Interpreting the Experience of Midwives Adapting to Technology-Based Maternal Care

Abstract

Midwifery, as both a clinical and humanistic discipline, emphasizes holistic, empathetic care that honors women’s physical and emotional experiences throughout pregnancy and childbirth. In recent years, digitalization in maternal healthcare has transformed the way midwives deliver care, requiring them to adapt their professional roles to technology-mediated environments. However, little is known about how midwives experience and interpret this digital transition in relation to their sense of empathy, identity, and professional authenticity. Here, this study employs an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore the lived experiences of midwives who provide digital maternal care, revealing how they construct meaning and sustain relational depth in virtual interactions. Data were gathered through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with ten practicing midwives, selected purposively to ensure variation in digital-care experience and to capture rich, information-dense narratives, and analyzed to uncover key experiential themes. Analytic rigor was ensured through iterative coding, reflexive memoing, and peer debriefing, allowing for transparent theme development and enhanced credibility of interpretations. Findings show that midwives undergo a reflective transformation characterized by emotional negotiation, professional identity reconstruction, and the creation of a “digital-human equilibrium”—a balance between technological efficiency and empathetic engagement. This equilibrium reflects a deeper integration of human connection within digital practice, challenging assumptions that technology diminishes empathy. The study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of how digitalization reshapes professional presence and relational ethics in midwifery, offering theoretical and practical insights for healthcare systems seeking to harmonize innovation with compassionate care.