UCC SONM 25 Year Book

UCC / School of Nursing and Midwifery

Image taken after the launch of the Young Knocknaheeny Project Report - Preparing for a Whole Community Prevention and Early Intervention Programme 2011-2015. Includes Dr. Margaret Curtin from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, UCC.

COMMUNITY AND FAMILY HEALTH

The research team led by Dr. Leahy-Warren are qualified research-experienced nurses, midwives, public health nurses, an epidemiologist, and a statistician committed to improving the bio-psychosocial health of women, mothers, fathers and their children. The context of the research reflects the diverse clinical care settings from hospital wards, out-reach community clinics, primary care centres to people’s own homes. Research areas of expertise include midwifery led care, public health nursing care, transition to motherhood, fatherhood and parenthood, perinatal mental health, parental concerns in relation to child growth and development, parental/infant attachment, nurse/client relationships, working with vulnerable families, social support, the experience of pregnancy after pregnancy loss, maternal parental self-efficacy, postnatal depression, tocophobia, infant feeding including breastfeeding, social support, kangaroo care, preterm parenting, and many others. The aim of the group is to lead and collaborate in developing multidisciplinary research. The purpose of the research is to support women, children, fathers and families throughout the perinatal period from preconception to the early years of a child’s life in diverse social community settings. Examples of outputs include: • Development of a skills based programme of education for the provision of breastfeeding support. The project had 3 phases: analysis and synthesis of empirical research; collation of national data including telephone interviews with key stakeholder breastfeeding educators on current skills based education. The third and final phase was the development of an evidence-based curriculum. • An Evidence Review on Current Models of Registered Nursing & Midwifery Practice in the Community to Inform Policy Development. • An evaluation of the Young Knocknaheeny area based prevention and early intervention programme. The programme seeks to address child poverty by supporting childrens’ earliest development to get their lives off to the best possible start. • A report relating to Women’s Experience of Maternity Care in the South/South West Hospital Group.

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