Third Answer

EQ: What knowledge most affects a midwife's ability to best serve her patients?
Answer 3: If a midwife knows how to be empathetic and supportive, then she will build a strong relationship with her patients and will make them feel comfortable and safe.
Details: Being empathetic helps the patient feel closer to their care provider because they feel as if they can relate and truly care. For example, when a midwife is empathetic during a labor women often feel more calm and closely connected to the midwife. Providing all the support possible to women during this emotional intense in their life will help them feel like they are not alone. For example, a woman who has a supportive midwife will strive to stay healthy and fit to benefit herself and her baby during her pregnancy. Being a strong empathetic, supportive practitioner will make patients feel safe and they will put their trust in you. Patients want to feel like they are in good hands and when a good relationship between the care provider and patient is created things tend to go absolutely well. A midwife should be like a friend to her patient.
Research: 

• Lake, Ricki, and Abby Epstein. Your Best Birth: Know All Your Options, Discover the Natural Choices, and Take Back the Birth Experience. New York: Wellness Central, 2009. Print.
• Clift-Matthews, Victoria. "Providing High-quality Midwifery Care." British Journal of Midwifery, 17.7 (2009): 412.
• Halldorsdottir, Sigridur, and Sigfridur Inga Karlsdottir. "The Primacy Of The Good Midwife In Midwifery Services: An Evolving Theory Of Professionalism In Midwifery." Scandinavian Journal Of Caring Sciences 25.4 (2011): 806-817. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Sept. 2014.

Concluding Sentence: Building a relationship with your patient, providing unconditional support, and making your patients feel cared for and safe will help improve the way you work with them and the outcome of the service being provided. It will improve your quality of care while building stronger bonds that will keep your patients and bring you new ones.