Publications by authors named "Caroline E S Homer"

Objective: To explore the relationship between the birth environment and the practice of midwifery using the theoretical approach of critical realism.

Background: The practice of midwifery has significant influence on the experiences and health outcomes of childbearing women. In the developed world most midwifery takes place in hospitals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To pilot test the Birth Unit Design Spatial Evaluation Tool (BUDSET) in an Australian maternity care setting to determine whether such an instrument can measure the optimality of different birth settings.

Background: Optimally designed spaces to give birth are likely to influence a woman's ability to experience physiologically normal labor and birth. This is important in the current industrialized environment, where increased caesarean section rates are causing concerns.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To develop a tool known as the Birth Unit Design Spatial Evaluation Tool (BUDSET), to assess the optimality of birth unit design.

Background: The space provided for childbirth influences the physiology of women in labor. Optimal birth spaces are likely to enable women to have physiologically normal labor and birth.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF