Building experience in midwife-led care at freestanding midwifery units is needed to enhance assessment, technical, and care competencies specific to midwives. This study aimed to develop a self-assessment scale for midwifery practice competency based on the characteristics of midwife-led care practices in freestanding midwifery units. This study was conducted at 65 childbirth facilities in Japan between September 2017 and March 2018. The items on the scale were developed based on a literature review, discussion at a professional meeting, and a preliminary survey conducted at two timepoints. The validity and reproducibility of the scale were evaluated based on item analysis, compositional concept validity, internal consistency, stability, and criterion-related validity using data from 401 midwives. The final version of the scale consisted of 40 items. Cronbach's α for the overall scale was 0.982. The results for compositional concept validity, internal validity, and criterion-related validity demonstrated that this scale is capable of evaluating a midwife's practice competencies in intrapartum care. Repeated self-assessment using this scale could improve the competencies of midwives from an early stage, maximize the roles of physicians and midwives, and create an environment that provides high-quality assistance to women.
Keywords: childbirth; clinical competence; freestanding midwifery units; midwife-led care.