Midwifery students’ experiences with practicing the midwifery philosophy of care during clinical practice in the hospital settings: a qualitative systematic review protocol

Objective: This review aims to synthesize qualitative evidence on the experiences of midwifery students with providing care aligned with the midwifery philosophy of care during clinical practice in hospital settings. Introduction: Midwifery education, guided by the global standards of the International Confederation of Midwives, integrates theoretical knowledge with clinical practice to prepare students for delivering midwifery philosophy of care. However, implementing the principles of this philosophy of care, such as promoting physiological childbirth, woman-centered care, and shared decision-making, can be challenging within hospital settings. Eligibility criteria: Published qualitative studies conducted since 2005 reporting qualitative data on midwifery students’ (aged 18 years or older) experiences of providing midwifery care in hospital settings during their clinical practice will be included. Students’ experiences may encompass facilitators or barriers for practicing the principles of the midwifery philosophy of care. Studies conducted in Europe, New Zealand, and Australia will be considered, as these are settings where midwifery associations advocate for the midwifery philosophy of care in hospital environments. Methods: A systematic search will be conducted in CINAHL (EBSCOhost), PubMed, Embase.com, ERIC (Ovid), and Web of Science Core Collection for studies published in any language from 2005 to the present. Unpublished and gray literature will be sought through Google Scholar and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. The JBI methodology for systematic reviews of qualitative evidence will be followed for study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, synthesis through meta-aggregation, and assessment of confidence in the findings (ConQual approach). All steps will be performed independently by 2 reviewers. Review registration: PROSPERO CRD42024625908