Bachelor in Science in Midwifery Honours Degree programme

MW3206 -Delivering a Quality Maternity Service (5 ECTS)

Learning Outcomes

Following completion of this module the student should be able to:

• Critically discuss the organisation and management of maternity services in Ireland and discuss its impact on the role and function of the midwife in Ireland;
  
• Relate this to the role of women in past and contemporaneous Irish society and to the development of legislation affecting women in Ireland;
  
• Critically discuss accountability and responsibility in midwifery practice in Ireland;
  
• Critically discuss the various management styles available to and employed by managers;
  
• Critically analyse the various methods and means of addressing conflict and conflict resolution available to midwives;
  
• Display attributes and traits that demonstrate an understanding of caseload/workload organisation and management and the process of prioritisation;
  
• Display attributes and traits that demonstrate respect for women, colleagues and other members of the health care team in the management styles adopted in practice.
  
• Critically discuss components of Clinical Governance;
  
• Critically discuss the importance of user involvement;
  
• Critically analyse how maternity services respond to women with special needs;
  
• Explore the relevance of clinical decision making to health care practice and examine different models of clinical decision making;
  
• Analyse the professional accountability of the practitioner when making clinical judgements;
  
• Appreciate the importance of practice guidelines in relation to clinical effectiveness;
  
• Demonstrate the ability to develop a practice guideline;
  
• Reflect on the issues in the relation to the implementation of a practice guideline in the context of one’s own practice area;
  
• Demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles of clinical audit.

Module Learning Aims

The aim of this module is to introduce midwifery students to organisational and management theory.
Midwifery students will be facilitated to develop skills of managing and prioritising care that is cognisant
of the individual needs of women.

Recommended Reading List

• Begley C., Devane D. and Clarke M. (2009) The Report of the MidU Study: An Evaluation of
  Midwifery-led Care in the Health Service Executive North Eastern Area. School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College, Dublin.
  
• Covey S.R. (2004) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Free Press, New York.
  
• Cross R. E. (1996) Midwives and Management: A Handbook. Books for Midwives Press, Hale.
  
• Cuidiú (2010) Consumer Guide to the Maternity Services. Accessed 27th June 2010 http://www.cuidiuict.ie/fulcrum.html?ep=54
  
• Flint C. (1993) Midwifery Teams and Caseloads. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford.
  
• Fraser D. (ed.) (2000) Professional Studies for Midwifery Practice. Churchill Livingstone, London.
  
• Hobbs L. (1998) The Independent Midwife: A Guide to Independent Midwifery Practice, 2nd edn. Books for Midwives Press, Hale.
  
• Kirkham M. (ed.) (2000) The Midwife-Mother Relationship. Palgrave, Hampshire.
  
• KPMG (2000) Independent Review of Maternity and Gynaecology Services in the Greater Dublin Area. KPMG, Dublin.
  
• Mander R. and Fleming V. (2002) Failure To Progress: The Contraction of the Midwifery Profession. Routledge, New York.
  
• Wilson J. and Symon A. (2002) Clinical Risk Management in Midwifery. Books for Midwives, London.

* Additional readings will be given for each unit of learning.