{"title":"Accessing Care: Experiences of Minoritised Ethnic Communities.","authors":"H Richards, L Parsons, E Heeley, J Hill, C Harris","doi":"10.55975/TWNH7196","DOIUrl":"10.55975/TWNH7196","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":35678,"journal":{"name":"Practising Midwife","volume":"28 6","pages":"36-40"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7619414/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148851685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sally Haymes, Abbie McCleary, Raeesa Jassat, Naomi Charlton, Emma Meekin, Valerio Benedetto, James Hill
{"title":"Enabling Access to Enhanced Care Models for Vulnerable Women.","authors":"Sally Haymes, Abbie McCleary, Raeesa Jassat, Naomi Charlton, Emma Meekin, Valerio Benedetto, James Hill","doi":"10.55975/WNFJ1758","DOIUrl":"10.55975/WNFJ1758","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Enhanced pregnancy care models for vulnerable women could increase utilisation of services and improve clinical outcomes for the mothers and their babies. This commentary critically appraised a systematic review which looked at the change in service utilisation and effectiveness of enhanced care for women in high-income countries, and found methodological limitations that should be considered when interpreting the review's results. Expanding from the findings of the review, we drew implications for practice focused on the UK context as well as recommendations for future research.</p>","PeriodicalId":35678,"journal":{"name":"Practising Midwife","volume":"28 5","pages":"8-12"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7619555/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149216694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bookless Rebekah, Charlton Naomi, Smith Joanne, Doherty Alison, Harrison Joanna, Hill James Edward
{"title":"Perspectives on antenatal education: a commentary.","authors":"Bookless Rebekah, Charlton Naomi, Smith Joanne, Doherty Alison, Harrison Joanna, Hill James Edward","doi":"10.55975/QDCU6150","DOIUrl":"10.55975/QDCU6150","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This commentary critically appraises a systematic review that assessed the impact of antenatal education on pregnancy (physical and mental health) outcomes, and on physical health outcomes for infants in the perinatal period. The commentary considers the review's findings alongside other existing related research, which may provide insights for the further development of antenatal education, and the latent potential to improve outcomes for prospective parents and infants.</p>","PeriodicalId":35678,"journal":{"name":"Practising Midwife","volume":"28 5","pages":"23-27"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7618559/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145913211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Prevention: A Commentary.","authors":"Catherine Gallagher, James Hill","doi":"10.55975/TPDP7486","DOIUrl":"10.55975/TPDP7486","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) poses a significant global health challenge, with a prevalence ranging from 10-25%, making it one of the most prevalent complications of pregnancy. The rates vary across countries, ethnicities, and diagnostic thresholds. In the UK alone, GDM affects approximately 35,000 pregnancies annually, reflecting an escalating trend. Elevated blood glucose levels in pregnancy exhibit a linear correlation with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, contributing to complications such as large for gestational age babies, increased caesarean section rates, shoulder dystocia, neonatal hypoglycaemia, intensive care admissions, and stillbirth. While any woman can develop GDM, well-established risk factors include a body mass index (BMI) above 30, maternal age over 40, previous GDM instances, a history of delivering babies weighing over 4.5kg, and specific ethnic backgrounds. This commentary discusses the Cochrane umbrella review by Griffith et al. (2020), which evaluates the effectiveness of various lifestyle-focused interventions commonly employed for GDM prevention. Given the multitude of risk factors, early interventions before or during pregnancy hold promise in mitigating the likelihood of GDM development.</p>","PeriodicalId":35678,"journal":{"name":"Practising Midwife","volume":"27 5","pages":"24-28"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7616812/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142648901","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emma Schneider, Oliver Hamer, Chris Smith, James Hill
{"title":"Weight loss interventions for improving fertility: a synthesis of current evidence.","authors":"Emma Schneider, Oliver Hamer, Chris Smith, James Hill","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Infertility is a widespread issue which is estimated to affect up to 17.5% of the global population. Evidence suggests that the most common causes of female infertility are ovulation disorders (e.g., polycystic ovary syndrome). That said, lifestyle factors such as dietary patterns, stress, alcohol consumption, smoking, and obesity are key determinants which have been shown to impact female physiology and significantly decrease the chances of conception. Obesity has been widely recognized as a significant factor that negatively impacts ovarian stimulation in women and is associated with several reproductive disorders, including anovulation, subfertility, and infertility. Despite improvements in fertility treatments, obesity remains a challenge particularly for fertility clinics because of the poorer pregnancy outcomes observed within the population. In this article, we will explore the effects of weight loss on female fertility and review the various strategies that have been shown to be effective in reducing obesity and improving reproductive outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":35678,"journal":{"name":"Practising Midwife","volume":"27 2","pages":"34-39"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7616287/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141753018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emma Schneider, Oliver Hamer, Chris Smith, James Hill
{"title":"Evaluating the association of female obesity with the risk of live birth following IVF: Implications for clinical practice.","authors":"Emma Schneider, Oliver Hamer, Chris Smith, James Hill","doi":"10.1093/humupd/dmz011","DOIUrl":"10.1093/humupd/dmz011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Obesity is a well-established risk factor for infertility. Consequentially, women living with obesity may require fertility treatment to support them to conceive. Due to evidence suggesting obesity is also linked with poorer outcomes following in vitro fertilisation (IVF), local commissioning guidelines on assisted conception recommend a BMI of <30kg/m<sup>2</sup> before IVF can commence. However, it is currently unclear if these guidelines are evidence based. This commentary aims to critically appraise a recent systematic review by Sermondade et al, 2019 and expand upon the implications of the findings for clinical practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":35678,"journal":{"name":"Practising Midwife","volume":"27 ","pages":"20240101"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7616286/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141753017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An Ethnographic Study of the Philosophy, Culture and Practices Within an Urban Freestanding Midwifery Unit: Part 2 – Staff Perspectives","authors":"Dr Lucia Rocca-Ihenacho","doi":"10.55975/xdki4487","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55975/xdki4487","url":null,"abstract":"This study, the second in a series of four articles, focuses on the key characteristics that ensure the effective functioning of midwifery units (MU). Article one described the study methodology and methods. This second article focuses on staff experiences and perspectives of working at the freestanding midwifery units (FMU) and what they perceived as crucial to embed best practices and a positive team spirit. The aim of this study was to shed light on philosophy, organisational culture and practices within a FMU model of care. The setting was a FMU in East London.","PeriodicalId":35678,"journal":{"name":"Practising Midwife","volume":"81 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135810136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Skin You’re in: Nurturing your Body’s Protective Shield","authors":"Claire Metcalfe","doi":"10.55975/aghm2051","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55975/aghm2051","url":null,"abstract":"Let’s be honest here, lots of us midwives and students don’t take the care of our skin that it actually needs and deserves. With our busy jobs and jam-packed lives, how much consideration do we give to the care of our largest organ? Let that land for a moment – our LARGEST organ.","PeriodicalId":35678,"journal":{"name":"Practising Midwife","volume":"48 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135811412","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Helen Elliott-Mainwaring, Charlotte Phillips, Paul Bowie
{"title":"What are Human Factors and Ergonomics?","authors":"Helen Elliott-Mainwaring, Charlotte Phillips, Paul Bowie","doi":"10.55975/ztyk9365","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55975/ztyk9365","url":null,"abstract":"This is the second of four co-written papers for the Advancing Practice series. In our first paper published in The Practising Midwife July 2023 issue, we explored patient safety in maternity and midwifery care. Here, we discuss ‘Human Factors and Ergonomics’ within healthcare, maternity and midwifery. The reflection points throughout this Advancing Practice piece are adapted from the NHS Education for Scotland’s Safety Culture Discussion Cards.1 In this paper, we hope to support midwives’ understanding of the current maternity safety landscape via a Human Factors perspective.","PeriodicalId":35678,"journal":{"name":"Practising Midwife","volume":"65 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135810427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Screening for Low Papp-A: Inconsistencies and Incongruities","authors":"Perdy Foster","doi":"10.55975/qfyq4080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55975/qfyq4080","url":null,"abstract":"Summary When women and birthing people are found to have low PAPP-A at the combined test for chromosomal abnormalities (Down’s syndrome, Edwards’ syndrome and Patau’s syndrome) it has major implications for their pregnancy, labour and delivery. However, neither women nor their midwives are informed that PAPP-A results will be looked at independently, or that recommendations of care will be based on these results, and neither is consent gained for this. In addition, the question arises of why screening for low PAPP-A is not offered to all women (regardless of their decision to have screening for chromosomal abnormalities) given its potentially serious implications.","PeriodicalId":35678,"journal":{"name":"Practising Midwife","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135810121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}