Hall J

Spiritual leadership and spiritual care in neonatology

AIM This article aims to explore spiritual care in the neonatal care environment in addition to highlighting the importance of spiritual leadership of a health team in that context. BACKGROUND Neonatal care is an ethically demanding and stressful area of practice. Babies and families require spiritual needs to be recognized in the context of holistic care. Literature around spiritual leadership is explored to nurture workplace spirituality. EVALUATION Analysis of a range of sources provides a theoretical reflection on spiritual leadership and spiritual care in neonatal care settings. KEY ISSUES The literature identifies that the carers should consider carefully on how care given may affect the infant and family. Themes relating to the babys and familys spiritual needs and those of the staff in this area are identified. Spiritual leadership by the manager will provide support to the staff and help spiritual need to be met in this area of practice. CONCLUSION Spiritual needs should be acknowledged within neonatal care whether these are of babies, families or the team itself. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Managers have responsibility to ensure that spiritual care is carried out for babies and their families and to care for the team as spiritual leaders.

Maternal Experiences of Their Unborn Child’s Spiritual Care Patterns of Abstinence in Iran

Preparing for pregnancy and childbirth has significant association with spirituality. Review of the literature shows that the spirituality of the “unborn child” has not yet attracted much critical attention. This study was conducted with the aim of exploration of maternal behaviors associated with the spiritual health of the unborn child. A qualitative approach was used to investigate the research question. Twenty-seven in-depth unstructured interviews were conducted with 22 Iranian mothers in Tehran city (Iran) who were pregnant or had experienced pregnancy in 2012-2013. Data analysis was carried out using a conventional content analysis approach. “Refusing to eat forbidden food,” “Overcoming mental adversity,” “Regulating one’s social interactions,” “Preventing the effects of harmful environments on the senses,” “Avoidance of using insulting and abusive language,” “Keeping one’s mind and spirit free from evil traits,” and “Refraining from damaging behaviors” were important experiences that the mothers used for “Holistic Abstinence.” The results provide new information about the subjective experiences of Iranian women on the patterns of abstinence for the midwives, research community, policy makers, and planners of maternal and child health care services in order to contribute to holistic, culturally, and religiously competent prenatal care for Muslim pregnant women throughout the world.

Developing a culture of compassionate care—The midwife's voice?

In the UK in December a new vision was launched with the aim to improve midwifery and nursing care(DH, 2012a). This has come out of high profile media situations where nursing has been presented in a less than positive light (The Mid Statffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Inquiry, 2010; DH, 2012b). It follows on from a consultation on how to address the shortcomings within nursing and a previous strategy to promote dignity especially in relation to the care of the elderly (DH, 2006), though the issues are applicable across all areas of care. Within this vision midwives have been included underneath the umbrella of the report and the purpose of this article is to reflect on some of the challenges raised by the‘6C’s’ for midwifery practice and education.

Dignity and respect in midwifery education in the UK: A survey of Lead Midwives of Education

In the UK respect, dignity and compassion are the underpinning values which must determine service user care in the National Health Service (NHS). In midwifery education it is unclear how students are being taught these values. We created a study that aimed to explore how learning about dignity and respect is facilitated and assessed within pre-registration midwifery curricula. An online survey was devised and distributed to all Lead Midwives for Education in the UK. The findings are presented under the three main themes of understanding the meaning of dignity and respect, teaching and assessment and experiences. The study concludes that, though there are some good areas of education practice there is inconsistency in how Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) guidelines are transferred into curricula. This leads to students receiving differing emphasis of education on the values of dignity and respect.

The journal editor: Friend or foe?

The role of the journal editor may not be well known by authors. The purpose of this article is to explain the role in order to encourage future participation in reviewing and publication. Illustration is provided of the publishing process.

A discussion paper: Do national maternity policy reviews take account of the education and training of the future midwifery workforce? An example from England

The development and provision of maternity services globally are continuing to receive much attention in order to improve care and safety for women and babies. In the UK national reviews of the maternity services have taken place, with local services taking forward specific pilot projects to support the implementation of policy recommendations. This paper argues that, in order to meet the requirements of change in maternity services, there also needs to be a prompt review of the education of student midwives in order to be confident that the workforce of the future is equipped to implement these changes successfully. Using changes to national policy in England, this paper raises the question of the need for flexible national education standards, to ensure a curriculum can meet the needs of the changing workforce without the need for constant revision of the curriculum.

Facilitating learning of spirituality in midwifery

Abstract Though there has been considerable discussion in the literature around spirituality at the end of life there remains little relating to childbirth. In addition facilitation of learning around the subject is limited. The aim of this article is to raise awareness of these issues and promote future discussion and research.

Dignity and respect during pregnancy and childbirth: a survey of the experience of disabled women

BackgroundDespite the increasing number of women with disability globally becoming pregnant, there is currently limited research about their experiences. A national survey of women’s experience of dignity and respect during pregnancy and childbirth raised concerns about the possibility of women with disability having unequal care with overall less choice and control. To address this further we conducted a study to explore the experiences of dignity and respect in childbirth of women with disability.MethodsThe study involved a self-selecting, convenience sample of 37 women who had given birth in the United Kingdom and Ireland and had completed an internet-based survey. Women were identified through online networks and groups of and for disabled parents and for people with specific medical conditions. Data were collected using an online survey tool. Survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Thematic analysis was used for open questions.ResultsDespite generally positive responses, just over half of the group of women expressed dissatisfaction with care provision. Only 19% thought that reasonable adjustments or accommodations had been made for them (7/37). When reasonable adjustments were not in place, participants’ independence and dignity were undermined. More than a quarter of women felt they were treated less favourably because of their disability (10/37, 27%). At all points in the pregnancy continuum more than a quarter of women felt their rights were either poorly or very poorly respected; however this was greatest in the postnatal period (11/35, 31%). In addition, more than half of the women (20/36, 56%) felt that maternity care providers did not have appropriate awareness of or attitudes to disability.ConclusionsWomen’s experiences of dignity and respect in childbirth revealed that a significant proportion of women felt their rights were poorly respected and that they were treated less favourably because of their disability. This suggests that there is a need to look more closely at individualised care. It was also evident that more consideration is required to improve attitudes of maternity care providers to disability and services need to adapt to provide reasonable adjustments to accommodate disability, including improving continuity of carer.

Educating student midwives around dignity and respect

FOCUS There is currently limited information available on how midwifery students learn to provide care that promotes dignity and respect. BACKGROUND In recent years the importance of dignity in healthcare and treating people with respect has received considerable emphasis in both a national and international context. AIM The aim of this discussion paper is to describe an educational workshop that enables learning to promote dignity and respect in maternity care. DISCUSSION An interactive workshop, using different creative methods as triggers for learning will be described. Provision of learning opportunities for students around dignity and respect is important to ensure appropriate care is provided in practice. The use of creative methods to inspire has contributed to deep learning within participants. An evaluation of the workshop illustrated how learning impacted on participants practice. Data to support this is presented in this paper. CONCLUSION The use of creative teaching approaches in a workshop setting appears to provide an effective learning opportunity around dignified and respectful care. These workshops have evoked a deep emotional response for some participants, and facilitators must be prepared for this outcome to ensure a safe space for learning.