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CONFERENCE PROCEEDING
Enabling midwives and nurses in rural and remote areas of Papua New Guinea (PNG) through WhatsApp community of practice (COP)
1
University of Technology Sydney - UTS, Faculty of Health - Midwifery and Nursing, Sydney, Australia
2
University of Papua New Guinea, School of medicine and health science - Nursing and Midwifery, Port Moresby, Papua new Guinea
3
University of Technology Sydney - UTS, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre, Sydney, Australia
4
UNICEF, United Nation Children's Fund, Mount Hagen, Papua new Guinea
Eur J Midwifery 2026;10(Supplement 1):A818
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
Currently over there is a shortage of midwives in PNG and especially in rural and remote areas where 84% of the population live (1). Health workers in remote rural areas have limited access to continuing professional development and even obtaining information. These ‘non-enabling’ challenges make it difficult to attract and retain qualified midwives to serve in rural and remote locations. These harsh realities are linked to PNG having the highest maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity ratios in Oceania (2).
DISCUSSION:
The creation of the WhatsApp midwifery CoP was initially to support newly graduated midwives and experienced midwives managing complicated cases, reaching and connecting rural midwives to curative referral hospitals and to share experiences and evidence-based knowledge across health worker cadre. The CoP has grown to provide professional networking and capacity development opportunities across diverse locations and cadre. Every day (or night) the PNG midwifery CoP, through mindful support to health workers creates lifesaving and capacity uplifting linkages to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes across the pregnancy, birthing and early parenting continuum.
EVIDENCE WHERE RELEVANT:
Collaborative initiatives are essential to address the systemic ‘non-enabling’ geographical, cultural, gendered and political environments contributing to the shortage of midwives and to improve maternal/newborn outcomes in under resourced country like PNG. The CoP for midwives is a reflective, ‘person-focused’ and midwifery-led initiative providing peer support and strengthening of knowledge, skills, respectful attitudes and resilience of midwives.
KEY MESSAGE:
Over 760 reproductive health workers in ‘non-enabling’ environments are now connected through a midwifery-led mobile phone platform to create a 24/7 community of practice (CoP) in PNG. This kind of low-cost innovation showcases the power of connectivity and collaboration in improving reproductive healthcare delivery and health worker resilience especially in underserved regions. Poster session 3 (Group B)
Currently over there is a shortage of midwives in PNG and especially in rural and remote areas where 84% of the population live (1). Health workers in remote rural areas have limited access to continuing professional development and even obtaining information. These ‘non-enabling’ challenges make it difficult to attract and retain qualified midwives to serve in rural and remote locations. These harsh realities are linked to PNG having the highest maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity ratios in Oceania (2).
DISCUSSION:
The creation of the WhatsApp midwifery CoP was initially to support newly graduated midwives and experienced midwives managing complicated cases, reaching and connecting rural midwives to curative referral hospitals and to share experiences and evidence-based knowledge across health worker cadre. The CoP has grown to provide professional networking and capacity development opportunities across diverse locations and cadre. Every day (or night) the PNG midwifery CoP, through mindful support to health workers creates lifesaving and capacity uplifting linkages to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes across the pregnancy, birthing and early parenting continuum.
EVIDENCE WHERE RELEVANT:
Collaborative initiatives are essential to address the systemic ‘non-enabling’ geographical, cultural, gendered and political environments contributing to the shortage of midwives and to improve maternal/newborn outcomes in under resourced country like PNG. The CoP for midwives is a reflective, ‘person-focused’ and midwifery-led initiative providing peer support and strengthening of knowledge, skills, respectful attitudes and resilience of midwives.
KEY MESSAGE:
Over 760 reproductive health workers in ‘non-enabling’ environments are now connected through a midwifery-led mobile phone platform to create a 24/7 community of practice (CoP) in PNG. This kind of low-cost innovation showcases the power of connectivity and collaboration in improving reproductive healthcare delivery and health worker resilience especially in underserved regions. Poster session 3 (Group B)
| eISSN: | 2585-2906 |
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