Ethnography of antenatal care for the implementation of PFME
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An ethnography of midwifery antenatal care practice to explore challenges, opportunities and concerns for the implementation of pelvic floor muscle exercises (PFME)
IRAS ID
215180
Contact name
Sarah Dean
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Exeter
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 21 days
Research summary
This is a focussed ethnographic study of midwifery antenatal care practice to explore the challenges, opportunities and concerns of healthcare professionals (HCPs) and women regarding the implementation of pelvic floor muscle exercises (PFME) in pregnancy. The study constitutes part of the NIHR funded, ‘Antenatal Preventative Pelvic Floor Exercises and Localisation’ (APPEAL) programme to prevent pregnancy and childbirth related urinary incontinence (UI) by developing and testing a motivational training package for midwives to help women perform pelvic floor exercises correctly and regularly.
Pregnancy and childbirth are major risk factors for UI. Incontinence places a large burden on women’s health; impacting on physical, mental and social quality of life with associated pressure on NHS resources and wider societal costs. A recent Cochrane review showed the efficacy of PFME for prevention and treatment of UI in pregnant and postnatal women (Boyle et al., 2012).
The study will involve interviewing HCPs involved in the antenatal care pathway, ‘work shadowing’ (observations) of midwives providing antenatal care and interviewing women during pregnancy and the postnatal period, across three study sites. The data collection will last for 10 months.
Two case study sites in Devon (Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, and Northern Devon Healthcare NHS trust) and one site in Birmingham (Birmingham Women’s NHS Foundation trust) have been selected to provide a maximum variation sample with regards to different models of antenatal care, service user demographics, and the extent of PFME implementation. The sites chosen span rural, suburban and urban areas, and will afford access to HCPs and service users drawn from a variety of socio-economic status, cultural, religious and ethnic groups. Carrying out ethnographic research across these sites will enable key insights into current midwifery antenatal care in the UK, and inform as to how PFME is, or could be, situated within this.Boyle, R., Hay-Smith, E., Cody, J. D. and Mørkved, S. (2012) 'Pelvic floor muscle training for prevention and treatment of urinary and faecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women', Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 10, pp. CD.
REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/SW/0308
Date of REC Opinion
2 Dec 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion