Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
Government policy states that women in labour should be involved in decisions about their care and treatment. It is known what is said during labour matters for how women experience birth. However, policy recommendations to staff about how to communicate with women in labour are not based on evidence about what actually happens in birth. This is because most existing research is based on interviewing or surveying women some weeks after birth, so the details of what was said in labour are lost. Research is needed that provides details of actual talk about decisions during labour. The details of talk matter because as other studies of communication in medical settings have shown, even small changes in use of words can make a difference to what happens in healthcare e.g. one study in a GP setting showed that changing from ‘is there anything else?’ to ‘is there something else?’ increased the
number of reported symptoms told to the doctor. The aim of this study is to find out how decisions are reached and communication through the talk that happens between staff, women in labour and their birth partners when giving birth in maternity units. It also aims to provide staff and women with detailed information about the effects of talk during labour in order to inform and empower staff, women and birth partners.
Who can participate?
Women , their birth partners and health care practitioners.
What does the study involve?
Participants who consent to taking part in the study are video or audio recorded during labour and birth. This is to establish how decisions are made during labour and birth. Participants are also asked to complete an ante-natal and a post –natal questionnaire at 35 weeks and 6 weeks post birth respectively to assess the relationship between their expectations before birth, their birth experience and their satisfaction post-birth.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
There are no direct risks or benefits to those taking part in the study.
Where is the study run from?
1. University of York (UK)
2. Calderdale Royal Hospital (UK)
3. Sheffield Royal Hallamshire Hospital (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
May 2017 to March 2020
Who is funding the study?
National Institute for Health Research (UK)
Who is the main contact?
1. Professor Ellen Annandale (Scientific)
ellen.annandale@york.ac.uk
2. Dr Lyn Brierley-Jones (Public)
lyn.brierley-jones@york.ac.uk
Trial website
https://www.york.ac.uk/sociology/research/current-research/vip/)
Contact information
Type
Scientific
Primary contact
Prof Ellen Annandale
ORCID ID
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5305-039X
Contact details
University of York
York
YO10 5DD
United Kingdom
+44 1904 324 561
ellen.annandale@york.ac.uk
Type
Public
Additional contact
Dr Lyn Brierley-Jones
ORCID ID
Contact details
University of York
York
YO10 5DD
United Kingdom
+44 1904 323 055
lyn.brierley-jones@york.ac.uk
Additional identifiers
EudraCT number
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Protocol/serial number
14/70/73
Study information
Scientific title
Voices in Partnership/Video In Practice: Interactional practices of decision making during childbirth in maternity units
Acronym
VIP
Study hypothesis
The aim of this study is find out how decisions are reached and communicated through the talk that happens between staff, women in labour and their birth partners when giving birth in maternity units.
Ethics approval
South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee, 15/05/2017, ref: 17/YH/0102
Study design
Three year observational multi centre study
Primary study design
Observational
Secondary study design
Cohort study
Trial setting
Hospitals
Trial type
Other
Patient information sheet
We have three participant information sheets that correspond to the three groups taking part in the study: pregnant women, health care practitioners and birth partners. I have attached copies of all three information sheets to this email.
Condition
Maternity Services
Intervention
A pilot study precedes this study and used the Conversation Analytic method for analysing data from ‘One Born Every Minute documentary created by Channel 4. The first year of the study is also an internal pilot but this is a pilot of recruitment not of the full methodology. If four analysable recordings are obtained by the end of this internal pilot period, then the full study can proceed.
This study aims to video (or audio record if women prefer) the labours of 50 low-risk, full-term women and write down in full what was said and how it was said (e.g. laughing, sighing). Participants receive ante natal and post natal questionnaires to these women to ascertain what their expectations for birth were and whether these expectations were met during childbirth. Further, this study investigates how decisions are made during labour and how these impacted on outcomes.
Health care professionals are also interviews: 10 at each site. In total, 12 midwives and 8 obstetricians are interviewed, all of varying professional grades.
Intervention type
Other
Phase
Drug names
Primary outcome measure
Decision making is measured using the Conversation Analytic technique at the time of labour and birth.
Secondary outcome measures
Satisfaction is measured using both ante-natal and post-natal questionnaires at 35 weeks gestation and at 6 weeks post birth respectively.
Overall trial start date
01/05/2017
Overall trial end date
30/03/2020
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
1. Women: any woman (aged 16+) attending two study two sites with a low risk, singleton pregnancy and who expects to have a vaginal birth at full-term in a midwife-led maternity unit (Sheffield) or birth centre (Calderdale).
2. Birth Partners: The women’s birth partners.
3. Healthcare Practitioners (HCPs): all clinical staff involved in maternity care at study sites.
Participant type
Mixed
Age group
Adult
Gender
Both
Target number of participants
50 women
Participant exclusion criteria
1. High risk pregnancy
2. Under 16 years of age
Recruitment start date
16/10/2017
Recruitment end date
30/01/2019
Locations
Countries of recruitment
United Kingdom
Trial participating centre
University of York
Heslington
York
YO10 5DD
United Kingdom
Trial participating centre
Calderdale Royal Hospital
Salterhebble
Halifax
HX3 0PW
United Kingdom
Trial participating centre
Sheffield Royal Hallamshire Hospital
Glossop Road
Sheffield
S10 2SF
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
Organisation
University of York
Sponsor details
Heslington Village
York
SW1A 2NS
United Kingdom
+44 1904 325 154
michael.barber@york.ac.uk
Sponsor type
University/education
Website
Funders
Funder type
Government
Funder name
National Institute for Health Research
Alternative name(s)
NIHR
Funding Body Type
government organisation
Funding Body Subtype
Federal/National Government
Location
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
Publication and dissemination plan
Dissemination will be via two workshops in months 31-36 of the project and dissemination leaflets will be printed at this time. The RCM’s Progress Theatre Group will assist the project team in transferring the anonymised transcripts into artistic performance. By the end of month 36 a draft final report will have been submitted to NIHR and a first article submitted to a journal. These dissemination milestones will be achieved by 28/02/2020.
IPD sharing statement:
We are not expecting to make our raw data publicly available in order to preserve the anonymity of women, their birth partners and health care practitioners. Anonymised data will be held by the University of York.
Intention to publish date
28/02/2020
Participant level data
Not expected to be available
Basic results (scientific)
Publication list