FINAL BOOK OF ABSTRACTS 2019

School of Nursing and Midwifery Scoil an Altranais agus an Chnáimhseachais

Baby’s First Hug: Establishing skin-to-skin contact during caesarean birth using Participatory Action Research

Author(s)

Alex Campbell

Affiliation(s) CUMH Abstract

Background: Research to date has indicated that the benefits of skin-to-skin contact during caesarean birth include lower infection and NICU admission rates for new- borns, and better birth and breastfeeding experiences for mothers (Posthuma et al. 2017, Schneider et al. 2017, Vila-Candel et al. 2017, Stevens et al. 2019). While it can be a challenging transition for staff, research indicates the results are worth it, with more women-centred care leading to greater job satisfaction for midwives and healthcare staff (Koopman et al. 2016, Stevens et al. 2016). Aim: To introduce and establish skin-to-skin contact as routine care during caesarean birth and to explore staff and maternal perceptions to the practice in a large, tertiary maternity hospital in Ireland. Methods: Participatory Action Research design to collect data from theatre staff and women having elective caesarean births. One-to-one interviews, focus groups, field observations and clinical audits were carried out with staff. Content analysis was used to explore staff attitudes to the introduction of skin-to-skin contact and to changing practice. Mothers were asked to complete questionnaires which were analysed with IBM SPSS_25. Results: Skin-to-skin contact in theatre increased from 0% in 2018 to 77% in 2019 for elective caesarean births. Overall rates in the first hour of life rose from 28.9% to 87.5% for all caesarean births. Staff are motivated to overcome barriers such as equipment restrictions, busy theatre lists, and cultural norms when exposed to education, hospital support, and positive feedback from mothers and birth partners. Mothers have better birth experiences when facilitated to have skin-to-skin contact and want minimal separation from their babies to be standard practice during caesarean birth. Conclusion: It is safe and feasible to establish skin-to-skin contact in theatre for all well mothers and babies, and the practice is recommended to promote better birth experiences and outcomes.

Students’ experiences from a refugee camp: promoting new perspectives on nursing

Author(s) Kirsti Henriksen Affiliation(s) The arctic university of Norway, UiT Abstract

Background: Increasing numbers of students have international placements both in developed and developing countries. Previous studies found that students gain in international understanding and personal development. Do these placements help to develop better nurses? Clinical placements in refugee camps are not yet described in literature. Aim: To explore how clinical placements in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon may contribute in developing nursing competence.

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