RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

The Collaboration for Maternal and Newborn Health is pleased to announce we have received funding to support as series of six studies as part of Health Canada's Interprofessional Education for Collaborative Patient-Centered Practice (IECPCP) initiative. The six studies focus on enhancing interprofessional education opportunities for health care students. A brief summary of each project is provided below.

Multidisciplinary Intrapartum Workshop

This project continues the work of an Interprofessional teaching group which has been conducting an Intrapartum Care Workshop for midwifery, medical, and nursing students over the last two years at the University of British Columbia. The workshop was developed and is taught by Obstetricians, Family Physicians, Midwives, Nurses, and Doulas to help foster an interest in obstetrics and maternity care. The aim of this study is to develop teaching modules adapted from the current workshop in order to expand the program and offer it to other sites around the province of British Columbia.

To access the Intrapartum Workshop modules, click here

Doula Support Program

Fir Square is an inpatient maternity care unit at B.C. Women's Hospital which cares for women struggling with addictions throughout their pregnancy and following the birth of their baby. This program aims to provide Doula training and education about substance use to midwifery, medical, and nursing students and to match them with a woman in the Fir square program. Students will work in teams and will provide support to the woman through labour and the postpartum period.

Interdisciplinary Community Forum on Issues of Rural Maternity Care

Over the past four years there has been a decline in the availability of maternity services in the rural areas of British Columbia. New models of maternity care must be developed collaboratively with key stakeholders to address the needs of rural women throughout the province. This study aims to pilot an interprofessional community forum which integrates medical, nursing, and midwifery students with community residents to help foster discussion on the role of birth in their community.

For more information please see the conferences/forums section of our website or click here

To view the complete report on the rural forum, click here

Training Modules for Obstetrical Caregivers: Postpartum Hemorrhage

Currently in British Columbia there is a shortage of maternity care providers as well as a shortage of preceptor sites in which to train them. Alternate forms of education must be developed in order to meet the needs of maternity care students. This project aims to develop a computer module which will help train students to work in interprofessional teams to recognize and manage postpartum hemorrhage. This module will also be made available to staff of all disciplines at BC Women's Hospital.

To access the postpartum module, go to http://in-bc.ca/moodle/ and use the following login:

username: guest
password: guest

Evaluation of Multidisciplinary Clerkship

This study aims to evaluate the role a multidisciplinary Obstetrics and Gynecology clerkship has in influencing the selection of maternity care as part of their professional practice. This study consists of a questionnaire designed to evaluate the influence different teaching strategies have on whether medical students choose to provide maternity care. It will be conducted among medical students at five different sites across Canada.

Interdisciplinary Workshop to Promote Breastfeeding and Healthy Infant Sleep Practices

This workshop will be developed to promote the role of the health care team in the management of successful breastfeeding and the promotion of healthy infant sleep practices. Workshop participants will learn through collaborative learning strategies involving case studies and best practices. The workshop will be made available on CD ROM for use in other teaching sites and to providers of maternity care in communities throughout the province.

To access the breastfeeding and infant sleep module, go to http://in-bc.ca/moodle/ and use the following login:

username: guest
password: guest