
Speaker: Ally Anderson
Facilitator(s): Kate Frith
Abstract:
Background: Midwives are the foundation to reducing maternal and neonatal mortality. Midwives facilitate physiological birth processes to support and enable women to have an optimal birth. Maternity care in the Czech Republic is obstetric led, medicalised and patriarchal. The Midwifery Unit Network collaborated with a Czech hospital to provide training for midwives on optimal birth techniques as part of a wider initiative to develop the first midwife-led unit in Prague. Aim: To explore the facilitators and barriers for implementing the learning objectives of a bespoke ‘Optimal Birth’ Programme into practice in a state hospital in Prague, Czech Republic. Method: A qualitative descriptive phenomenological approach was followed. Purposive sampling was used to select nine participants who met the selection criteria, were willing to participate, and signed the consent form. Data collection was via two participation observations and semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was carried out on the data retrieved. Results: Six main themes emerged: politics and society, organisational culture, supporting physiology, models of care and technology use, resources to support practice shift and supporting the practice shift. Discussion: Many facilitators and barriers were discussed, ranging from the political and organisational level to the funding and resources available and the confidence of the individual practitioners.
Recording: https://youtu.be/VUdhypSe8B4

