Speaker: Linda Sweet and Vidanka Vasilevski
Facilitators: Paola Wilkin and Diana Adarmes
Waste disposal is a significant cost to healthcare organisations. This study sought to understand the impact of a midwife-led intervention to improve waste segregation on staff knowledge and attitudes, waste volume, and waste management-related costs.
Design: A multi-method study including pre and post intervention staff waste management knowledge and attitude surveys and waste audits of bins located on the postnatal ward.
Methods: The intervention included education sessions, posters and signage by waste bins, and monthly newsletters distributed throughout 2021 to raise staff awareness of correct waste segregation processes. Pre-and post-intervention surveys were distributed in early 2021 and early 2022 respectively. The waste audits occurred on three occasions in 2021. The waste audit included total waste in kilograms, waste in kilograms by segregation, and identification of correct and incorrect segregation. Waste audit and quantitative staff survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi square. Qualitative data from the staff surveys were analysed using content analysis.
Results: Knowledge and attitudes to waste management were similar across pre- and post-intervention staff surveys. Knowledge of accurate allocation of specific items to waste streams was variable with errors identified in both the pre-and post-surveys. Waste audit data showed reductions in clinical waste at each measurement, with a 71.2% decrease in clinical waste from baseline to the final audit. The accuracy of waste segregation also improved from the baseline to final audit, resulting in a 48% reduction in waste management costs.
Conclusion: The midwife-led initiative improved waste segregation and achieved waste management cost reduction.
Recording: https://youtu.be/54KV1prNN_w
Speaker: Rizka Ayu Setyani
Facilitator: Terri Downer and Scarlet Woolcott
One of the obstacles to handling HIV is late diagnosis due to a lack of access to diagnostic services in health facilities. In addition, the negative stigma against this disease also makes people reluctant to diagnose at health facilities. Early diagnosis needs to be done, especially in pregnant women, as an essential condition that needs to be known in childbirth and breastfeeding. Unfortunately, the HIV testing policy in Indonesia still has loopholes for the mother or the patient to refuse to take the HIV test. Health workers are required to offer HIV testing, but the mother’s voluntary willingness determines the HIV test. This implementation trial pilot study used random cluster sampling to select seven intervention and seven control sites in Yogyakarta city, Indonesia. Seven intervention health facilities used the EKSTRIM website for three months, from January through April 2022, to educate and do HIV counselling with pregnant women patients. EKSTRIM website was designed for use on mobile phones to improve HIV testing among pregnant women. Health workers managed to record 1,594 visits and were able to increase HIV testing by 6.7% in pregnant women. The EKSTRIM pilot demonstrated the feasibility of implementing a digital healthcare-integrated solution in a low-resource setting, health worker capacity building and patient self-care into a single robust and responsive system. Although the implementation phase was only three months, the pilot generated evidence that EKSTRIM could increase HIV testing uptake.
Recording: https://youtu.be/tG1Vs6rwvHQ
Speaker: Laura Abbott and Tanya Capper
Facilitator: Liz McNeill
It is well understood being pregnant in prison results in risks to the safety and wellbeing of women and their unborn babies. Pregnancy in Prison Partnership – International (PIPPI) is a midwifery and health academic collaboration between Australia, UK, USA, New Zealand and Canada. PIPPI is committed, through collaboratively working with and/or undertaking research, to illuminate the plight of and improve the health and wellbeing of pregnant women and new mothers in prison around the world as well as be global network to build best practice for and with women prisoners. Our presentation will focus upon how our philosophy of working together lead to the birth of PIPPI. Our current and projected international collaborative work will provide a worldwide perspective with recommendations to improve the health of perinatal women in prison highlighting the known health impacts, inconsistencies and challenges of delivering midwifery care within patriarchal carceral institutions designed for punishment rather than health. As an inclusive international group, we look forward to presenting our work and exploring opportunities for future collaborations.
Recording: https://youtu.be/GjL2D3C1INk
Speaker: Lieselotte Vandeputte and Elke Van Den Bergh
Facilitator: Eunice Atsali and Hannah Yawson
The annual report on midwifery-led care during childbirth focusses on midwifery-led care in Belgium. It is the second report to address the underreporting and need for transparency of the work that midwives do autonomously in Belgium.
Design and setting: The research was conducted through an online registrations form. Midwives could register each birth they attended or autonomously performed. 31 midwifery practices with 108 self-employed midwives primarily employed in Flanders and Brussels participated in this registration. Measurements and findings: In total 1,587 labours that started in first line and were also initially planned to give birth in first line under supervision of the midwife were registered. Of these 1,587 registrations, 1,311 deliveries were performed autonomously by the midwife: 695 deliveries took place at home, 278 deliveries were assisted in a hospital, 155 deliveries in a birthing house and 182 in a midwifery led unit inside of a hospital. One delivery took place on the way to the hospital. Finally, 276 women were referred intrapartum to the hospital for medical reasons after which delivery took place under the supervision of the gynecologist.
Key conclusions: MLC is safe and of high quality. Women have a higher chance of a physiological birth. Maternal and neonatal outcomes are excellent and in line with scientific literature. Implications for practice: There is a need for expanding the research into French speaking Belgium and to disseminate more the good results of midwifery led care as a safe and valid birth choice, given the increased demand for it.
Recording: https://youtu.be/99ko4df0kdc
Speakers: Cindy Farley, Jo Lethermon and Emily Western
Facilitators: Ally Anderson & Kinanthi Lebdawicaksaputri(shadow)
Abstract:
Moxibustion refers to the practice of burning the herb “moxa”- mugwort or Artemistae argyi – for its health properties. This practice originated from traditional Chinese medicine. Its most common use in childbearing populations is to assist in turning a breech presenting fetus to vertex prior to labor. This practice has an abundance of evidence attesting to its effectiveness with limited or no harm, and yet it is not often used, in part, due to providers’ lack of understanding. Hypnobirthing is a set of techniques that aim to give women and birthing people a more serene and joyful birthing experience by minimizing the pain and stress commonly associated with labor. Hypnobirthing involves training related to physiologic birth processes, relaxation techniques, self-hypnosis, visualization, light touch, and breathwork. It is taught in classes or workshops and can be supplemented with audio recordings and reading materials. It does not guarantee a completely pain-free labor, however, studies show that many women who use hypnobirthing techniques report having a less painful and more positive birthing experience. Sustaining midwifery mastery of alternative and complementary therapies that provide options to our patients requires education and support. Two Georgetown midwifery students will share the latest information about these therapies in the 9th annual Georgetown University Student Café at the VIDM. Integrative therapies offer a more wholistic approach to health care that combines techniques from several disciplines to be used in lieu of or in conjunction with medical treatments depending on the conditions and patient preference.
Recording: https://youtu.be/JCJzjLVHoN8
