competency based. Key messages Midwifery education criteria in Armenia did not reflect internationally accepted midwifery competency’s fundamental philosophy and values. Given the shortcomings of the current national midwifery education criterion, a comprehensive revision of the competencies of midwives in Armenia should be considered.