Practitioner accreditation for the practice of water immersion during labour and birth: Results from a mixed methods study.
Accreditation
Childbirth
Choice
Water immersion
Waterbirth
Journal
Women and birth : journal of the Australian College of Midwives
ISSN: 1878-1799
Titre abrégé: Women Birth
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 101266131
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Jun 2019
Jun 2019
Historique:
received:
08
10
2017
revised:
21
08
2018
accepted:
21
08
2018
pubmed:
10
9
2018
medline:
6
8
2019
entrez:
10
9
2018
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Water immersion for labour and birth is an option that is increasingly favoured by women. Australian water immersion policies and guidelines commonly specify that practitioners, such as midwives, must undertake further education and training to become accredited. A three-phase mixed methods approach was used. Phase one used critical discourse analysis to determine who or what informs policies and guidelines related to water immersion for labour and/or birth. Phase two examined policy and guideline informants' experiences of the development of policies/guidelines, whilst phase three surveyed Australian midwives' views and experiences of water immersion and their use of and/or involvement in the development of policies and guidelines. Practitioner accreditation for the facilitation of water immersion was a common finding across all phases of the study. An examination of policies and guidelines found that practitioners, namely midwives, were required to meet additional training requirements to facilitate water immersion. Participants of phases two and three identified and discussed accreditation as a significant challenge to the option of water immersion, particularly where there were inconsistencies across documents and in the interpretation of their content. The need for practitioners to be accredited to facilitate water immersion was identified as a major barrier to availability and therefore, women's ability to access the option. Given these findings, the need for accreditation should be challenged.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Water immersion for labour and birth is an option that is increasingly favoured by women. Australian water immersion policies and guidelines commonly specify that practitioners, such as midwives, must undertake further education and training to become accredited.
METHOD
METHODS
A three-phase mixed methods approach was used. Phase one used critical discourse analysis to determine who or what informs policies and guidelines related to water immersion for labour and/or birth. Phase two examined policy and guideline informants' experiences of the development of policies/guidelines, whilst phase three surveyed Australian midwives' views and experiences of water immersion and their use of and/or involvement in the development of policies and guidelines.
FINDINGS
RESULTS
Practitioner accreditation for the facilitation of water immersion was a common finding across all phases of the study. An examination of policies and guidelines found that practitioners, namely midwives, were required to meet additional training requirements to facilitate water immersion. Participants of phases two and three identified and discussed accreditation as a significant challenge to the option of water immersion, particularly where there were inconsistencies across documents and in the interpretation of their content.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSIONS
The need for practitioners to be accredited to facilitate water immersion was identified as a major barrier to availability and therefore, women's ability to access the option. Given these findings, the need for accreditation should be challenged.
Identifiants
pubmed: 30196039
pii: S1871-5192(17)30503-6
doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2018.08.165
pii:
doi:
Substances chimiques
Water
059QF0KO0R
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Pagination
255-262Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2018 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.