Anyone committed to qualitative research as a way of illuminating women's
experience of maternity care may be encouraged to know that the British
Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology carried a major review and editorial
piece on the value of qualitative research in the March edition. The
editorial piece was especially interesting as it states:
* that quantitative studies with their exclusive focus on clinical
outcomes of research interest to obstetricians has silenced women's
experience of many of these interventions and gives the example of induction
of labour and active management of labour
* admits that the vast majority of women are not ill during pregnancy,
labour and the postnatal period and therefore exclusive focus on morbidity
and mortality is inappropriate
* that many screening and diagnostic tests are unreliable according to
sensitivity, specificity and predictive value criteria yet continue to be
studied, invested in and widely used leading to excessive intervention rates
and that we should focus on areas of care that are important to women.
Has the 'penny really dropped' at last for our obstetric colleagues after
decades of midwives and women banging on about these concerns. I hope so.
Denis Walsh
Midwifery Lecturer Ext: 3827
De Montfort University Tel: 0116 2013827
Charles Frears Campus
266 London Rd
Leicester LE1 2RQ
Grant J (2001) Editors Choice. British Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
108:231--32
Pope C & Campbell R (2001) Qualitative research in obstetrics and
gynaecology. British Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology 108:233-37-
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