Maria Noonan

Mind maps: Enhancing midwifery education

Educationalists need to think outside the box to facilitate students to learn key information essential for professional practice. The use of mind maps incorporated into an assessment strategy and programme is an innovative way of facilitating students to understand key information. Mind maps have the potential to provide students with a strategy for retaining information, integrating critical thinking and problem solving skills. This article reviews the current discussion on mind maps and discusses the integration of mind maps into a component of an assessment strategy.

The ethical considerations associated with group work assessments

Assessments that require students to participate in group work are incorporated throughout programmes in Higher Education Institutions. Ethical dimensions are integral to all assessments including assessments that require students to participate in group work. Assessments should be fair and consideration needs to be given to preparing students and lecturers to undertake group work. Decisions such as group selection and allocation of marks for group assessments are important areas that will influence the outcome of group work assessments. The following article explores the above issues and identifies action points for optimising group work.

Working and learning: Post-registration student midwives' experience of the competency assessment process

AIM to explore student midwives experiences of the Clinical Competency Assessment process utilised on the Higher Diploma in Midwifery (18 month) programme. BACKGROUND the assessment of clinical skills and practice has traditionally been an integral part of midwifery educational programmes; however the method of clinical assessment has changed and developed. Similar to other countries, in Ireland assessment of clinical practice is achieved through the utilisation of a broad competency framework provided by the regulatory body, An Bord Altranais (2005) which is yet to be evaluated from a midwifery perspective. METHOD a descriptive qualitative study was undertaken once ethical approval had been granted by the Universitys Ethics Committee. All student midwives (n=20) in one cohort were invited to participate and nine students were interviewed. Interviews were tape recorded. Data were analysed using Burnards (2006) framework. FINDINGS the process of competency assessment was perceived by many of the students to facilitate continuous assessment of clinical practice but there were issues in relation to the language and the number of competencies to be assessed. There were challenges also associated with the written evidence required as part of the assessment with many of the students questioning the usefulness of this in a clinical assessment. A variety of supports were identified and utilised by the students. Continuity and availability of preceptors were noted to be factors impacting on completion of the assessment as were the competing demands of clinical care. RECOMMENDATIONS the findings of this small study are congruent with much of the international literature focusing on clinical competency models. Consideration needs to be given to identifying and integrating into practice, a clearly defined process for competency assessment, by all the relevant stakeholders. An opportunity for feedback throughout the process is considered very significant and the mechanism for this needs to be made explicit in any competency assessment documentation Competency documentation currently in use needs to be reviewed in light of the findings of this study and the rationale for inclusion of a written evidence component needs to be carefully considered. Further research is warranted in relation to the effectiveness of the competency tool in assessing competency in practice.

Family physicians perceived role in perinatal mental health: an integrative review

BackgroundResponding to and caring for women who experience mental health problems during the perinatal period, from pregnancy up to one year after birth, is complex and requires a multidisciplinary response. Family physicians are ideally placed to provide an effective response as it is recognised that they are responsible for organising care and supports for women and their families. This paper reports an integrative review undertaken to examine family physicians’ perceived role in perinatal mental health care and concludes with recommendations for health policy, research and practice.MethodA systematic search of literature in seven databases from January 2000 to March 2016 identified a total of 1125 articles. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method studies were eligible for inclusion if they explored family physicians’ experiences of caring for women who experience perinatal mental health problems.ResultsThirteen articles reporting 11 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review and quality of included studies were assessed using published criteria for the critical appraisal of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Cross-study narrative syntheses of quantitative and qualitative findings are presented under three themes: identification of perinatal mental health problems, management of perinatal mental health problems and barriers to care provision. While family physicians recognise their role in relation to perinatal mental health the collective interpretation revealed that; they receive variable levels of preparation for this role, no consistent approach to screening exists, pharmacological management of mood disorders is the main treatment modality and limited access to specialist perinatal mental health services exists which impacts on pharmacology decisions.ConclusionFamily physicians require timely access to local integrated care pathways that provide a wide range of services that are culturally sensitive, perinatal mental health specific, support psychological well-being and infant/family mental health. Family physicians are open to incorporating a brief validated screening tool into primary practice supported by succinct guidelines. Research that examines training needs in relation to perinatal mental health could be used to inform family physician training programmes and curriculum development around perinatal mental health.