Experiences of teleconsultation by French liberal midwives during the COVID-19 crisis

Context: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the French government has authorized the practice of teleconsultations for midwives since March 20th. A questionnaire survey of 1491 liberal midwives reported that 88.5% of them had implemented this practice. We therefore wished to explore their motivations and the way in which they have integrated this new practice modality into their practice.

Methods: We conducted 22 semi-structured interviews with liberal midwives who had implemented teleconsultations since their authorization. The study was conducted between May and July 2020 and ended when saturation of the results was reached. A content analysis was used to identify recurrences and exceptions in the discourse.

Results: The main motivations of the liberal midwives for offering teleconsultations were to maintain access to care for women and their own professional activity. They pointed to a number of limitations, including the issue of professional secrecy and guaranteed confidentiality, and inequality of access to care in relation to the digital divide. The integration of teleconsultation into their practice has made it possible to highlight and enhance the support work carried out by midwives, which until now has not been very visible or recognized.

Conclusion: Midwives quickly adopted teleconsultations, which have been made permanent since the confinement. This tool helps to ensure continuity of care but also raises new questions about equal access to care.