Actionable companion · School leadership and instructional improvement

From leadership research to district action: Accelerating quality midwifery education: identifying educators’ professional development needs

AI-assisted editorial implementation guide. Proposed district actions are separate from the original authors’ findings and recommendations. Independent peer review of this guide is not asserted.

Evidence and transfer

Education-related source: verify which participants, institutions and outcomes were actually studied before district adoption. Source publication type: research-article. License and identity checks do not establish study quality or causality.

Original authors’ abstract, reproduced under the source license:

Background The quality of midwifery education and the quality of care are influenced by the capabilities of those who educate future midwives. In Bangladesh, where midwifery is a new profession, it is crucial that midwifery educators are supported, prepared and equipped to teach in both academic and clinical settings. This study aimed to identify the professional development needs of midwifery educators in Bangladesh. Methods A cross-sectional online survey consisting of closed and open-ended questions, and statements answered using a four- and five-point response scale, was conducted. A total of 118 individuals responded to the survey, of whom 113 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics including frequencies and percentages and inferential statistics (Spearman’s rank-order correlation and ANOVA). Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Responses to the open-ended questions were analysed using systematic text condensation. Results Among 113 respondents, working as an educator the majority (78%) held a master’s degree. The most reported development needs were in midwifery theory (41.6%), face-to-face teaching (41.6%) and clinical simulation (39.8%). Research capacity was also a key area, with 38.1% reporting a need for support in scientific manuscript writing. Leadership and management development were prioritised by 37.2%. Educators preferred face-to-face programme delivery (53.1%) and short, intensive formats (74%). Open-ended responses underscored a need for structured pedagogical training, as well as research and leadership mentorship. Conclusions Continuous professional development for educators in Bangladesh is needed, particularly in education, research, and leadership. To address these needs, the study highlights the importance of incorporating its identified needs into a national educator development programme. We propose co-creating such a programme, guided by the ICM Global Standards for Midwife Faculty Development, to ensure a structured, relevant, and sustainable response. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-026-09322-4.

A 90-day district inquiry

1. Days 1–15 · Appraise. Read the source methods, recruitment, comparator, outcomes and limitations. Record how the study setting differs from your district and which claim the design can support.
2. Days 16–30 · Design. Choose one school improvement question with teachers. Protect a short shared planning cycle, agree an instructional change and use a common rubric for examining student work. Agree participation, privacy protections, baseline and stopping rules before starting.
3. Days 31–60 · Observe. Collect the pre-agreed measures, keep a log of implementation changes and invite confidential voluntary feedback. Preserve existing support for staff and learners.
4. Days 61–90 · Decide. Review implementation fidelity, teacher time and independently scored student work against a recorded baseline. Examine access differences and competing explanations before attributing changes to leadership. Make a dated decision to stop, revise or extend the inquiry.

Board decision brief

Present the local problem, source setting, evidence limits, intervention, responsible owner, total cost, measured changes and uncertainty. Separate staff perceptions, implementation measures and student learning outcomes.

Attribution and reuse

Frida Berg; Kerstin Erlandsson; Noor Islam Pappu; Joy Kemp; Pronita Raha; Helena Wigert; Rabeya Basri; Malin Bogren. Accelerating quality midwifery education: identifying educators’ professional development needs. BMC Medical Education (2026-04-29). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-09322-4

Prepared 2026-11-07. Source authorship and DOI are preserved. The abstract and source passages are attributed extracts; this editorial guide is offered under the same CC BY 4.0 license.