Birthplace research – results still under wraps

There have previously been rumours that the results haven’t yet been made public because of the contentious nature of the findings.

But there was disappointed at the RCM’s annual conference in Brighton yesterday (15 November), when it was revealed that the results were not to be announced, or discussed.

Dr Mary Stewart, national lead research midwife, was due to be discussing the ‘mapping the configuration and provision of maternity care’ section of the study. 

She said she was unable to reveal the results at the conference, but vowed they would be made public before the end of the year.

‘The results aren’t available for really good reason, but I can promise they will be published by the end of the year,’ she said. ‘More than that I can’t say, I’m afraid.’

Dr Stewart went on to discuss the project background, but without touching on the results.

She said that the previous and current governments said they were committed to giving women a choice of where to give birth.

But added that the reality is that some women still have very little choice when it comes to the location.

At the end of her speech there was a question and answer session in which she was grilled for further details on the release of the study results.    

‘The paper will be published in a medical journal, but the medical journal decides when it will be published,’ she said.

‘I’m aware that there are various conspiracy theories going around because people have been anticipating the result.

‘I’m aware that there is a weight of expectation, but I can promise you, hand-on-heart, that the delay is nothing to do with the findings.’

Another member of the audience asked why such a highly anticipated and important study is not being published as a stand-alone document.

Dr Stewart responded: ‘The agreement always was that the birthplace study would be published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, as well as being published in its own right.

‘If it wasn’t published in a peer-reviewed journal it wouldn’t have the same status.’