Addressing obstetricians' awareness of compassion, communication, and self-care when caring for families experiencing stillbirth: Evaluation of a novel educational workshop using applied drama techniques.

Introduction: Obstetricians describe feeling shocked and isolated following stillbirth. Few receive adequate training in how to care for bereaved parents or themselves. We developed a novel workshop for trainee obstetricians using applied drama techniques-in collaboration with the National Theatre of Ireland, the national training body for obstetricians and gynaecologists, and patient support groups-to teach obstetricians skills in communication and self-care around the time of stillbirth.

Risk stratification through allergy history: single-centre experience of specialized COVID-19 vaccine clinic.

Anaphylaxis is a rare side-effect of COVID-19 vaccines. To (a) provide direct advice and reassurance to certain persons with a history of anaphylaxis/complex allergy, in addition to that available in national guidelines, and (b) to provide a medically supervised vaccination, a specialist regional vaccine allergy clinic was established. The main objective was to determine if risk stratification through history can lead to safe COVID-19 vaccination for maximum population coverage.

'Slepen al the nyght with open ye': Personal reflections after 35 years of being on-call.

The European Working Time Directive (2003) has had a significant impact in reducing the total number of hours worked per week, as well as shift-lengths. There is, however, no agreement on optimal shift-lengths and day/night work balance in different medical specialities. Given the time it takes for clinical events to unfold, particularly in relation to labour, there may be advantages in retaining the 24 hours on-call shift for obstetricians--in the interests of patient care and training.

Childbirth in Ireland's capital city over sixty years.

Background: Ireland has changed over the past sixty years, and the dynamic practice of obstetrics and gynaecology has changed with it.

Study Design And Methods: To describe these changes, a review was performed of clinical reports of a tertiary referral teaching hospital over six decades.

Results: Since the 1960s, the hospital's total births per annum has risen (3050 to 8362 births).

Single prolonged stress impairs social and object novelty recognition in rats.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) results from exposure to a traumatic event and manifests as re-experiencing, arousal, avoidance, and negative cognition/mood symptoms. Avoidant symptoms, as well as the newly defined negative cognitions/mood, are a serious complication leading to diminished interest in once important or positive activities, such as social interaction; however, the basis of these symptoms remains poorly understood. PTSD patients also exhibit impaired object and social recognition, which may underlie the avoidance and symptoms of negative cognition, such as social estrangement or diminished interest in activities.

Longitudinal measurement of fetal thigh soft tissue parameters and its role in the prediction of birth weight.

Objective: The aim of this study was to profile longitudinal changes in thigh muscle and fat with gestation and to determine whether thigh measurements can improve the prediction of birth weight (BW).

Methods: A prospective longitudinal study of subcutaneous soft tissue measurements was conducted in 328 singleton fetuses at 28 and 37 weeks gestation. Estimated fetal weight (EFW) was calculated using abdominal circumference, femur length, biparietal diameter, and head circumference.

Eclampsia: trends in incidence and outcomes over 30 years.

Objective: This study set out to describe the incidence, mortality rates, and treatment of eclampsia over a 30-year period in a large urban population.

Study Design: A detailed report of all pregnancies delivered in the Dublin area from 1977 to 2006 was reviewed for incidence, mortality, and treatment of eclampsia. Almost all pregnancies in this area are managed at one of three major obstetric hospitals.

Changes in vaginal breech delivery rates in a single large metropolitan area.

Objective: Vaginal breech delivery rates have been accepted widely to be in decline and the Term Breech Trial (TBT) has recommended delivery of a breech-presenting infant by elective cesarean section delivery. Our aim was to examine the rate of vaginal delivery of term breech pregnancies in the 8 years before and after the publication of the TBT.

Study Design: We retrospectively examined vaginal delivery rates of breech presentations over a 16-year period in 3 large tertiary maternity hospitals that serve a single large metropolitan population.