Title II: Organisation of the medical professions

Midwives may not alienate their professional independence in any form whatsoever. The midwife’s remuneration may not be based on standards of productivity, hourly output or any other criterion which would result in the midwife’s professional independence being limited or abandoned or in the quality of care being compromised.

When a midwife participates in a public information campaign of an educational, scientific or health nature, whatever the means of dissemination, she will only report confirmed data, will exercise caution and will be mindful of the repercussions of her comments on the public. It is not intended to profit from its intervention in the context of its professional activity or to benefit the organisations within which it works or to…

Midwives must have suitable facilities and sufficient technical means at their place of practice. Under no circumstances may midwives practise their profession in conditions that may compromise the safety and quality of medical care and procedures.

Midwifery should not be practised as a business.

I. – Midwives are free to communicate to the public, by any means, including on a website, information likely to contribute to the patient’s free choice of practitioner, relating in particular to their professional skills and practices, their career path and the conditions under which they practise. This communication must comply with the provisions in force and the ethical obligations defined in this section. It is fair and honest, does…

Midwives may not use the Association’s logo without the prior written authorisation of the Association’s national council. Nor may she use a pseudonym to practise her profession; if she does use one for activities related to her profession, she must declare this to the Conseil départemental de l’ordre.

Practitioners from other Member States of the European Union or the European Economic Area who have been granted partial access to the profession of midwife underarticle L. 4002-5 of the Public Health Code, when presenting their activity to the public, in particular on a website, are required to inform the public of the list of procedures they are authorised to perform. As part of their practice, these practitioners must clearly…

Midwives are prohibited from distributing remedies, appliances or any other products presented as having a health benefit for profit. They are prohibited from dispensing unauthorised medicines.

Midwives are free to prescribe within the limits set by article L. 4151-4. In her actions and prescriptions, she must observe the strictest economy compatible with the effectiveness of care and the interests of her patient.

In the practice of her profession, a midwife must not, save in exceptional circumstances, perform acts or give care, or formulate prescriptions, in areas that are beyond her professional competence or capabilities.