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Heartbeat: Spotlight on research midwives

July 23, 2020

A research midwife may not be something that you are entirely familiar with, but the part they play within our workplace is crucial. The role of a research midwife can be varied and includes procuring studies, recruiting and gaining consent, collecting and analysing data and publicising results. We spoke to research midwives, Sarah Potter and Lavinia Henry to find out more.

Sarah explained: “As part of our role we seek out and assist with the development and delivery of high-quality research studies within our maternity specialty. This includes disseminating information regarding the current research projects to the whole clinical team. It also includes teaching and training. In line with the Trust’s vision that all patient-facing colleagues can play a role in research activity, our goal is to ensure that as many women as possible have the opportunity to access research.”

It is, in fact, their experience as midwives that equips them with the knowledge and skills to excel in research. Lavinia told us: “Trusts that are research active have better patient outcomes. We work as part of clinical care teams in all departments so that research is integrated and a normal part of patient care.

“As midwives, we have expert knowledge of our client group, clinical environment and pathways, having worked in the maternity department before moving into research. This practical experience helps us to plan recruitment strategies, identify and overcome any potential barriers.”

She added: “An example of what we do includes explaining studies to potential recruits, whilst gaining and recruiting individuals for different studies, e.g. recruiting pregnant women, postnatal women and neonates into studies. We also conduct follow-ups, plus gather data and samples as required.”

Currently, there are several maternity studies ongoing all with the focus of developing and improving the effectiveness of care. Some of our current research trials include:

  • Induction of labour, A RCT comparing two different treatments for induction and the effect of each on outcome.
  • Prevention of preterm labour, a trial examining whether the choice of materials for a cervical stitch procedure has any influence on outcomes.
  • Development of care pathways, analysing the timing of delivery for women whose babies are large for gestational age.
  • The donation of umbilical cord samples at elective c/sections to be used in the development and improvement of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease.
  • Smoking cessation.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the team have been actively involved in research trials that are unique to the pandemic. Sarah commented: “Though challenging, this has been a unique opportunity for us to be actively involved with live, rapidly evolving studies examining the effectiveness of study treatments for a condition where there are no proven effective therapies. These research trials involve stepping out of our comfort zone to work in new areas, such as ITU and AMU, to meet the demands of the service.”

Sarah added: “Some of these studies are also open to maternity patients, and the experience gained on the wards means we are ready to support the maternity team with the delivery of these studies. Maternity also has a registry study open for women who have experienced COVID-19, or its symptoms, during pregnancy or the postnatal period. We are both looking forward to spending some time back ‘home’ in maternity identifying patients for this study.”