The Library
Task shifting Midwifery Support Workers as the second health worker at a home birth in the UK : a qualitative study
Tools
Taylor, Beck, Henshall, Catherine, Goodwin, Laura and Kenyon, Sara (2018) Task shifting Midwifery Support Workers as the second health worker at a home birth in the UK : a qualitative study. Midwifery, 62 . pp. 109-115. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2018.03.003 ISSN 0266-6138.
|
PDF
1-s2.0-S0266613818300767-main.pdf - Published Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives 4.0. Download (633Kb) | Preview |
Official URL: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2018.03.003
Abstract
Objective
Traditionally two midwives attend home births in the UK. This paper explores the implementation of a new home birth care model where births to low risk women are attended by one midwife and one Midwifery Support Worker (MSW).
Design and setting
The study setting was a dedicated home birth service provided by a large UK urban hospital.
Participants
Seventy-three individuals over 3 years: 13 home birth midwives, 7 MSWs, 7 commissioners (plan and purchase healthcare), 9 managers, 23 community midwives, 14 hospital midwives.
Method
Qualitative data were gathered from 56 semi-structured interviews (36 participants), 5 semi-structured focus groups (37 participants) and 38 service documents over a 3 year study period. A rapid analysis approach was taken: data were reduced using structured summary templates, which were entered into a matrix, allowing comparison between participants. Findings were written up directly from the matrix (Hamilton, 2013).
Findings
The midwife-MSW model for home births was reported to have been implemented successfully in practice, with MSWs working well, and emergencies well-managed. There were challenges in implementation, including: defining the role of MSWs; content and timing of training; providing MSWs with pre-deployment exposure to home birth; sustainability (recruiting and retaining MSWs, and a continuing need to provide two midwife cover for high risk births). The Service had responded to challenges and modified the approach to recruitment, training and deployment.
Conclusions
The midwife-MSW model for home birth shows potential for task shifting to release midwife capacity and provide reliable home birth care to low risk women. Some of the challenges tally with observations made in the literature regarding role redesign. Others wishing to introduce a similar model would be advised to explicitly define and communicate the role of MSWs, and to ensure staff and women support it, consider carefully recruitment, content and delivery of training and retention of MSWs and confirm the model is cost-effective. They would also need to continue to provide care by two midwives at high risk births.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Subjects: | R Medicine > RG Gynecology and obstetrics | ||||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School | ||||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Childbirth at home -- Great Britain, Labor (Obstetrics) -- Great Britain, Midwifery -- Practice, Maternal health services -- Great Britain, Allied health personnel -- Great Britain, Hospitals -- Maternity services -- Great Britain | ||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Midwifery | ||||||
Publisher: | Elsevier Sci Ltd. | ||||||
ISSN: | 0266-6138 | ||||||
Official Date: | July 2018 | ||||||
Dates: |
|
||||||
Volume: | 62 | ||||||
Page Range: | pp. 109-115 | ||||||
DOI: | 10.1016/j.midw.2018.03.003 | ||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||||
Access rights to Published version: | Open Access (Creative Commons) | ||||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 23 May 2023 | ||||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 24 May 2023 | ||||||
RIOXX Funder/Project Grant: |
|
Request changes or add full text files to a record
Repository staff actions (login required)
View Item |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year