The Listening Project:Listening to mothers, listening to midwives
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Listening Project:Listening to mothers, listening to midwives: a study of conversations between mothers and their midwives on how they experience compassionate care within the childbearing continuum.
IRAS ID
208120
Contact name
Sue Macdonald
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Middlesex University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
3994, Middlesex University Health & Social Care Ethics Committee; 8391 - Dec 2019, Middlesex University Health and Social Care Ethics Committee
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 2 days
Research summary
This project is designed to explore the experience of both childbearing women and midwives, of compassionate care within the pregnancy and childbearing continuum. This continuum begins during pregnancy, and runs through to the postnatal period up until 28 days after the birth of the baby. This is the usual period of time that the midwife will provide care and support to the mother , her baby and family.
The aim of this study is to expand the understanding of what women want and need during their maternity care experience in terms of psychological and social support, and also will highlight what factors impact on midwives to facilitate them in being compassionate, and what their own experience of compassionate care would be.Objectives
The project objectives are to:
• Explore the experience of compassionate care from the perspective of a number of individual mothers;
• Explore the experience of providing compassionate care from a number of midwives, exploring their individual perspective;
• Review factors that might impinge on the midwife’s ability to demonstrate compassion in the provision of maternity care; and
• Consider factors that might assist the midwife to demonstrate compassionate care.The main method is an interview/discussion designed on the principles of the BBC/British Library ‘Listening project’. This will involve the two participants – the mother and the midwife who has provided a significant aspect of care to that woman, to meet together in an audio recorded semi structured interview to talk about their shared experience. The researcher will match the midwife with the woman to whom she provided care. This will involve inviting women, and inviting midwives, and being able to match individuals accordingly. The interview is designed to be a conversation between the two participants (mother and midwife) and will be facilitated by the researcher. This information will be analysed using a qualitative textual analysis.
REC name
London - Westminster Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/1807
Date of REC Opinion
9 Jun 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion