Project Area: Health policy and systems research
Project Summary
Giving birth is one of the most dangerous things a woman can do in her lifetime. In recent years, there has been a series of high-profile scandals relating to consistent failures of maternity services in providing high quality, safe care to mothers and infants in both Ireland and the UK. Efforts to understand and improve safety in maternity care have become increasingly commonplace but are hindered by a lack of useful, actionable safety data. There is also a continued failure to draw upon on patient insights on safety that limits efforts to improve. The overall aim of the proposed research is to use existing research, behaviour change theory, and input from all stakeholders (i.e., patients, clinical staff, hospital management, and regulators) to develop a unified and scientific approach to measuring and monitoring patient safety in maternity services.
The project will:
1) synthesise research on approaches to measuring and monitoring safety in maternity services;
2) assess existing approaches to measuring and monitoring safety within Irish maternity services;
3) identify barriers and facilitators to measuring and monitoring safety in maternity services, and;
4) engage stakeholders to co-design a comprehensive approach to measuring and monitoring safety that is appropriate for implementation in maternity units. This focus on stakeholder-led reform of safety data collection is congruent with the Irish National Maternity Strategy and this research will provide evidence-based direction to policy makers, health service managers, and health service providers on ‘how’ safety data collection should be conducted to advance safer care for all patients.
Supervisory Team
Dr Sinéad Lydon (Principal Investigator/Primary Supervisor) is a behavioural psychologist and Certified Professional in Patient Safety working as an Associate Professor in Primary Care.
Prof Paul O’Connor (Co-Supervisor) is a Professor of Primary Care and a psychologist with a background in human factors, safety, and health services research.
Prof John Morrison (Co-Supervisor) is an Established Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynecology within the Saolta Healthcare Group.
This project will be based at University of Galway
