elpais.com
Spanish Midwives Lack Emergency Training, Highlighting Maternal Health Risks
Amidst recent crises in Spain, a lack of specialized emergency training for midwives is highlighted, emphasizing the need for incorporating disaster response into midwifery curricula and ensuring their inclusion in national emergency plans, considering that 60% of global maternal deaths happen in crisis-affected areas.
- How does the lack of specialized training in emergency response for midwives in Spain affect maternal health outcomes, particularly in light of increasing extreme weather events?
- The lack of preparedness among midwives to handle emergencies is a significant concern, particularly given the increasing frequency of extreme weather events due to climate change. In Spain, there's no ongoing training for midwives in humanitarian crises, unlike other professions. This gap leaves women vulnerable during emergencies, when their healthcare needs often increase.
- What immediate steps are needed to ensure midwives are adequately prepared for emergencies and humanitarian crises, given that 60% of global maternal deaths occur in crisis-affected countries?
- Following recent crises in Spain, midwives highlight the critical need for specialized training in emergency response. Currently, 60% of global maternal deaths occur in countries facing humanitarian crises, often overlooking women's specific health needs. Midwives provide up to 90% of essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, and neonatal health services, including prenatal and postnatal care, safe childbirth, and newborn care.
- What long-term strategies are necessary to integrate emergency response training into the midwifery profession, considering the need for adaptable training that accounts for regional risks and post-crisis evaluations?
- To address this deficiency, experts advocate for including disaster response training in midwifery curricula, focusing on analyzing past crises, creating immediate management plans, and conducting post-crisis assessments of women's health needs. Emphasis should be placed on local risk adaptation, with training tailored to specific regional threats such as heatwaves, wildfires, or floods. Continuous training and regular practice are crucial, as emergency preparedness is not a one-time learning event.
Cognitive Concepts
Framing Bias
The article frames the issue as a lack of preparedness among Spanish midwives to handle humanitarian crises, focusing on the need for improved training and inclusion in emergency response plans. This framing highlights the potential risks to pregnant people and newborns due to this gap and emphasizes the crucial role of midwives in emergency response. While highlighting the urgency, it could benefit from a broader discussion of contributing factors and potential solutions.
Language Bias
The language used is generally neutral and objective. The article avoids loaded terms or emotional language. However, phrases like "grave inundaciones" (severe floods) and "riesgos graves" (serious risks) do carry a sense of urgency and highlight the severity of the situation, which is understandable given the context but could be slightly softened for complete neutrality.
Bias by Omission
The article focuses heavily on the experiences and perspectives of midwives in Spain, potentially overlooking the experiences of midwives and pregnant people in other countries facing similar crises. While acknowledging global maternal mortality rates, the article lacks specific examples or data from regions beyond Spain, which could limit the generalizability of its conclusions. The article also omits discussion of potential governmental or institutional barriers to providing adequate training and support to midwives in emergency situations.
False Dichotomy
The article doesn't present a false dichotomy, but it does emphasize the lack of training for midwives in humanitarian crises in Spain, which might inadvertently create a perceived dichotomy between Spain and other countries implicitly suggesting better preparedness elsewhere. More nuance could show variations within countries as well.
Sustainable Development Goals
The article highlights the crucial role of midwives in providing essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, and newborn health services, especially during emergencies and crises. Their preparedness and training are directly linked to improved health outcomes for women and newborns, contributing to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) targets related to maternal and newborn mortality reduction. The lack of training and preparedness for emergencies among midwives is identified as a significant barrier to achieving these targets. The article advocates for improved training and inclusion of midwives in emergency response plans.