MW7006 Midwifery Research - Evidence for Midwifery Practice (5 ECTS)

 

Learning Outcomes

Following completion of this module the student should be able to:

• Identify salient research and evidence supporting midwifery practice;
  
• Articulate sources of knowledge upon which midwifery practice is based and demonstrate the ability to obtain these;
  
• Differentiate between the myriad of approaches to research;
  
• Demonstrate an understanding of the features of the research process through examining examples of
  both qualitative and quantitative research approaches;
  
• Review, analyse and critique research;
  
• Relate and compare research findings and evidence to midwifery practice in Ireland;
  
• Discuss the role of research and evidence in influencing midwifery and obstetric practices and policy formulation in Ireland;
  
• Discuss the role of midwifery practice in influencing research and theory generation;
  
• Consider the factors involved in conducting research;
  
• Discuss the ethical issues that must be considered when doing research in a maternity care setting;
  
• Relate research findings and evidence to information given by midwives to women;
  
• Demonstrate the ability to conduct and complete a literature review and begin to discuss the findings
  alongside contemporaneous midwifery practice in Ireland and elsewhere.

Module Learning Aims & Rationale

Effective midwifery practice demands that midwives base their care on current research and evidence.
This can only be achieved through the incremental and ongoing development of the skills necessary to
access, review, analyse and critique information available nationally and internationally.
The aim of this module is to immerse midwifery students in midwifery knowledge by introducing them to
the sources of the seminal readings and research. It is also designed to introduce students to the
essential concepts/components upon which midwifery is based and starts with focusing on each
student's personal knowledge and means of acquiring knowledge. The module builds on the student's
knowledge of the research process. It facilitate them to develop their skills in the process of reviewing,
analysing and critiquing research and highlighting implications for practice to ensure that care offered to
women is underpinned by the most appropriate evidence based knowledge. Midwifery students will also
examine and explore in detail the knowledge and evidence of a particular aspect of midwifery practice of
their choosing.

Recommended Reading List

Indicative Resources

• Bryman A. (2008) Social Research Methods, 3rd edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  
• Cluett E. and Bluff R. (eds.) (2006) Principles and Practice of Research in Midwifery, 2nd edn. Churchill Livingstone, London.
  
• Gerrish K. and Lacey A. (eds.) (2010) The Research Process in Nursing, 6th edn. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford.
  
• Rees C. (2002) An Introduction to Research for Midwives, 2nd edn. Books for Midwives Press, Cheshire.
  

Additional Reading

• Bell J. (2010) Doing your Research Project: A Guide for First-time Researchers in Education, Health and Social Science, 5th edn. Open University Press, Buckingham.
  
• Burns N. and Grove S.K. (2006) Understanding Nursing Research, 4th edn. Saunders, London.
  
• Hart, C. (1998) Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination. Sage Publications, London.
  
• LoBiondo-Wood, G., Haber J. (2002) Nursing Research: Methods and Critical Appraisal for Evidence-Based Practice, 7th edn. Mosby, London.
  
• Parahoo K. (2006) Nursing Research: Principles, Process and Issues. Palgrave Macmillan, London.
  
• Polit, D.F., Beck, C.T. (2008) Nursing Research: Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice, 8th edn. Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, London.
  
• Proctor S. and Renfrew M. (eds.) (2000) Linking Research and Practice in Midwifery: A Guide to Evidence-Based Practice. Balliere Tindall, London.
  
• Wickham S. (2006) Appraising Research Into Childbirth: An Interactive Workbook. Butterworth Heinemann, London.

* Additional readings will be given for each unit of learning.