Developing and validating scenarios to compare midwives' knowledge and skills with the International Confederation of Midwives' essential competencies in four European countries

Aim: to develop, pilot and validate a number of scenarios which encompass all of the International Confederation of Midwives' (ICM) competency statements and which are of relevance in various European countries, both those in the European Union and those which might become members in the future. Design: 27 scenarios designed to encompass all ICM competencies were tested using qualitative interviews. Setting: Slovenia, Germany, Scotland, Kosovo. Participants: 68 experienced midwives from Slovenia, 58 from Germany, 63 from Scotland and 76 from Kosovo. Findings: although midwives found it difficult to relate to the scenarios dealing with pre-conception competencies, after revision, all scenarios were appropriate for use in all four countries. Key conclusions: the scenarios embrace all of the ICM’s essential competencies for midwives in each of the countries involved. Additionally, they have face validity as shown by the spread of responses to each of the scenarios. Implications for practice: the scenarios may be used with confidence by experienced midwives in each of the areas involved. It is also possible that the scenarios can be used for education and assessment purposes. By considering the European perspective of the project, they also offer the potential to support the mobility of midwives moving between countries within Europe by assessing competence with regard to local practices in the new situation