Cultural safety in motherhood: evidence from midwives and nurses in the multicultural context of Iran society

The importance of culture, tradition and spirituality has been well- known in pregnancy and childbirth. Cultural safety is met through actions which recognize, respect, and nurture the unique cultural identity of people, and safely meet their needs, expectations, and rights. Cultural safety empowers people and promotes self-confidence. This study aimed to investigate knowledge, attitude and practice of the nurses and midwives, about the mothers’ cultural safety.
In this cross-sectional study, 104 midwives and nurses working in hospitals of North Khorasan province were studied. A researcher-made check list and a three-part questionnaire including: Demographic information, knowledge and attitude were used to data gathering. Data was analyzed using SPSS ver.21 software in significance level Ethical Considerations: After presenting the objectives of the study and emphasize on privacy and confidentiality of data to participants, informed consent was obtained.
Findings: The mean score of the participants knowledge, attitude and practice were 4/32 from maximum 10 (inappropriate), 46/62 from maximum 60 (relatively appropriate) and 101/13 out of 150 (relatively appropriate), respectively. Correlation test results revealed significant relationship between knowledge, attitude and practice of the participants (P0.05).
Although, the practice of participants for observance of the cultural safety was Favorable, regarding to new national approach of the population policy, and cultural diversity of Iran society, educational planning for students, midwives and nurses, and other health care providers about mothers’ cultural safety is suggested.