Using video in childbirth research.

BACKGROUND: Conducting video-research in birth settings raises challenges for ethics review boards to view birthing women and research-midwives as capable, autonomous decision-makers. AIM: This study aimed to gain an understanding of how the ethical approval process was experienced and to chronicle the perceived risks and benefits. RESEARCH DESIGN: The Birth Unit Design project was a 2012 Australian ethnographic study that used video recording to investigate the physical design features in the hospital birthing space that might influence both verbal and non-verbal communication and the experiences of childbearing women, midwives and supporters. Participants and research context: Six women, 11 midwives and 11 childbirth supporters were filmed during the women's labours in hospital birth units and interviewed 6 weeks later. Ethical considerations: The study was approved by an Australian Health Research Ethics Committee after a protracted process of negotiation. FINDINGS: The ethics committee was influenced by a traditional view of research as based on scientific experiments resulting in a poor understanding of video-ethnographic research, a paradigmatic view of the politics and practicalities of modern childbirth processes, a desire to protect institutions from litigation, and what we perceived as a paternalistic approach towards protecting participants, one that was at odds with our aim to facilitate situations in which women could make flexible, autonomous decisions about how they might engage with the research process. DISCUSSION: The perceived need for protection was overly burdensome and against the wishes of the participants themselves; ultimately, this limited the capacity of the study to improve care for women and babies. CONCLUSION: Recommendations are offered for those involved in ethical approval processes for qualitative research in childbirth settings. The complexity of issues within childbirth settings, as in most modern healthcare settings, should be analysed using a variety of research approaches, beyond efficacy-style randomised controlled trials, to expand and improve practice-based results.

Group versus conventional antenatal care for women.

BACKGROUND: Antenatal care is one of the key preventive health services used around the world. In most Western countries, antenatal care traditionally involves a schedule of one-to-one visits with a care provider. A different way of providing antenatal care involves use of a group model. OBJECTIVES: 1. To compare the effects of group antenatal care versus conventional antenatal care on psychosocial, physiological, labour and birth outcomes for women and their babies.2. To compare the effects of group antenatal care versus conventional antenatal care on care provider satisfaction. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (31 October 2014), contacted experts in the field and reviewed the reference lists of retrieved studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: All identified published, unpublished and ongoing randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials comparing group antenatal care with conventional antenatal care were included. Cluster-randomised trials were eligible, and one has been included. Cross-over trials were not eligible. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed trials for inclusion and risk of bias and extracted data; all review authors checked data for accuracy. MAIN RESULTS: We included four studies (2350 women). The overall risk of bias for the included studies was assessed as acceptable in two studies and good in two studies. No statistically significant differences were observed between women who received group antenatal care and those given standard individual antenatal care for the primary outcome of preterm birth (risk ratio (RR) 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57 to 1.00; three trials; N = 1888). The proportion of low-birthweight (less than 2500 g) babies was similar between groups (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.23; three trials; N = 1935). No group differences were noted for the primary outcomes small-for-gestational age (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.24; two trials; N = 1473) and perinatal mortality (RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.32 to 1.25; three trials; N = 1943).Satisfaction was rated as high among women who were allocated to group antenatal care, but this outcome was measured in only one trial. In this trial, mean satisfaction with care in the group given antenatal care was almost five times greater than that reported by those allocated to standard care (mean difference 4.90, 95% CI 3.10 to 6.70; one study; N = 993). No differences in neonatal intensive care admission, initiation of breastfeeding or spontaneous vaginal birth were observed between groups. Several outcomes related to stress and depression were reported in one trial. No differences between groups were observed for any of these outcomes.No data were available on the effects of group antenatal care on care provider satisfaction.We used the GRADE (Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach to assess evidence for seven prespecified outcomes; results ranged from low quality (perinatal mortality) to moderate quality (preterm birth, low birthweight, neonatal intensive care unit admission, breastfeeding initiation) to high quality (satisfaction with antenatal care, spontaneous vaginal birth). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Available evidence suggests that group antenatal care is positively viewed by women and is associated with no adverse outcomes for them or for their babies. No differences in the rate of preterm birth were reported when women received group antenatal care. This review is limited because of the small numbers of studies and women, and because one study contributed 42% of the women. Most of the analyses are based on a single study. Additional research is required to determine whether group antenatal care is associated with significant benefit in terms of preterm birth or birthweight.

Group versus conventional antenatal care for women.

BACKGROUND: Antenatal care is one of the key preventive health services used around the world. In most Western countries, antenatal care traditionally involves a schedule of one-to-one visits with a care provider. A different way of providing antenatal care is through a group model. OBJECTIVES: The first objective was to compare the effects of group antenatal care versus one-to-one care on outcomes for women and their babies. The primary outcomes were preterm birth (birth occurring before 37 completed gestational weeks), low birthweight (less than 2500 g), small-for-gestational age (less than the tenth percentile for gestation and gender) and perinatal mortality. Secondary outcomes included psychological measures and satisfaction as well as labour and birth and postnatal outcomes.The second objective was to compare the effects of group care versus one-to-one care on care provider satisfaction. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (9 March 2012), contacted experts in the field and reviewed the reference lists of retrieved studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: All identified published, unpublished and ongoing randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials comparing group antenatal care with conventional antenatal care were included. Cluster-randomised trials were eligible for inclusion but none were identified. Cross-over trials were not eligible. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed studies for inclusion and evaluated trial quality. Two authors extracted data. Data were checked for accuracy. MAIN RESULTS: We included two studies (1369 women). There were no statistically significant differences between women who received group antenatal care compared with standard one-to-one care in relation to the primary outcomes. In particular, there was no difference in the rate of preterm birth rate between the two groups (risk ratio (RR) 0.87; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.47 to 1.60; two trials; N = 1315) and the proportion of low birthweight (less than 2500 g) babies was similar between the groups (RR 1.03; 95% CI 0.73 to 1.46; two trials; N = 1315).Satisfaction was rated highly in women who were allocated to group antenatal care but only measured in one trial. In this trial, the mean satisfaction with care in group antenatal care was almost five times higher compared with those allocated to standard care (N = 993). A number of outcomes related to stress, distress and depression were reported in one trial. There were no differences between the groups in any of these outcomes.There were no data available on the effects of group antenatal care on care provider satisfaction. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence suggests that group antenatal care is positively viewed by women with no adverse outcomes for themselves or their babies. This review is limited owing to the small number of studies/women and the majority of the analyses are based on a single study. More research is required to determine if group antenatal care is associated with significant benefits.

A review of midwifery in mainland China: Contemporary developments within historical, economic and sociopolitical contexts.

BACKGROUND: With the recent surging economic and social development in China, midwifery has undergone transformation. AIM: A narrative review of literature relating to midwifery in mainland China was undertaken to examine the characteristics of midwifery's potential development within relevant historical, economic and sociopolitical contexts. The aim was to assist future planning and the setting of strategic directions in policy in China. METHODS: Online bibliographic databases from 2000 to 2015 were searched including MEDLINE, WanFang Data and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure. A process of narrative synthesis was used to analyse the selected papers and major issues were identified. RESULTS: Twenty-one papers were included in the review. Two overarching issues were identified in relation to midwifery in mainland China: the history and status of midwifery education; and the practice and regulation of the midwifery profession. In recent decades, midwifery education, regulation and practice have occurred within systems that view midwifery as a specialisation of nursing. This means that there continues to be little opportunity for midwives to practise according to the international definition and scope of practice of the midwife. CONCLUSION: Midwifery in China must continue to develop in parallel with international trends. Investment in midwifery education alone will not suffice; it will have to operate within strong government policy regarding regulation, effective human resources management, visibility of the role of the midwife and development of the service delivery environment in which future midwives will work in China.

The development of national competency standards for the midwife in Australia.

OBJECTIVE: to develop and validate national competency standards for midwives in Australia. This study was part of a commissioned national research project to articulate the scope of practice of Australian midwives and to develop national competency standards to assist midwives to deliver safe and competent midwifery care. DESIGN: a multi-method, staged approach was used to collect data through a literature review, workshop consultations, interviews, surveys and written submissions in order to develop national competency standards for Australian midwives. Subsequently, direct observation of practice in a range of settings ensured validation of the competencies. SETTING: maternity-care settings in each state and territory in Australia. PARTICIPANTS: midwives, other health professionals and consumers of midwifery care. FINDINGS: The national competency standards for the midwife were developed through research and consultation before being validated in practice. KEY CONCLUSIONS: the national competency standards are currently being implemented into education, regulation and practice in Australia. These will be minimum competency standards required of all midwives who seek authority to practise as a midwife in Australia. It is expected that all midwives will demonstrate that they are able to meet the competency standards relevant to the position they hold. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: the competency standards establish a national standard for midwives and reinforce responsibility and accountability in the provision of quality midwifery care through safe and effective practice. In addition, individual midwives may use the competency standards as the basis of their ongoing professional development plans.

Collective action for the development of national standards for midwifery education in Australia.

This article describes a sequence of events that led to the development of national standards for the accreditation of Australian midwifery education programmes for initial registration. This process occurred within a climate of polarised opinions about the value of the introduction of three-year degree programmes for midwives who are not nurses (known as the BMid in Australia) and concerns about the invisibility of midwifery within nursing regulation, education, policy and nomenclature. Concerted efforts to develop standards to inform the introduction of BMid programmes through a process of collective action are described. This involved arguing successfully for the positioning of midwifery as a separate profession from nursing, with a need for its own discreet regulation.

Midwifery continuity of carer in an area of high socio-economic disadvantage in London: A retrospective analysis of Albany Midwifery Practice outcomes using routine data (1997-2009).

OBJECTIVE: in 1997, The Albany Midwifery Practice was established within King's College Hospital NHS Trust in a South East London area of high social disadvantage. The Albany midwives provided continuity of care to around 216 women per year, including those with obstetric, medical or social risk factors. In 2009, the Albany Midwifery Practice was closed in response to concerns about safety, amidst much publicity and controversy. The aim of this evaluation was to examine trends and outcomes for all mothers and babies who received care from the practice from 1997-2009. DESIGN: a retrospective, descriptive analysis of data routinely collected over the 12.5 year period was undertaken including changes over time and outcomes by demographic features. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: all women booked with the Albany Midwifery Practice were included. FINDINGS: of the 2568 women included over the 12.5 year period, more than half (57%) were from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities; one third were single and 11.4% reported being single and unsupported. Almost all women (95.5%) were cared for in labour by either their primary or secondary midwife. There were high rates of spontaneous onset of labour (80.5%), spontaneous vaginal birth (79.8%), homebirth (43.5%), initiation of breastfeeding (91.5%) and breastfeeding at 28 days (74.3% exclusively and 14.8% mixed feeding). Of the 79% of women who had a physiological third stage, 5.9% had a postpartum haemorrhage. The overall rate of caesarean section was 16%. The preterm birth rate was low (5%). Ninety-five per cent of babies had an Apgar score of 8 or greater at 5minutes and 6% were admitted to a neonatal unit for more than two days. There were 15 perinatal deaths (perinatal mortality rate of 5.78 per 1000 births); two were associated with significant congenital abnormalities. There were no intrapartum intrauterine deaths. KEY CONCLUSIONS: this analysis has shown that the Albany Midwifery Practice demonstrated positive outcomes for women and babies in socially disadvantaged and BAME groups, including those with complex pregnancies and perceived risk factors. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: consideration should be given to making similar models of care available to all women.

How domesticity dictates behaviour in the birth space: Lessons for designing birth environments in institutions wanting to promote a positive experience of birth.

BACKGROUND: limited efforts have been made to understand the complex relationships between women's experiences of birth and the influence of the design and environment of a birth space. Domestic aesthetics in a birth space are believed to be an important aspect of optimal birth unit design. AIM: to explore the concept of domesticity within the birth space. The specific objectives were to explore, describe and compare birth spaces with different domestic characteristics and subsequently, how laboring women worked within these spaces during the labour process. This project was situated within a larger ongoing body of work exploring birth unit design. METHOD: a qualitative approach, using the techniques of video ethnography and reflexive interviewing, was used. Video data consisted of films of the labours of six Australian women who gave birth in 2012. Filming took place in two different tertiary hospitals in Sydney NSW (n=5 women), as well as a stand-alone Birth Centre (n=1 woman). Video footage of a woman labouring at home was used to compare and contrast women's experiences. Latent content analysis was used to analyse the data set. In addition there were 17 one-hour video-reflexive interviews that were audio-taped and fully transcribed (nine interviews with women and/or their support people and eight with midwives). Field note data accompanied both the video recording as well as the reflexive interviews. FINDINGS: in general, women labouring in conventional hospital labour and birth rooms acted and interacted with the environment in a passive way. The spaces clearly did not resemble homely or 'domestic' spaces. This forced women to adapt to the space. In essence all but one of the women labouring and birthing in these spaces took on the role of a 'patient'. One participant responded quite differently to the conventional hospital space. 'Domestication of the space' was the mechanism this woman used to retain a sense of ownership within the birth space. In contrast, in the domestic birth environments (Birth Centre and home) women effortlessly claimed ownership of the space, expressing their identity in a myriad of ways. In these domestic spaces, women were not required to change or modify their birth spaces as the design, furnishings and semiotics of the space openly encouraged them to be active, creative and take ownership of the space. CONCLUSION: the findings of this study add to the existing literature on birth unit design and more specifically contribute to an understanding of how the features of domesticity within the birth setting may shape the experience of labouring women and their care providers. The evidence gained from the study will assist in the ongoing movement to humanise birth spaces and develop further understandings of how home-like birth spaces should look. Those designing, building, furnishing, managing, accessing and working in Birthing Services could all benefit from the consideration of how environments designed for the care of birthing women, may be affecting the outcomes and experiences of women and their families.

Midwives' experiences of becoming CenteringPregnancy facilitators: a pilot study in Sydney, Australia.

BACKGROUND: A pilot study was undertaken between 2006 and 2008 to explore the feasibility of implementing the CenteringPregnancy model of group antenatal care in Australia. The study was undertaken at two hospital antenatal clinics and two community healthcare centres in southern Sydney. This paper reports on one arm of the pilot study, known as the 'Midwives' Study', which aimed to explore the experiences of the midwives as they moved from providing traditional one-to-one antenatal care to facilitating group antenatal care. METHODS: The Australian pilot study used Action Research. Eight midwives, the group facilitators, and three researchers formed the Action Research group. A qualitative descriptive approach was undertaken to describe the experiences of the midwives. Data were collected using focus groups, surveys and checklists and analysed using thematic content analysis. FINDINGS: The midwives' initial fears and misgivings about undertaking the new role of group antenatal care gave way to a growing confidence in their abilities and group facilitation skills. They appreciated: the benefits of the CenteringPregnancy model for pregnant women; new opportunities to develop positive relationships with women and their colleagues; and the structured support and education throughout all stages of the Action Research process. CONCLUSION: The midwives were enthusiastic about their experiences of becoming CenteringPregnancy facilitators and described the benefits of this model of care compared to traditional one-to-one antenatal care. Support and education of the midwives through structured Action Research cycles enhanced the effective implementation of this new model.

Students' perceptions of the follow-through experience in 3 year bachelor of midwifery programmes in Australia.

BACKGROUND: providing opportunities for students to participate in midwifery continuity of care experiences is a challenge in many midwifery education programmes. The 'follow-through experience' was a deliberate strategy introduced into midwifery education programmes in Australia to ensure that students experienced midwifery continuity of care. The follow through experience provides an opportunity for midwifery students to follow a pre-determined number of women through pregnancy, labour and birth and into the early parenting period. AIM: the aim of this study was to explore the follow-through experience in the 3 year Bachelor of Midwifery (direct entry) in Australia to better understand its impact on midwifery students and to identify the learning that is associated with this experience. METHODS: a qualitative methodology was used. Data were collected from former and current Bachelor of Midwifery students through a survey and telephone interviews. Students from all 3-year pre-registration Bachelor of Midwifery programmes in Australia were invited to participate. A thematic analysis was undertaken. Constructivist learning theories were used to identify whether learning occurred in the context of the follow-through experience. FINDINGS: students do learn from their engagement in midwifery continuity of care experiences. Learning was characterised by the primacy of the relationship with the women. Students also identified the challenges they faced which included recruitment of women and finding the time to fully engage with the follow-through experience. Difficulties were identified around the different requirements of the follow-through experience, the lack of support at times for students and the incongruence with the existing maternity system. These issues impacted on students' ability to engage in and maximise their learning. CONCLUSIONS: the follow-through experience is an innovative midwifery education strategy that facilitates learning for midwifery students. Challenges need to be addressed at a systematic level and new strategies developed to support the learning opportunities presented by the follow-through experience.

A review of midwifery education curriculum documents in Jordan.

BACKGROUND: There is worldwide recognition that midwives are specialists in normal pregnancy, labour and birth and the postnatal period and that they should be educated to be primary providers of maternity care. In Jordan midwives currently have limited opportunities to fulfil this role. Since the mid-1980s, two public community colleges have offered three-year diploma midwifery education programmes in two major cities in Jordan. In 2002 the first and only four-year bachelor of midwifery education programme was established in one public university. AIM: A review to describe the design and content of midwifery education programmes in Jordan and address the question: Does the design of midwifery education programmes in Jordan encourage confidence that graduates will be competent to practise to the full capacity of the internationally defined role and scope of practice of the midwife and undertake the role of primary maternity care providers for women with low-risk pregnancies? DESIGN: A review of Jordanian midwifery education curriculum documents was undertaken using information and documents provided by midwifery programme coordinators. PARTICIPANTS: Programme coordinators in all institutions in Jordan providing midwifery education programmes. FINDINGS: The curriculum documents reflected a medical model, with an emphasis on illness and intervention rather than preparation for the internationally defined full role and scope of practice of the midwife. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study provides a profile of midwifery education curriculum documents in Jordan with recommendations for changes that would position midwives as potential primary maternity care providers for women in Jordan who have uncomplicated pregnancies.

The 'follow-through' experience in three-year Bachelor of Midwifery programs in Australia: a survey of students.

INTRODUCTION: The follow-through experience in Australian midwifery education is a strategy that requires midwifery students to 'follow' a number of women through pregnancy, labour and birth and into the parenting period. BACKGROUND: The experience was introduced by the Australian College of Midwives as part of national standards for the three-year Bachelor of Midwifery programs. Anecdotally, the introduction caused considerable debate. A criticism was that these experiences were incorporated with little evidence of their value. METHODS: An online survey was undertaken to explore the follow-through experience from the perspectives of current and former students. There were 101 respondents, 93 current students with eight recent graduates. RESULTS: Participants were positive about developing relationships with women. They also identified aspects of the follow-through experience that were challenging. Support to assist with the experience was often lacking and the documentation required varied. Despite these difficulties, 75% felt it should be mandatory as it facilitated positive learning experiences. DISCUSSION: The follow-through experience ensured that students were exposed to midwifery continuity of care. The development of relationships with women was an important aspect of learning. CONCLUSION: Despite these challenges, there were significant learning opportunities. Future work and research needs to ensure than an integrated approach is taken to enhance learning.

From social to surgical: historical perspectives on perineal care during labour and birth.

A review of key historical texts that mentioned perineal care was undertaken from the time of Soranus (98-138 A.D.) to modern times as part of a PhD into perineal care. Historically, perineal protection and comfort were key priorities for midwives, most of whom traditionally practised under a social model of care. With the advent of the Man-Midwife in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, the perineum became pathologised and eventually a site for routine surgical intervention--most notably seen in the widespread use of episiotomy. There were several key factors that led to the development of a surgical rather than a social model in perineal care. These factors included a move from upright to supine birth positions, the preparation of the perineum as a surgical site through perineal shaving and elaborate aseptic procedures; and the distancing of the woman from her support people, and most notably from her own perineum. In the last 30 years, in much of the developed world, there has been a re-emergence of care aimed at preserving and protecting the perineum. A dichotomy now exists with a dominant surgical model competing with the re-emerging social model of perineal care. Historical perspectives on perineal care can help us gain useful insights into past practices that could be beneficial for childbearing women today. These perspectives also inform future practice and research into perineal care, whilst making us cautious about political influences that could lead to harmful trends in clinical practice.

Women's experiences of group antenatal care in Australia--the CenteringPregnancy Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVE: to describe the experiences of women who were participants in the Australian CenteringPregnancy Pilot Study. CenteringPregnancy is an innovative model of care where antenatal care is provided in a group environment. The aim of the pilot study was to determine whether it would be feasible to implement this model of care in Australia. DESIGN: a descriptive study was conducted. Data included clinical information from hospital records, and antenatal and postnatal questionnaires. SETTING: two metropolitan hospitals in Sydney, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 35 women were recruited to the study and 33 ultimately received all their antenatal care (eight sessions) through five[CH(1)] CenteringPregnancy groups. FINDINGS: difficulties with recruitment within a short study timeline resulted in only 35 (20%) of 171 women who were offered group antenatal care choosing to participate. Most women chose this form of antenatal care in order to build friendships and support networks. Attendance rates were high and women appreciated the opportunity and time to build supportive relationships through sharing knowledge, ideas and experiences with other women and with midwives facilitating the groups. The opportunity for partners to attend was identified as important. Clinical outcomes for women were in keeping with those for women receiving standard care; however, the numbers were small. CONCLUSION: the high satisfaction of the women suggests that CenteringPregnancy is an appropriate model of care for many women in Australian settings, particularly if recruitment strategies are addressed and women's partners can participate. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: CenteringPregnancy group antenatal care assists women with the development of social support networks and is an acceptable way in which to provide antenatal care in an Australian setting. Recruitment strategies should include ensuring that practitioners are confident in explaining the advantages of group antenatal care to women in early pregnancy. Further research needs to be conducted to implement this model of care more widely.

Testing the Birth Unit Design Spatial Evaluation Tool (BUDSET) in Australia: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To pilot test the Birth Unit Design Spatial Evaluation Tool (BUDSET) in an Australian maternity care setting to determine whether such an instrument can measure the optimality of different birth settings. BACKGROUND: Optimally designed spaces to give birth are likely to influence a woman's ability to experience physiologically normal labor and birth. This is important in the current industrialized environment, where increased caesarean section rates are causing concerns. The measurement of an optimal birth space is currently impossible, because there are limited tools available. METHODS: A quantitative study was undertaken to pilot test the discriminant ability of the BUDSET in eight maternity units in New South Wales, Australia. Five auditors trained in the use of the BUDSET assessed the birth units using the BUDSET, which is based on 18 design principles and is divided into four domains (Fear Cascade, Facility, Aesthetics, and Support) with three to eight assessable items in each. Data were independently collected in eight birth units. Values for each of the domains were aggregated to provide an overall Optimality Score for each birth unit. RESULTS: A range of Optimality Scores was derived for each of the birth units (from 51 to 77 out of a possible 100 points). The BUDSET identified units with low-scoring domains. Essentially these were older units and conventional labor ward settings. CONCLUSION: The BUDSET provides a way to assess the optimality of birth units and determine which domain areas may need improvement. There is potential for improvements to existing birth spaces, and considerable improvement can be made with simple low-cost modifications. Further research is needed to validate the tool.

Advanced midwifery practice or advancing midwifery practice?

Advanced midwifery practice is a controversial notion in midwifery, particularly at present in Australia. The proposed changes in legislation around access to the publicly funded Medical Benefits Scheme (MBS) and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in 2009-2010 have meant that the issue of advanced midwifery practice has again taken prominence. Linking midwifery access to MBS and PBS to a safety and quality framework that includes an 'advanced midwifery credentialling framework' is particularly challenging. The Haxton and Fahy paper in the December 2009 edition of Women and Birth is timely as it enables a reflection upon these issues and encourages debate and discussion about exactly what is midwifery, what are we educating our students for and is working to the full scope of practice practising at advanced level? This paper seeks to address some of these questions and open up the topic for further debate.

Journey to confidence: women's experiences of pain in labour and relational continuity of care.

INTRODUCTION: An evaluation carried out at King's College Hospital Foundation National Health Service Trust in London identified that women who received continuity of carer from the Albany Midwifery Practice were significantly less likely to use pharmacological pain relief when comparisons were made with eight other midwifery group practices and the local maternity service as a whole. This study was designed to explore women's views of this phenomenon. METHODS: We conducted a thematic analysis of semistructured, audiotaped, in-depth interviews with 10 women who reflected on their experiences of preparation and support for pain in labour and midwifery continuity of carer with Albany midwives, using a qualitative descriptive methodological approach. RESULTS: Women reflected positively on how, throughout pregnancy and labour, their midwives promoted a sense of their ability to cope with the challenge of labour pain. This building of confidence was enabled through a relationship of trust that developed with their midwives and the value of hearing other women's stories during antenatal groups. These experiences enhanced women's ability to overcome fears and self-doubt about coping with pain and led to feelings of pride, elation, and empowerment after birth. DISCUSSION: Women valued being encouraged and supported to labour without using pharmacological pain relief by midwives with whom they developed a trusting relationship throughout pregnancy. Features of midwifery approaches to pain in labour and relational continuity of care have important implications for promoting normal birth and a positive experience of pregnancy, labour, and birth for women.

The relationship between birth unit design and safe, satisfying birth: developing a hypothetical model.

Recent advances in cross-disciplinary studies linking architecture and neuroscience have revealed that much of the built environment for health-care delivery may actually impair rather than improve health outcomes by disrupting effective communication and increasing patient and staff stress. This is also true for maternity care provision, where it is suggested that the design of the environment can also impact on the experiences and outcomes for birthing women. The aim of this paper is to describe the development of a conceptual model based on literature and understandings of design, communication, stress and model of care. The model explores potential relationships among a set of key variables that need to be considered by researchers wishing to determine the characteristics of optimal birth environments in relation to birth outcomes for women and infants. The conceptual model hypothesises that safe satisfying birth is reliant on the level of stress experienced by a woman and the staff around her, stress influences the quality of communication with women and between staff, and this process is mediated by the design of the birth unit and model of care. The conceptual model is offered as a starting point for researchers who have an appreciation of the complexity of birth and the ability to bring together colleagues from a range of disciplines to explore the pre-requisites for safe and effective maternity care in new ways.

Developing the Birth Unit Design Spatial Evaluation Tool (BUDSET) in Australia: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a tool known as the Birth Unit Design Spatial Evaluation Tool (BUDSET), to assess the optimality of birth unit design. BACKGROUND: The space provided for childbirth influences the physiology of women in labor. Optimal birth spaces are likely to enable women to have physiologically normal labor and birth. The measurement of an optimal birth space is currently impossible, because limited tools are available. Research into optimal birth unit design is also limited. METHODS: The BUDSET was developed using a qualitative study. Data collection included an extensive literature review, interviews with key informants (architects, midwife clinicians, and researchers) and an expert panel. A Pattern Language format was used to synthesize the literature and data obtained from the key informants. RESULTS: The BUDSET is based on 18 design principles and is divided into four domains (Fear Cascade; Facility; Aesthetics; Support) with three to eight assessable items in each. CONCLUSION: Birth units must be designed so that they facilitate and support the physiology of normal childbirth. The BUDSET may provide a way to assess the optimality of birth units and determine which domain areas may need to be improved.