Community midwives\u27 experiences resulting from business skills training in the Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan.

Background: The community midwives (CMWs) were trained and deployed back to their respective communities to set up their own businesses, but it was noted that most of the CMWs were still struggling to initiate their businesses. Very few were up and running, and those midwives that were set up were not then able to sustain their business and financially support themselves. Hence, the need to provide business skills training (BST) to CMWs was identified. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of CMWs provided with BST in the Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. Methods: This study used the qualitative descriptive exploratory research design. Ethical approval was obtained from the National Bioethics Committee, Pakistan. The study participants included 14 trained and deployed CMWs from 14 rural districts of the Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. A three-day BST was provided to them. The participants were then followed up and after two months in-depth interviews were conducted to explore their experiences about applying BST concepts to their practice. Results: Utilisation of business skills was the main theme that emerged through data analysis, supported by categories including marketing, budgeting, networking and sustainability. Conclusion: CMWs found BST very useful and this helped them to sustain their services by becoming successful entrepreneurs