Does a Realist Review have the potential to change midwifery practice?
Abstract
Background: Premature birth is a significant contributor to infant mortality and morbidity. The medical profession has been unable to have any significant impact on the incidence of premature births in the last decade.... [ view full abstract ]
Background:
Premature birth is a significant contributor to infant mortality and morbidity. The medical profession has been unable to have any significant impact on the incidence of premature births in the last decade. Furthermore, the efficacy of the current medical treatments is unclear: they are often traumatic for women and their families and the babies may suffer varying degrees of morbidity.
In New Zealand midwives are the main care providers in most uncomplicated births. When a woman is identified as being at risk of having a preterm birth or goes into labour prematurely, her care is transferred to obstetric specialist care.
Evidence suggests a wide range of causes are responsible for premature births, they range from anxiety, depression and stress, to gum disease, infections and immune responses.
I will argue that it is time for midwives take up the challenge and explore the preventative and alternative measures they could consider implementing.
Aim:
The aim of this presentation is to identify how a realist synthesis review can identify strategies that midwives could introduce which may be able to go some way to prevent preterm births.
Method:
A literature review was used to explore the evidence which supports current medical interventions, then a realist synthesis review was undertaken to analyse all of the evidence which supports alternative treatment approaches.
The advantage of the realist review is that the research evidence which will be accepted is broad. The randomised controlled trials will not be considered the gold standard, rather an extensive search of sources of knowledge from all appropriate disciplines will be valued, critically analysed and synthesised.
The findings will be used to formulate realistic, non-medical approaches to preventing premature labour, which would be more acceptable to women. Then an evaluation will be possible and the mechanisms that influence outcomes will be identified.
Findings
There are number of strategies which seem promising, several of these are simple, low cost and allow women themselves to control their implementation.
Authors
-
Beryl Davies
(Auckland University of Technology)
Topic Areas
Please select one of the following:: Realist synthesis , Please select a maximum of two themes from the following list:: Realist Impact Assessments
Session
SO-4 » Realism in Action IV (11:30 - Tuesday, 4th October, Frobisher Room 4)
Presentation Files
The presenter has not uploaded any presentation files.