The observance of midwives\' rights from the perspective of midwives and related managers

Background: Mutual rights in the medical system have always been considered an important component of medical ethics. Observance of midwives' rights could affect the quality of their services. This study was conducted to determine the methods for improving the observance of midwives' rights from the perspective of midwives and related managers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 346 midwives and 19 hospital managers in 9 hospitals in Isfahan (Iran) 2018 -2019. The sample was selected from the midwives using the census method and from the managers using the purposive method. Data were collected using a questionnaire containing demographic, managerial-organizational, and individual methods to improve the observance of midwives' rights. Findings were analyzed using descriptive/inferential statistics (T- test) in SPSS v. 18 software. Results: Managerial-organizational and individual methods from the perspective of midwives and managers (total view) were not significantly different (P>0.05). The most important managerial-organizational method to improve the observance of midwives' rights included "increasing the level of awareness of midwifery staff about their rights and their recognition" with a mean and standard deviation (SD) of 4.32 ± 0.78, and one of the most important individual methods was to "improve work conscience" with a mean and SD of 4.35 ± 0.80. Conclusion: Managerial-organizational and individual methods are important to increase the observance of midwives' rights in the hospital. In order to improve midwifery services and midwives' health, hospital managers must make the necessary efforts to increase the observance of midwives' rights by considering related factors.