Midwives’ perception of the effects of footbaths for women in labor: A cross-sectional study

Footbaths are generally used for women in labor in clinical settings in Japan. However, it is unclear how their effects are perceived by midwives, or what effects they expect. Therefore, this study aimed to describe midwives’ perception of footbaths’ effects for women in labor. This cross-sectional study was conducted during January–March, 2022. Participants were midwives who worked at perinatal medical centers in the Kanto region. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. A total of 364 midwives were asked to participate; of these, 291 (79.9%) responded to the questionnaires. The participants’ mean age was 35.6 years old, and 120 (41.2%) had graduated from vocational schools. The average clinical experience was 12.1 years. Regarding the effects of footbaths, 274 (94.2%) participants selected “relaxes,” whereas 166 (57.0%) selected “strengthens uterine contractions.” These effects were related to educational attainment and the source of information about the effects of footbaths. Midwives’ perception of footbaths’ effects differed; thus, it is necessary to conduct studies which clarify the effects of footbaths in the future and to disseminate the results.