Embedding evidence-based practice within the pre-registration midwifery curriculum

Clinical midwifery skills and understanding are continually changing in line with research evidence and service innovations. Evidence-based midwifery practice is essential to ensuring that the care provided to childbearing women is safe, effective and of the best quality to meet their individual needs. To deliver woman-centred care, evidence from research should be considered in conjunction with clinical experience and women's own preferences. One of the challenges for Higher Education Institutions that offer pre-registration midwifery education is to incorporate evidence-based practice across the curriculum so that student midwives see it as an integral part of their role, rather than as a separate concept. Midwifery students need the knowledge and skills to identify areas of practice in need of investigation, an understanding of how each stage of the research process works, and the skills to critique research studies to ensure that their practice is evidence-based.