Factors influencing women's and men's place of birth decisions in rural Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea: A qualitative descriptive study.

Background: Evidence shows that birthing with a skilled birth provider improves maternal and neonatal health outcomes. However, whilst most women in the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea seek skilled health care during pregnancy in a health facility, more than half give birth at home or in the village without a skilled birth provider.

Aim: To explore the factors influencing women's and men's decisions about place of birth in rural Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea.

"Removing the home court advantage": A qualitative evaluation of LEGO® as an interprofessional simulation icebreaker for midwifery and medical students.

Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the use of LEGO® as an educational tool for midwifery and medical students.

Background: The concept of LEGO® SERIOUSPLAY® ® was conceived in 1996 when Swiss Professors Roos and Victor explored using LEGO® as a strategic planning tool. We adapted this concept as an icebreaker activity for interprofessional education workshops at an Australian university.

Software Testing of eHealth Interventions: Existing Practices and the Future of an Iterative Strategy.

eHealth interventions are becoming a part of standard care, with software solutions increasingly created for patients and health care providers. Testing of eHealth software is important to ensure that the software realizes its goals. Software testing, which is comprised of alpha and beta testing, is critical to establish the effectiveness and usability of the software.

Barriers and enablers to antenatal care attendance for women referred to social work services in a Victorian regional hospital: A qualitative descriptive study.

Background: Women referred to social work services during pregnancy are more likely to experience social disadvantage than those who are not, resulting in reduced antenatal care attendance. Lack of antenatal care engagement leads to poor identification and management of concerns that can have immediate and long-term health consequences for women and their babies. Identifying the barriers and enablers to antenatal care attendance for women referred to social work services is important for designing models of care that promote effective engagement.

Temporal and Spatial Patterns of Inflammation and Tissue Injury in Patients with Postoperative Respiratory Failure after Lung Resection Surgery: A Nested Case-Control Study.

Thoracic surgeries involving resection of lung tissue pose a risk of severe postoperative pulmonary complications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and respiratory failure. Lung resections require one-lung ventilation (OLV) and, thus, are at higher risk of ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) attributable to barotrauma and volutrauma in the one ventilated lung, as well as hypoxemia and reperfusion injury on the operated lung. Further, we also aimed to assess the differences in localized and systemic markers of tissue injury/inflammation in those who developed respiratory failure after lung surgery versus matched controls who did not develop respiratory failure.

Examining the transformation of midwifery education in Australia to inform future directions: An integrative review.

Background: Integral to quality midwifery practice is the education of midwives. Like other countries, Australia faces ongoing challenges in delivering midwifery education programs. Reasons include escalating program costs, challenges in securing meaningful clinical experiences, subsumption of midwifery with nursing, and associated loss of identity in some institutions.

Either 'a blessing in disguise', or 'I couldn't get help,': Australian and Aotearoa NZ women's experiences of early infant feeding during COVID-19.

Background: To manage the COVID-19 pandemic, public health restrictions and a rapid pivot to telehealth occurred. Peripartum services were significantly affected by a strained infrastructure. Decreased face to face access to health services and support affected maternal experiences and confidence internationally, yet little was reported with the Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand context.

Bystander Intervention in Intimate Partner Violence: An Audio Vignette Study of Heterosexual, Gay, and Lesbian Dating Partners.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a prolific and growing issue that can have long-lasting negative consequences for the health and safety of those involved. Bystander intervention is one method for helping to combat incidents of IPV, as research suggests that bystanders are frequently present at the scene of assaults and incidents of IPV. This study explored individual differences of bystanders that may influence whether they decide to intervene in an unfolding incident of IPV, as well as how the likelihood of intervening may vary as a function of the apparent gender or sexual orientation of the individuals involved in an incident of IPV.

Development of the Woman-Centred Care Scale- Midwife Self Report (WCCS-MSR).

Background: Woman-centred care is recognised as a fundamental construct of midwifery practice yet to date, there has been no validated tool available to measure it. This study aims to develop and test a self-report tool to measure woman-centred care in midwives.

Methods: A staged approach was used for tool development including deductive methods to generate items, testing content validity with a group of experts, and psychometrically testing the instrument with a sample drawn from the target audience.

Midwifery students experience of continuity of care: A mixed methods study.

Background: Continuity of Care Experiences are a mandated component of Australian midwifery programs leading to registration. Despite research evidence of the benefits of Continuity of Care Experiences for student learning and for women, there is limited evidence on the personal impact of this experience to students. Additionally, there is limited guidance on how to best support students to successfully complete this valuable component of their program.

A qualitative study of factors that influence midwives' practice in relation to low-risk women's oral intake in labour in Australia.

Background: Restriction of food and fluids during labour increases women's discomfort, anxiety and stress which are associated with obstruction of the normal process of labour. Whilst research evidence and clinical guidelines recommend that normal uncomplicated labouring women should not be limited in their oral intake during labour, some midwives continue to restrict or discourage women's oral intake. To promote best practice, it is important to understand the influencing factors which affect midwives' decision-making processes.

Development and validation of the Australian Midwifery Standards Assessment Tool (AMSAT) to the Australian Midwife Standards for Practice 2018.

Background: The Australian Midwifery Standards Assessment Tool (AMSAT) was developed against the Competency Standards for the Midwife in 2017 to enable consistent assessment of midwifery student performance in practice-based settings. The AMSAT requires revision and re-validation as the competency standards have now been superseded by the Midwife Standards for Practice 2018.

Objective: This research revised and validated the AMSAT to assess performance of midwifery students against the Midwife Standards for Practice 2018 and assessed its sensitivity.

Acupuncture during pregnancy and the perinatal period: Women's attitudes, beliefs and practices.

Background: Acupuncture during pregnancy and the perinatal period aims to increase normal birth and enhance a woman's birth experience by decreasing intervention and adverse birth outcomes. Acupuncture in Australian maternity services has not been well accepted, and there is limited research evidence as to whether women are supportive of acupuncture treatment.

Objective: The aims of this study were to understand childbearing aged women's attitudes, beliefs and practices to using acupuncture during pregnancy and the perinatal period, and possible acceptance of a midwife providing acupuncture treatments.

The integration of immersive virtual reality in tertiary nursing and midwifery education: A scoping review.

Background: Immersive virtual reality is an advancing technology that has the potential to change the traditional pedagogical approaches to teaching tertiary nursing and midwifery students. The application of immersive virtual reality in nursing and midwifery education may be a novel, accessible method for information provision and skill acquisition, however little is known of the extent of immersive virtual reality technology integration into tertiary nursing and midwifery programs.

Objectives: The purpose of this review is to identify the application and integration of immersive virtual reality within nursing and midwifery tertiary education programs.

Developing reflective capacities in midwifery students: Enhancing learning through reflective writing.

Background: Practice-based or clinical placements are highly valued for linking theory to practice and enabling students to meet graduate outcomes and industry standards. Post-practicum, the period immediately following clinical experiences, is a time when students have an opportunity to share, compare and engage critically in considering how these experiences impact on their learning. Reflective practice has merit in facilitating this process.

Maternity health care: The experiences of Sub-Saharan African women in Sub-Saharan Africa and Australia.

Background: Increasing global migration is resulting in a culturally diverse population in the receiving countries. In Australia, it is estimated that at least four thousand Sub-Saharan African women give birth each year. To respond appropriately to the needs of these women, it is important to understand their experiences of maternity care.

A review of the literature to inform a best-practice clinical supervision model for midwifery students in Australia.

Effective clinical supervision in midwifery programs leading to registration is essential to ensure that students can provide safe and competent woman centred care by the completion of their program. A number of different clinical supervision models exist in Australia and internationally, with varying levels of support and facilitation of student learning opportunities. In Australia, midwifery students must achieve specified learning outcomes and midwifery practice requirements to be eligible to register as a midwife.