EquiBirth Project

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    EquiBirth project: improving choice, informed consent and respect for women/ birthing people from racial and ethnic minorities accessing UK maternity care

  • IRAS ID

    341434

  • Contact name

    Naomi Taylor

  • Contact email

    naomi.taylor5@nhs.net

  • Sponsor organisation

    Nottingham University Hospitals

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    3 years, 0 months, 1 days

  • Research summary

    Work programme one (WP1) will involve a realist review. The review will identify and refine programme theories that have the potential to improve respect, choice and informed consent for women from racial and ethnic minorities accessing UK maternity care. The resulting theory-based understanding will provide the basis for work programme two (WP2).

    Work Programme two (WP2) will:

    1. Draw on experience-based co-design methodologies to develop and refine interventions that aim to improve choice, informed consent and respect for women from racial and ethnic minorities accessing UK maternity care
    2. Assess the acceptability and feasibility of the underlying programme theories, intervention components and evaluation design (the latter of which is outlined in WP3)

    WP3 (the realist evaluation) will utilise a case study design to test and refine the programme theories (mechanism-context-outcome configurations) underlying the intervention developed in WP2 in different maternity contexts. A case study design has been chosen as the methodology lends itself to the in-depth study of a phenomenon (in this case an intervention and its underlying programme theory) in real-world contexts (UK maternity settings).

  • REC name

    South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    25/SC/0228

  • Date of REC Opinion

    19 Aug 2025

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion