The assessment of physicians' attitudes toward the practice of nurse-midwifery in the state of Alaska

The problem of this study was (1) to determine physicians' attitudes towards the nurse-midwife's ability to provide normal obstetric care, and (2) to determine if these attitudes were influenced by factors in the physicians' backgrounds and experiences. The Physician-Nurse Midwife Study (PNMWS) was administered to 102 Alaskan obstetricians-gynecologists and general practitioners who were assumed to have an obstetrical caseload. The results indicate that the physicians view favorably the nurse-midwife performing maternity-care nursing and prenatal function, routine gynecologic and family planning functions, deliver functions, diagnostic judgments, and operative medical care functions. Factors such as age, length of time as a physician, length of time in specialty, and length of time in Alaska were correlated negatively with physician attitudes toward specific nurse-midwife functions. The number of deliveries performed in one year, the physician's view of himself as liberal on most issues, and his perception of shortage of obstetrical services statewide were positively related with the performance of nurse-midwife functions.