Lessons from the Sono-breech study
The Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research at the School of Health and Medical Sciences, City St George's, University of London welcomes Dr Cassandra Yuill to discuss the role of technology in optimising safe and personalised care for those with breech presentation during their pregnancies, as part of the SHMS research seminar series.
Abstract
Breech presentation occurs in around 3-4% of births in the United Kingdom; however, of these, 20-30% are not identified until labour, meaning they are ‘undiagnosed’. Undiagnosed breech deprives service users of their right to informed choice about plans for labour and birth, undermining their bodily autonomy, and increases their risk of emergency Caesarean sections and of harm to their babies.
Recent research (Knights et al 2023) suggests that adding a point-of-care ultrasound using a hand-held scanning device during third trimester care significantly reduces the number of undiagnosed breech presentations at birth. The Sono-breech Study explores the diagnostic accuracy, cost effectiveness and acceptability of implementing these hand-held ultrasound scans into routine 36-week midwifery appointments in England.
In this presentation, Dr Cassandra Yuill will discuss the findings from the Sono-breech qualitative acceptability study and reflect on insights and lessons learned from conducting this research.
Drawing on interviews with midwives and service users and observations of device training and antenatal appointments, she will examine experiences of point-of-care ultrasounds.
She will also explore the implications of implementing a new technology into midwifery care. The role of technology in optimising safe and personalised care for those with breech presentation during their pregnancies will be situated and considered in the current context of maternity services in England.
About the speaker
Dr Cassandra Yuill is a medical anthropologist in the Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research, specialising in maternal health and maternity services in the United Kingdom. Her research focuses on ideas, practices and experiences of maternity care.
Over the past decade, she has worked on projects on parent-infant sleep, place of birth, induction of labour, perinatal mental health, midwifery-led care and ultrasound scanning. Cassandra is committed to translating social science research into evidence-based practice and informed policy for maternity services.
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