NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: South Slave Region

Tags: health, women's health, midwifery, childbirth

Project Description: Objectives of the research are to 1)describe women’s experiences of culturally safe birthing with a midwife in a remote northern community; 2)describe women’s preferences and choices in birthing in a remote northern community; 3)determine women’s common and diverse experiences and understandings of culturally safe birthing in a remote northern community; and 4)review whether women’s choices in birthing are congruent with existing maternity care models remote communities. Eight to ten women of childbearing age will be interviewed about their experiences of culturally safe birthing in a remote northern community. The selection criteria of women for interview will depend on the researcher’s observations. It will be important to interview women with diverse birthing experiences and preferences to reflect the target population in the selected community. The participants will give their informed consent to participate in the project. The researcher will maintain confidentiality of all the participants by making sure that no names are disclosed during the research or attached to the comments in the final report. The data will be kept in a locked filing cabinet, and on a protected computer. During the process of the fieldwork, the researcher will identify trends or categories among women's experiences which may lead to other questions that need to be asked in later phases of the fieldwork. Those new questions may in turn identify other trends or categories that should be documented. This study will be part of the researcher's Master’s Dissertation in Midwifery Practice. The results of the study will be used to learn more about midwifery in the north, as well as help inform healthcare providers. When the study is done, a research article will be submitted to the Canadian Journal of Midwifery Research and Practice. Copies of the study will be sent to the various communmity organizations in Fort Smith. In addition, efforts will be made to publish the results of the study in the NWT. The study will be conducted in Fort Smith, NWT.