Background: Given the global shortage of midwives, it is of utmost interest to improve midwives' job satisfaction and working environments. Precise measurement tools are needed to identify both predictors of job satisfaction and intervention strategies which could increase it. The aim of this study is to collate, describe and analyse instruments used in research to assess the job satisfaction of midwives working in hospitals, to identify valid and reliable tools and to make recommendations for the further development of specific instruments for midwifery practice and future midwifery research.
Methods: We conducted systematic literature searches of the following databases: CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane Database. Studies which assessed the job satisfaction of midwives working in a hospital setting were eligible for inclusion.
Findings: Out of 637 records 36 empirical research articles were analysed, 27 of them cross-sectional studies. The studies had been conducted in 23 different countries, with sample sizes ranging between nine and 5.446 participants. Over 30 different instruments were used to measure midwives' job satisfaction, with considerable differences in terms of domains evaluated and number of items. Twelve domains relevant for job satisfaction of midwives working in hospitals were identified from the empirical studies. Four instruments met the defined reliability and validity criteria.
Conclusion: Autonomy, the significance of the job, the challenges of balancing work and private life, and the high emotional and physical demands of midwifery are job characteristics which are underrepresented in instruments measuring job satisfaction. The influence of the physical working environment has also not yet been researched. There is a need to develop or adapt instruments to the working environment of midwives.