PHVIT9580 Theories and Models for Midwifery Course description

There is an increasing internationalisation within the field of midwifery and maternity care research. Researchers from the Anglo-Saxon cultural area are dominating the field, because they are many in numbers, have a long research tradition, and are producing research of high quality. Guidelines and models of care aimed to be used in all countries are developed. International research literature and textbooks in English are important part of the curricula in midwifery educations in the Nordic countries as well as in other countries. The internationalisation is welcomed and international research, models of care and guidelines can improve quality and outcomes of care in the Nordic countries as well as other countries.

For small countries, there is a danger of introducing and implementing thoughts, models and guidelines without taking the local context in consideration. We find it important to know and recognize our own context for several reasons. We need to assess international research results, guidelines and models of care into a Nordic context, and to be conscious about what we can contribute with to the rest of the world.

This course will focus on theories and models in midwifery and maternity care. Central theories and models in relation to childbirth and reproductive health will be introduced e.g. linked to salutogenesis, pathogenesis, evidence-based practice, a midwifery model of woman-centred care, developed in a Nordic context (MiMo), the global Quality Maternal and New-born Care (QMNC). Perspectives encompassing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies will be explored and implications of different theoretical approach, linked to students´ own research, will be discussed in the context of the Nordic region and internationally.

The course will run as a five-day course over a period of two months.

This course adopts a basis and critical perspective of Needs Led Research. The process linked to the first step in the research pathway dealing with the identification and prioritization of research issues. Needs Led Research is characterized by two parallel processes; user involvement and identification and verification of evidence gaps by systematic searches in databases.

User involvement is characterized by processes in which users/stakeholders (eg patients, relatives, health workers) suggest, discuss, prioritize and agree on research questions they consider important. Several framework and methodologies for user involvement in research exist, of which the most relevant ones will be focused on in this course.

Identification and verification of evidence gaps, being the core of evidence-based research, is based on a systematic and transparent review of existing research in order to guide new studies in answering relevant and valid research questions. The course will focus on how to identify, verify and document evidence gaps by systematically searching the existing evidence.

The course will be run as a five-day course over a period of three months.

On completion of the course, the PhD candidate has achieved the following learning outcomes, defined in terms of knowledge, skills, and competence:

Knowledge

The PhD candidate:

• has an outstanding insight into the most relevant methodologies for user involvement in decision-making processes for identifying relevant research questions
• is at the forefront of knowledge about how to identify and verify evidence gap.

Skills

The PhD candidate can:

• identify, facilitate and use the most suitable methodology in which users/stakeholders suggest, discuss, prioritize and agree on research questions they consider important, in a given context/study
• identify, verify and document evidence gaps by systematically searching the existing evidence, that is, conducting literature searches and selecting relevant and high-quality articles

General competence

The PhD candidate can:

• utilize processes for user involvement, as well as identification and verification of evidence gaps, in order to identify relevant and unanswered research questions.
• facilitate Needs Led Research in close collaboration with the relevant field of practice
• develop project management and communication skills.

Work and teaching methods consist of lectures, seminars, small group work and discussions, self-study, and practical exercises. In the seminars the students will present and discuss the status of their work and progress in plenary sessions.

None

Individual home examination, to be submitted no more than two weeks after the end of the course. The candidates must submit an essay, which will describe the background and validation of the Needs Led Research questions to be answered. The essay, consisting of up to 5000 words, must describe the methodology and process for developing the Needs Led Research questions. This includes description of the process for user involvement, as well as the process for identification and verification of evidence gaps.

All

Pass / Fail

One internal and one external examiner will assess the essays submitted by all candidates

Admission requirements

This course is primarily aimed at PhD candidates admitted to the PhD Programme in Health Sciences but is also open to other applicants. Admission requirements are a completed hovedfag, master's degree (120 ECTS credits) or equivalent qualification.

The course can also be offered to students who have been admitted to the "Health Science Research Programme, 60 ECTS", by prior approval from the supervisor and based on given guidelines for the research programme.