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Biomedical subjects

Caroline S E Homer

Publications and source records attributed to Caroline S E Homer.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

The development of national competency standards for the midwife in Australia.

OBJECTIVE: to develop and validate national competency standards for midwives in Australia. This study was part of a commissioned national research project to articulate the scope of practice of Australian midwives and to develop national competency standards to assist midwives to deliver safe and competent midwifery care. DESIGN: a multi-method, staged approach was used to collect data through a literature review, workshop consultations, interviews, surveys and written submissions in order to develop national competency standards for Australian midwives. Subsequently, direct observation of practice in a range of settings ensured validation of the competencies. SETTING: maternity-care settings in each state and territory in Australia. PARTICIPANTS: midwives, other health professionals and consumers of midwifery care. FINDINGS: The national competency standards for the midwife were developed through research and consultation before being validated in practice. KEY CONCLUSIONS: the national competency standards are currently being implemented into education, regulation and practice in Australia. These will be minimum competency standards required of all midwives who seek authority to practise as a midwife in Australia. It is expected that all midwives will demonstrate that they are able to meet the competency standards relevant to the position they hold. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: the competency standards establish a national standard for midwives and reinforce responsibility and accountability in the provision of quality midwifery care through safe and effective practice. In addition, individual midwives may use the competency standards as the basis of their ongoing professional development plans.

Australia↗
PubMed2006

An Australian prospective cohort study of risk factors for severe perineal trauma during childbirth.

OBJECTIVE: to determine risk factors for the occurrence of severe perineal trauma (third and fourth degree tears) during childbirth. DESIGN: a prospective cohort study was conducted using the hospital's computerised obstetric information system. Additional data were gathered on women who sustained severe perineal trauma. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to assess risk factors for severe perineal trauma. Midwives were asked to comment on possible reasons for severe perineal trauma. Written responses made by midwives were analysed using content analysis. Discussion groups with midwives were held to further explore their experiences. SETTING: Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: all women having vaginal births (n=6595) in a 2-year period between 1 April 1998 and 31 March 2000, in both the birth centre and the labour ward. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: 2% of women (n=134) experienced severe perineal trauma. One hundred and twenty-two women had third-degree tears and 12 had fourth-degree tears. Primiparity, instrumental delivery, Asian ethnicity and heavier babies were associated with an elevated risk of severe perineal trauma. Midwives identified several factors they believed contributed to severe perineal trauma. These were lack of effective communication with the woman during the birth, different birth positions, delivery technique, ethnicity and obstetric influences. KEY CONCLUSIONS: findings support current knowledge that primiparity, instrumental birth, heavier babies and being of Asian ethnicity are associated with increased rates of severe trauma. Specific attention needs to be paid to the strong association found between being of Asian ethnicity and experiencing severe perineal trauma. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: further identification and validation of the concerns expressed by midwives to reduce severe perineal trauma is warranted so that preventative strategies can be used and researched.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Challenging midwifery care, challenging midwives and challenging the system.

The purpose of this paper is to generate debate and discussion about the state of midwifery services in Australia today. While numerous reports have been published that highlight what women want in maternity care, widespread change has not occurred. This paper presents the story of Alice (a real woman with a fictitious name). Alice's story highlights the challenges that women face in dealing with a system that is often inflexible. While the health systems, and those who work within them, usually have the best intentions to try to provide the type of care that women want, they are not always successful. The paper summarises the evidence and support for models of continuity of midwifery care and outlines a series of strategies to ensure that change can occur. Finally, the paper challenges all midwives to work towards widespread, system-level change in Australian maternity services.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

The clinical utility of routine urinalysis in pregnancy: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether routine urinalysis in the antenatal period facilitates diagnosis of pre-eclampsia. Can routine urinalysis during pregnancy be discontinued in women with normal results of dipstick urinalysis and microscopy at the first antenatal visit? DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: A metropolitan public hospital and a private hospital in Sydney (NSW). PARTICIPANTS: One thousand women were enrolled at their first antenatal visit (March to November 1999), and 913 completed the study. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was a diagnosis of de novo hypertension (gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, or pre-eclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension). RESULTS: Thirty-five women had dipstick proteinuria at their first antenatal visit. In 25 (71%) of these women, further dipstick proteinuria was detected during pregnancy, and two (6%) were diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. Of the 867 without dipstick proteinuria at the first visit, 338 (39%) had dipstick proteinuria (> 1+) at some time during pregnancy. There were no statistically significant differences in the proportion of women with and without dipstick proteinuria at their first visit who developed hypertension during pregnancy. Only six women developed proteinuria before the onset of hypertension. Women who had an abnormal result of a midstream urine test at their first visit, compared with women with a normal result, were more likely to have a urinary tract infection diagnosed during pregnancy; however, the numbers were small. CONCLUSION: In the absence of hypertension, routine urinalysis during pregnancy is a poor predictor of pre-eclampsia. Therefore, after an initial screening urinalysis, routine urinalysis could be eliminated from antenatal care without adverse outcomes for women.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Using the Zelen design in randomized controlled trials: debates and controversies.

BACKGROUND: The use of the randomized consent design (commonly known as the Zelen design) is a controversial issue in randomized controlled trials. In the Zelen design, participants are randomly allocated prior to seeking consent. Those participants allocated to the intervention group are then approached and offered the intervention, which they can decline or accept. Zelen first proposed the design in 1979. It has been used infrequently since this time, although there are some notable exceptions in nursing, midwifery and some medical specialities. AIM: This paper describes the Zelen design, including the two forms used (the single and double consent versions) and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using such a design. METHODS: An explanation of the differences between the Zelen design and a conventional randomized controlled trial is presented. In a conventional design, detailed knowledge of the alternative interventions is given to the prospective participant. The participant gives consent and is allocated to one of the groups. In a Zelen design, participants are randomly allocated and then approached and offered the group to which they were allocated. The Zelen design is used firstly, to reduce disappointment bias in the conventional consent-randomization process, and secondly, to remove subjective bias in the recruitment process. There are concerns relating to the use of the Zelen design, including ethical concerns relating to the timing of random allocation and consent and the collection of clinical data. CONCLUSION: It is hoped that by presenting issues pertaining to the Zelen design, other nursing and midwifery researchers may be prompted to consider its use when designing clinical research. The Zelen design is controversial, and debate about its merits and shortcomings is useful. This paper contributes to the ongoing debate.

Ethics, Nursing↗
PubMed2002

Women's experiences of continuity of midwifery care in a randomised controlled trial in Australia.

OBJECTIVE: to compare the experiences of women who received a new model of continuity of midwifery care with those who received standard hospital care during pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period. DESIGN: a randomised controlled trial was conducted. One thousand and eighty-nine women were randomly allocated to either the new model of care, the St George Outreach Maternity Project (STOMP), or standard care. Women completed a postal questionnaire eight to ten weeks after the birth. PARTICIPANTS: women in the trial were of mixed obstetric risk status and more than half the sample were born in a non-English speaking country. FINDINGS: questionnaires were returned from 69% of consenting women. STOMP women were significantly more likely to have talked with their midwives and doctors about their personal preferences for childbirth and more likely to report that they knew enough about aspects of labour and birth, particularly induction of labour, pain relief and caesarean section. Almost 80% of women in the STOMP group experienced continuity of care, that is, one of their team midwives was present, during labour and birth. STOMP women reported a significantly higher 'sense of control during labour and birth'. Sixty-three per cent of STOMP women reported that they 'knew' the midwife who cared for them during labour compared with 21% of control women. In a secondary analysis, women who had a midwife during labour who they felt that they knew, had a significantly higher sense of 'control' and a more positive birth experience compared with women who reported an unknown midwife. Postnatal care elicited the greatest number of negative comments from women in both the STOMP and the control group. CONCLUSION: The reorganisation of maternity services to enable women to receive continuity of care has benefits for women. The benefits of a known labour midwife needs further research.

Australia↗
PubMed2002

Hypertension in pregnancy: do consensus statements make a difference?

OBJECTIVES: (i) To document variation in management of hypertension in pregnancy; (ii) to determine whether this variation falls within current management guidelines; and (iii) to make recommendations for developing future guidelines. DESIGN: Questionnaire-based survey. SETTING: Australia and New Zealand. POPULATION: All specialist obstetricians. METHODS: Questionnaires were sent to 1198 obstetricians in Australia and New Zealand. Those returned by respondents currently in obstetric practice were analysed. Information was obtained on their current clinical practices relating to the diagnosis and management of hypertension in pregnancy. RESULTS: Of 1198 obstetricians surveyed, 973 (81%) replied. Of these, 686 (71%) were responsible for obstetric care. Considerable variation in practice was found, particularly in relation to the measurement of blood pressure, the determination of hypertension and significant proteinuria, and the decision to institute antihypertensive drug treatment. The recommendations of the Australasian 1993 Consensus Statement appeared to have had little influence on practice. There has been a striking increase in the use of magnesium sulphate for the prevention of convulsions in preeclampsia. CONCLUSIONS: There is significant variation in management of hypertensive pregnancies that differs from current guidelines. It is not known whether this diversity adversely affects clinical outcomes. Until further outcome evidence is available, consensus statements may be better confined to basic aspects of management for which there is high level evidence.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Initial infant feeding decisions and duration of breastfeeding in women from English, Arabic and Chinese-speaking backgrounds in Australia.

Anecdotally, concerns are often expressed about the varying infant feeding decisions among women from different cultural groups. This paper reports the early infant feeding decisions and duration of breastfeeding in 986 women from English, Chinese and Arabic-speaking backgrounds in Sydney during 1997 and 1998. Data were collectedfrom an audit of medical records and through a questionnaire at eight weeks postpartum. Chinese-speaking women were less likely to express an intention to breastfeed and fewer initiated breastfeeding compared with other women. Arabic-speaking women had significantly longer duration rates compared with other women. A greater proportion of the Chinese-speaking women who initiated breastfeeding were still breastfeeding at eight weeks compared with English-speaking women. This study suggests that there are differences in the infant feeding decisions between English, Arabic and Chinese-speaking women. Clinicians need to further understand cultural differences when providing care, education and support in a multicultural context.

Adult↗