Can dietetic-led nutrition education sessions lead to a change in midwifery practice?

Good maternal nutrition is vital for positive pregnancy outcomes. However, midwives report a lack of confidence and skills regarding advising pregnant women about diet and weight during antenatal care (1) . Research has shown that the delivery of nutrition education sessions for midwives can improve their knowledge and skills (2) , but there is no evidence that this leads to a change in practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate a series of nutrition education sessions for student midwives, delivered by a dietitian, to determine if it is likely to lead to a change in practice. Final year student midwives (n = 33) were recruited during a final taught nutrition session at their university. They were asked to provide free-text feedback on anonymous post-it notes regarding their thoughts and feelings as to whether the taught nutrition sessions were likely to result in a change in their midwifery practice. The comments were collated and analysed thematically. Three main themes were identified: 1) Nutrition as a priority 2) Personalised Nutrition 3) Sources of information and signposting. Most students commented that they now viewed maternal nutrition as ‘ important ’ and intended to prioritise discussions about nutrition in their future practice. They realised that messages needed to be personalised “ It has made me aware to tailor advice to different women. ” They also appreciated that signposting women to reliable sources of information or other health professionals helped to support ‘ evidence-based practice,” and was an important part of their role: “ The additional resources and signposts were really helpful. ” The results from this convenience sample of student midwives indicates promising findings that the taught nutrition sessions are likely to result in a positive change in practice. UK antenatal guidelines state that midwives should discuss nutrition, diet, and vitamin supplementation at booking-in appointments (3) , but earlier research suggests that this rarely happens (1) . Nutrition education which is delivered by a dietitian and focuses on case studies and care pathways, appears to have empowered student midwives to consider incorporating some of this applied knowledge and advice into their practice.