The practising midwife
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The practising midwife · Jul 2011
Historical ArticleUsing historical research to make sense of our past, our present and our future. 4. History in context and disseminating findings.
This is the last in a series of four pieces looking at the use of historical research to explore midwifery. This final part looks at how historical findings can be placed in a theoretical framework and how they may be disseminated. History can shed new light on contemporary research projects as well as being fascinating in its own right, and can be used not just for academic work but to tell the story of people and places connected with our profession.
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The practising midwife · May 2011
A care pathway: delayed active management of the third stage of labour.
Challenging the current National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines (NICE 2007), this paper will identify and discuss the evidence to support a care pathway for delayed active management of the third stage of labour, which promotes a delay in the administration of the uterotonic drug and delayed cord clamping (DCC). Current evidence highlights that clamping and cutting the umbilical cord once pulsation has ceased allows the baby to receive additional blood from the placenta, which in turn increases the baby's blood volume and significantly reduces instances of anaemia. The research available to support DCC and the benefits this provides to the newborn with little adverse effect to the mother could possibly be enough to change current practice to create Delayed Active Management as a third stage option for women.