Are Midwifery Students Prepared to Care for Incarcerated Women and Within What Context? An Integrative Review

BACKGROUND: The rates of incarceration among women are increasing worldwide. With many being of childbearing age, a significant number are pregnant upon admission to prison and give birth while in custody. Incarceration is associated with high-risk pregnancies due to the myriad of complex physiological and psychosocial issues commonly experienced by these women. This highlights the importance of maternity care providers, including midwives’ cognizance of the unique needs of incarcerated women and awareness of opportunities to provide health care interventions during incarceration. At present, little is known about how midwifery students are prepared to take on this key role and within what context. 

OBJECTIVE: To explore and evaluate peer-reviewed literature that identifies how midwifery students are educated (prepared) for placement/employment with incarcerated women and within what context. 

METHODS: CINAHL (within which MIDIRS is indexed), Emcare, Medline, and Scopus databases were searched for published literature (2012–2024) reporting on student midwives’ education impacting their ability to care for incarcerated women. A modified version of the Whittemore and Knafl framework was used to undertake the integrative review. 

FINDINGS: Of the 311 articles retrieved, only one met the inclusion criteria: A pilot project in Queensland, Australia, where midwifery students offered one-to-one support to incarcerated pregnant women, emphasized a woman-centered approach. This article offered insight into learning opportunities for students within the penal system. 

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: This review highlights a major gap in understanding how students are educated (prepared) for placement/employment to care for incarcerated women and within what context. Two hypotheses are proposed. Multicenter (inter)national curriculum mapping is required before broadening midwifery education to prepare students to work in this neglected area. Additional research including the voices of all stakeholders is required to increase our understanding in this area of education has the potential to impact the quality and safety of caring for this vulnerable group of women.