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Résumé :
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Background: Many countries, in Europe and elsewhere, are changing the system and focus of education of their nursing and midwifery professions. The drivers for these changes are manifold and include increasing demands on the competency levels required to provide safe, equitable, high-quality and patient-centred care. The aim of this study was to describe the current levels of education offered for nurses and midwives within the WHO European Region. The purpose of this paper is to report the current status of nursing and midwifery education to provide a baseline for comparison in the Region and for future progress monitoring. Methods: Two semi-structured questionnaires on nursing and midwifery education were sent to 189 country informants from 52 Member States in the WHO European Region.1 Data collection took place between July 2016 and March 2017. A total of 40 countries responded the questionnaire on nursing and 41 to the questionnaire on midwifery education, which constitutes a response rate of 77% and 79% respectively. Analysis was based on descriptive statistics. Results: The levels of education offered for nurses and midwives vary considerably across the Region. In 32.5% of the countries included in this study, entry-level education to qualify as a professional nurse is exclusively available at bachelor’s degree level, while it is available at both bachelor’s degree and diploma levels in 50%. In 77.5% of the countries nurses are able to participate in postgraduate master’s degree-level programmes. In 57.5% of the countries included in this study, midwifery education is exclusively available at bachelor’s degree level, while it is available at both diploma and bachelor’s degree levels in 19.5%. In 50% of the countries midwives are able to participate in postgraduate master’s degree-level programmes. Conclusion: The variation in the levels of education in nursing and midwifery within the WHO European Region highlights the need to monitor progress; to share policy lessons on how to implement educational reforms effectively; and to evaluate the effects of education on the development of the nursing and midwifery professions and on outcomes of care. However, data were not received from 23% of the countries in the Region; this may cause bias in the interpretation of the results.
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