Strengthening Midwifery Care for Maternal and Newborn Health
A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Women’s and Children’s Health".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 18 November 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: midwifery care; maternal and child care; midwifery education and policy; health care management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The World Health Organization emphasizes midwifery care as a cornerstone for reducing maternal and newborn mortality and achieving universal health coverage. However, significant gaps remain in the availability, accessibility, and quality of midwifery services globally. Strengthening this care across the entire continuum—from pregnancy and childbirth to the postnatal period—is crucial for ensuring the health and well-being of both mothers and newborns. This Special Issue seeks to compile evidence and insights that can empower midwives and transform maternity services worldwide.
This Special Issue aims to showcase innovative research and comprehensive reviews on strengthening midwifery care. We welcome contributions that explore a wide spectrum of topics, including, but not limited to, the following: the implementation of WHO-recommended evidence-based practices; technological innovations in midwifery care; effective models for health education and promotion; policy and advocacy initiatives to support the midwifery workforce; the provision of respectful maternity care; and the integration of essential newborn care, such as early breastfeeding support and kangaroo mother care.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Implementation and scale-up of WHO guidelines in midwifery.
- Technological innovations and digital health in midwifery practice.
- Midwife-led continuity of care models and their outcomes.
- Education, training, and professional development for midwives.
- Policy, financing, and advocacy for strengthening the midwifery workforce.
- Respectful maternity care and addressing gender-based violence.
- Essential newborn care practices and the role of midwives in newborn health.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Prof. Dr. Hong Lu
Dr. Xiu Zhu
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- midwifery care
- maternal health
- newborn health
- respectful maternity care
- evidence-based practice
- health policy
- workforce
- digital health
- continuity of care
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