Evidence Based Midwifery Abstracts: June 2011

Midwives magazine: Issue 5 :: 2011

Editorial: Occularcentrism and the need to ‘see’ the evidence of impact
Marlene Sinclair
Theoretically speaking, modern midwives have a problem with accepting what they cannot see. Those who have ‘faith’ to believe what they cannot see – and actively facilitate the growth of the intuitive senses – will be severely challenged in an occularcentric midwifery world.

Theory for midwifery practice: where the future meets the past
Ros Bryar
In the 16 years between publication of the first and second editions of Theory for midwifery practice (Bryar, 1995; Bryar and Sinclair, 2011), there has been an explosion in the theory’s development. This paper describes the three important themes that run through both editions: the impact of the context of care on practice; the role of the midwife; and the experience
of the childbearing woman and her family.

Mapping maternity care facilities in England
Maggie Redshaw, on behalf of the Birthplace in England research programme and mapping group
In 2007, 66% of trusts had no midwifery-led units and this is likely to have limited the choices that women were able to make about their planned place of birth and the possibility of having midwife-led care in non-obstetric unit settings. Recent data suggests that women’s options for care may have increased, although capacity and staffing issues reflected in closures to admissions may affect this.

An exploration of the importance of emotional intelligence in midwifery
Dorothy Patterson and Ann Begley
Midwives need to develop self-awareness and not avoid addressing emotional issues in midwifery practice. Raising the profile of emotional intelligence (EI) in maternity care will enhance the effectiveness of midwives and strengthen the capacity to deal with pressures and develop effective relationships with colleagues and women. This paper
seeks to define EI and to present an original framework for reflection on
its significance in midwifery.

Midwifery research by midwifery researchers: challenges and considerations
Jenny McNeill and Ann Nolan
Increasingly, midwives are involved in both the planning and conduct of research projects where the focus is to facilitate further understanding of the profession, midwifery practice or education. This paper discusses some of the challenges that may be encountered by midwifery researchers when conducting research, where the research setting is familiar or study participants are known to the researchers.

The combined use of diaries and interviewing for the collection of data in midwifery research
Susan Way
The diary-interview technique is a useful research approach for seeking a more profound understanding of the experience of individuals in a healthcare setting. This paper discusses the combined use of diaries and interviewing for the collection of data, using examples from a PhD study that explored the feelings, perceptions and experiences of women in relation to their perineum following childbirth.

Evidence Based Midwifery – call for themed-issue papers
Contributions are invited for a themed issue of EBM on theory. Subjects sought include: demonstrating theory development, theory testing, theory application, concept analysis or philosophical analysis relevant to midwifery knowledge, practice or education. The submission deadline is 30 September and any authors interested in contributing their paper should contact: emma@midwives.co.uk  

---

RCM members have free access to EBM and the full archive online.
To subscribe to a hard copy version, visit: www.rcm.org.uk/ebm