Researchers
Judith Dyson with University of Hull
Aims
- To co-design a theoretically informed intervention to support midwives in implementing an alcohol care pathway
- To evaluate the feasibility of implementing such an intervention in practice and the acceptability of intervention delivery and content to maternity users and providers
Excessive drinking can have a long-term impact on a woman’s health. It has been linked to increased chances of developing health conditions, such as breast cancer, liver and heart disease. If women continue to drink alcohol during pregnancy, this can lead to a disorder known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). This affects the child’s development and can result in physical, behavioural and cognitive problems. It is estimated that between 6 - 17% of children may have symptoms of this disorder. Therefore, the economic impact may be higher than a previous estimate of £2 billion annually. There are a number of national guidelines that advise maternity services about alcohol. The guidelines recommend that midwives ‘make every contact count’ and enquire about alcohol consumption, as well as advise and that women be referred to more specialised support services for help with alcohol-related problems, if required. We have carried out previous research that showed that not all midwives ask about a woman’s past and present alcohol consumption at routine antenatal appointments and that there are many barriers to midwives addressing this topic. In this project we co-designed with women and midwives, implementation interventions to address barriers. We went on to test the intervention in practice.