Midwifery on the net: new communication technology

Brooks, Fiona; Rospopa, Christine and Scott, Peter (2004). Midwifery on the net: new communication technology. British Journal of Midwifery, 12(2) pp. 107–110.

URL: http://www.britishjournalofmidwifery.com/

Abstract

In the modernized NHS, if midwives are to have an influential voice over the development of care they need to be able to actively engage with the policy and decision-making processes. Such engagement will largely be dependent on the establishment of effective communication routes between midwives. It is far from clear exactly how broad-based communication is to be achieved, particularly given high workloads and an increasingly mobile and part-time midwifery workforce. This article reports on a 2-year study, funded by the Department of Health, based in an NHS Trust, that enabled midwives to use computer-mediated communication to create a forum for the collective discussion of midwifery practice. Through their use of the system, midwives successfully discussed and implemented changes in the delivery and organization of care. Overall, the system demonstrated how new communication technologies can function to empower midwives, and to advance women-centred, midwifery-led practice.

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