RSS 1.0Maternity and Midwifery
Recent Submissions
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Audit of an aromatherapy service in a maternity unitThis paper reports the results of the audit of a maternity aromatherapy service at a small Midlands maternity unit. The service was introduced in May 2000 and the principal aims of the audit, conducted in October 2002 were to investigate clinical effectiveness, maternal satisfaction and staff training needs. The service has been shown to be effective in normalising childbirth and increasing satisfaction of mothers in respect of their labour experiences. A concurrent audit of staff demonstrated interest and enthusiasm of the service and identified areas for further development. The service was short listed for the Prince of Wales Foundation for Integrated Health Awards for Good Practice in 2003 and awarded a certificate of achievement.
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Unexpected consequences of midwifery in the NHSThis article presents information from the Caring for the carers conference held at George Eliot Hospital in July 2015. For many midwives, feelings of stress are an unexpected consequence of rising birth rates, low staffing levels and negative organisational cultures, so our aim was that delegates would take away skills for 'surviving' in maternity services. The conference was the catalyst to a project at George Eliot NHS Trust to improve the wellbeing of staff so that they can develop a positive outlook towards the care which they offer. As part of the project, a toolkit for survival was produced which helps to prompt maternity workers to remember their own wellbeing. This project is continuing to grow and the results will be available next year.
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Why do pregnant women participate in research? A patient participation investigation using Q-MethodologyBackground: Patient participation in study design is paramount to design studies that are acceptable to patients. Despite an increase in research involving pregnant women, relatively little is known about the motivational factors that govern their decision to be involved in a clinical trial, compared to other patient groups. Objective: To better understand the viewpoints of pregnant women who take part in clinical trials. Method: We chose to use Q-Methodology, a method of exploring the structure of opinions surrounding a topic. We developed a set of 40 statements that encompassed the reasons why pregnant women might want to take part in research and 30 research participants from the PRiDE study (an observational trial investigating the role of micronutrients in gestational diabetes) were asked to rank them in order of agreement. The finished matrices from each participant were compared and analysed to produce capturing viewpoints. Results: About 30 women aged 19-40 involved in the PRiDE study completed the questionnaire. There were two overarching motivators that emerged: a willingness to help medical research and improve our knowledge of medical science, and having a personal connection to the disease, therefore a potential fear of being affected by it. A third, less significant viewpoint, was that of a lack of inconvenience being a motivating factor. Conclusion and discussion: Understanding what motivates pregnant women to decide to take part in a research study is valuable and helps researchers maximize their uptake and retention rates when designing a trial involving pregnant women.
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Uptake, Engagement and Acceptance, Barriers and Facilitators of a Text Messaging Intervention for Postnatal Care of Mother and Child in India-A Mixed Methods Feasibility StudyThis study aimed to test the feasibility and to identify barriers and facilitators towards adherence of a text messaging intervention for postnatal care in India. Mixed methods research involving both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. A survey questionnaire for feasibility and focus group interviews to identify the barriers and facilitators to the intervention were conducted. The top three reasons for activation of service were: helped the new mother to understand the changes (95%); provided continuation of care (90%) and clarified conflicting information (89%). Over 90% read the messages daily. 80% were happy with the message frequency. About 75% shared the content with others. The main reasons for non-activation were: 30% had technical issues, 15% did not think it would be useful, 17% did not have time to activate and for 5%, husbands made the decision. These findings were triangulated through the qualitative focus groups. The main themes identified via the focus groups were: (1) reliable, current information; (2) issues and themes well aligned with new mothers' needs and priorities; (3) expanded the repertoire of information sources available; and (4) high-quality accessible information. The satisfaction and trust rates were high. This technology may be useful for health information intervention in specific postnatal areas.