Carol Thorogood and all,
I'm wondering if your research and the funded alternative birth program
included midwifery care provided by midwives who were trained in the
midwifery model of care versus the medical model of care--for example, the
midwives were never nurses nor did they receive the bulk of their training
in institutional settings from medically trained individuals? Did your
study include independent direct-entry midwives?
My apprentice is from Australia and had three homebirths there --which they
paid out-of-pocket. The only midwife she was able to find was also a nurse.
It is her understanding that in order to be registered, one must also be a
nurse? Is that correct?
A recent homebirth study done in Australia did not reflect well on outcomes
and the data collected came from "registered" midwives.
Just wondering.
Yvonne Lapp Cryns
>From: "Carol Thorogood" <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: re-introduction
>Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 22:32:06 +0930
>
>Dear all
>
>I'm a midwife and academic in Perth Western Australia (WA). I'm paid to
>co-ordinate the midwifery programs at Curtin University. Combining the
>roles of clinician, researcher and academic is difficult! I've developed a
>research interest in homebirth. A colleague and I were responsible for the
>evaluation of the Commonwealth funded Alternative Birthing Services Program
>(ABSP) in Western Australia (about $10 million dollars in total). It was
>supposed to fund a range of alternative birthing services. One of its most
>successful projects enabled women to have publicly funded homebirths.
>Before this, only those with the Aust. $1500 could have this birthing
>option. We evaluated this program too!
>
>I'm also desperately trying to complete my PhD. early next year (if I
>survive that long). It's a social policy analysis and interpretive
>critique
>of homebirth services in WA. Its intent is to explore the processes
>whereby
>independent midwifery practice is restricted or enabled by state
>bureaucratic organisations. Through an exploration of the historical,
>social, political and economic influences on the politics of midwifery I've
>provided alternative perspectives from which to view the status quo. I've
>used several of the ABSP projects as case studies to illustrate the
>changing
>power relations between the health bureaucracy, medical profession,
>consumers and the midwives and how these impact on the organisation of
>maternity services. I'm particularly interested in the position of the
>bureaucracy because it has either 'sat on the fence' or stayed out of the
>debate between the medical and midwifery professions. So, by its passivity
>it serves the interests of the medical profession which is not supportive
>of
>homebirth or midwives in private practice.
>
>Carol
>
_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|