Conducting international research in midwifery: a workshop held at the ICM Congress, Vienna, April 2002

A workshop on international research in midwifery was held at the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) Triennial Congress in Vienna, April 2002. Thirty-five participants from 12 countries took part. The participants themselves defined the agenda, and subsequent discussion addressed the following issues: international research relationships and collaboration; ethical conduct in international research in midwifery; the role of the International Confederation of Midwives in international research; and identifying topics for an international midwifery research agenda. Recommendations arising from this workshop were as follows: develop guidelines and a code of ethics for the conduct of international research in midwifery; continue to actively support research and further develop that support; support education and capacity building for research at basic and continuing education levels; and update on a regular basis the priorities identified for collaborative international studies.