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Bilkis Vissandjée

Publications and source records attributed to Bilkis Vissandjée.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Midwives in Morocco: seeking recognition as skilled partners in women-centred maternity care.

Around the world, midwives are increasingly being called upon to provide skilled care for pregnant women and newborns. In Morocco, there is a persistent lack of professional recognition of midwifery, which is consistent with widespread gender inequality and women's low status. Midwifery training in Morocco has evolved since the 1960s into a three-year undergraduate programme. Despite this, there is currently a shortfall of midwives to attend the large number of births in Morocco. Midwives have only partially replaced traditional birth attendants, especially in rural areas. Maternal mortality remains high. However, several recent government policies reflect increased attention to women's needs, e.g. since February 2006, midwives may be eligible for reimbursement should a medical doctor be unavailable. Since 1990, the Moroccan Midwives Association has been actively encouraging midwifery curriculum review, improvements in training and the professional status of midwifery. Partnerships with international midwifery associations have revealed challenges encountered elsewhere and helped us to establish specific strategies for promoting the professional recognition, autonomy and visibility of midwifery in Morocco. In a cultural context such as Morocco's, a disciplinary link between midwives and the medical community seems crucial. However, only with recognition of midwives as competent, skilled and valued partners can midwifery practice in Morocco progressively evolve into women-centred maternity care.

Cultural Characteristics↗
PubMed2003

The cultural context of gender, identity: female genital, excision and infibulation.

Our goal is to explore the practices of female genital excision and infibulation as they relate to gender identity and the acculturation process in Canada. We examined relevant research on these issues and share the results of a nationwide project conducted in 1997-1999 among 162 Canadian immigrants from regions in Africa where practices of excision and infibulation are still in effect. Our discussion of gender identity is inextricably linked to notions about the ways in which girls, women, and virginity are socially constructed. The complexity of the acculturation process along with the integration within a host society is highlighted and the conflicting identities available to women are brought to the fore.

Acculturation↗
PubMed2002

Focus groups in rural Gujarat, India: a modified approach.

Focus groups have become increasingly popular in health research. However, their feasibility depends on the context of such research. Through discussion of focus groups they conducted in rural India, the authors argue that successful focus groups in rural contexts must be culturally sensitive, with a research team that goes beyond the mere technicalities of collecting data. A culturally competent focus group can result when the research team has geographic, political, economic, and sociocultural knowledge related to the research area and its population. With extensive local collaboration, foreign researchers are better able to conduct data collection respectfully. The authors provide recommendations for future studies toward increasing the cultural appropriateness of focus groups in areas such as rural India.

Ethics↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[A research partnership in a multiethnic setting].

The objective of this paper is to describe a research partnership endeavour with five community organizations focusing their work on facilitating the integration of immigrant populations in the Montreal area. Survey data were collected in order to obtain a sociodemographic picture of recent immigrant women (n = 254), their knowledge of Info-Santé CLSC services and their use of those services. Focus group discussions were also carried out to explore the needs of these women with regards to the various services offered by Info-Santé CLSC (n = 44). Among these women, some had previously used the services and others not. The community organizations were the main crafters of this research partnership across the various stages from its inception to evaluation. The success factors of such a partnership are discussed according to human, professional and organizational dimensions.

Acculturation↗