FutureSuture
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Future Suture: A mixed methods study to develop and sustain skills, competencies and confidence of newly registered midwives to manage, assess and repair maternal perineal trauma.
IRAS ID
343743
Contact name
Beck Taylor
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Warwick
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 30 days
Research summary
What is the problem?
Each year in the UK, around 450,000 women have a vaginal birth with the support of a midwife. Most of these women have experience a tear to their perineum (the skin or muscle between the vagina and anus) or need an episiotomy (a cut performed by a midwife or doctor to help them to give birth). All midwives should be skilled in cutting an episiotomy, should be able to assess the type of perineal tear a woman has suffered and be able to stich perineal tears. Stitching of more severe anal sphincter tears requires specialist training and is carried out by doctors.
Studies show midwives do not feel confident in their knowledge to assess tears, to stitch tears, to hold instruments needed to stitch tears or to cut an episiotomy. This means that many women do not have care from midwives skilled and confident to assess and manage perineal tears. Sometimes women have ‘missed’ injuries as their midwife failed to correctly identify these at the birth. Women can also experience life-long pain and discomfort from perineal tears or episiotomies which were not correctly stitched.
What will we do?
Our study team brings together women who experienced perineal tears, researchers and midwives who have led studies to improve perineal care.
We will interview up to 60 women, midwifery students and midwives to find out what they think should be included in perineal care training for this group of midwives. We will review and compare what they tell us. We will then write this up in a report. Once this study is finished, we will work with women and midwives and use the results from this study to produce a new way of training midwives to provide perineal care.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/NW/0332
Date of REC Opinion
3 Dec 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion