Polish Journal of Public Health

Review Article, Pol J Public Health 2018;128(2): 74-77

Grażyna Jolanta Iwanowicz-Palus, Justyna Krysa,
Magdalena Korżyńska-Piętas, Ewa Rzońca, Agnieszka Bień

Department of Basics of Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, Poland

DOI: 10.2478/pjph-2018-0013

© 2018 Medical University of Lublin. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonComercial-No Derivs licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/)

Abstract

A midwife is an independent medical profession regulated by law. It is treated as a mission, a profession of public trust. The independ­ence of midwife expresses in the professional activities which are performed in accordance with professional competences. Moreover, it is a universal feature of the midwife profession. International and national regulations are important in process of shaping the legal status of the midwife profession. Due to its nature, this profession requires from the midwives continuous, lifelong learning and profes­sional improvement. National and European legislation on midwife profession indicates professional functions which are characteris­tic for this profession. Knowledge of professional legislation and its conscious application in professional practice is a basic obligation in the midwife’s practice. Lack of knowledge in this regard has serious legal and moral consequences, as well as might pose a risk to the patient safety. This study contains an analysis of the legislation that determine the professional functions of midwives and influence the rules of the professional performance for midwifery profession.

Keywords: midwife, midwife’s competence, midwife’s professional legislation, midwife’s practice, professional functions of midwives.