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NURS 1074: Evidence Based Midwifery

Evidence Based Midwifery Essay

This page will get you started finding resources and writing your Essay.  

Please refer to your Course outline in the LearnOnline site for assessment instructions.

1. Understand the Task

Please view each tab for the Essay topics.  Remember you only need to answer one of the two topics.

You are required to reference your program textbook(s) and a minimum of four (4) additional peer reviewed journal articles published from 2015. You may include articles before this date if they are significant and relevant to your discussion but you must have a minimum of 5 references (including text) dated after 2015.

Your paper must include:

1.   An introduction demonstrating your understanding of the topic and your plan
      for the essay.

2.   A clear response to the essay question with reference to up-to-date and
      relevant research as well as professional codes and guidelines.

3.  A concise conclusion that summarises the main points of your essay and returns
     the reader to the view, or position you have taken.

4.  Please provide a reference list presented in UniSA Harvard Referencing System
     format.

5.   Instructions on how to attach a feedback form are found via the Assessment
      link on the course homepage.

Refer to the Course Outline for comprehensive information.

The Student Engagement Unit's Academic Skills website can help with planning your assignment and making sense of the assignment and instruction words. 

Topic 1:

The concept of woman centred care is central to midwifery practice. Discuss the bioethical principles of autonomy, justice, beneficence and non-maleficence and how these principles underpin the midwifery philosophy and woman centred care.
 

 

This essay requires you to provide evidence of a clear understanding of the four ethical principles, midwifery philosophy and woman centred care.

What is the task word (or words)?

  • DISCUSS

What are the content words? (You can find these by taking the task word & adding the question “What?”)

  • DISCUSS WHAT? - bioethical principles

What are the limits you need to remember?

  • Focus on the principles of autonomy, justice, beneficence and non-maleficence
  • how these principles correspond to aim of providing woman-centred care (how do they relate to providing woman-centred care - make sure you make this connection)

Topic 2: 

Strategic Directions for Australian Maternity Services (COAG 2019) identified four values which underpin twelve principles for woman centred maternity care in Australia.

Principle 1.1 states "women receive individualised information and appropriate care during the perinatal period that is based on current, high quality evidence."

Provide an overview of evidence based practice (EBP) in maternity care and discuss at least three challenges and three benefits of EBP in the context of the philosophy of woman centred care.


This essay requires you to provide evidence of a sound understanding of evidence based practice and woman centred care, and your ability to discern how evidence based practice may interact with providing woman centred care.

What is Evidence Based Practice (EBP) in maternity care

  • Provide an overview

What are the content words? (You can find these by taking the task word & adding the question “What?”)

  • DISCUSS WHAT?
    • Three challenges
    • Three benefits

What is the context  you need to remember?

  • Focus on women centred care

2. Plan your search

Start by identifying the concepts (main ideas) from your assignment topic prior to searching. Then consider alternative words for each.

Break down the question

As your topic might have multiple questions, you should perform a search for each sub-question. Use the common concepts plus one or more question-specific concepts.

For the example of 'What are the Prenatal care models for women who live in a rural area?' identify the concepts common to the main question.

Key concepts
Alternative concepts

prenatal care

antenatal care, midwifery care 

care models

models of care

rural area

remote, outer regional

Now use AND and OR to combine your keywords

Line 1 prenatal care OR antenatal care OR midwifery care
Connector AND
Line 2

care models OR models of care

Connector AND
Line 3 rural area OR remote OR outer regional 

Finally, add truncation and phrase symbols This will help you save time and get relevant results.

For example

  • truncation can help find plural word forms, pregnan* will find pregnant and pregnancy and pregnancies 
  • use quotation marks to keep phrases together, for example "patient satisfaction" OR "consumer satisfaction"

With truncation/phrases 

Line 1 "prenatal care" OR "antenatal care" OR "midwi* care"
Connector AND
Line 2

"care model*" OR "model* of care"

Connector AND
Line 3 "rural area*OR remote* OR "outer regional*"

3. Find information

The Library Collection can be a useful starting point in locating quality information.

Use the Library Collection to find:

  • books or ebooks
  • journals or journal articles
  • conference papers and newspaper articles

3b. Databases

Emcare
Searching in Emcare is different to searching in the Library Catalogue.

1. Type your first concept and alternative words into the search box.
2. Untick the box labeled Map to Subject Heading.

3. Select Search.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for your next concepts.
5. Tick the boxes next to each of your concept lines.
6. Select Combine with AND.

7. Scroll down to see your results.

 

More useful databases:

4. Evaluate your References

You need to use credible references for this Assessment.

Credible references are articles from peer reviewed journals that are of high quality and can be used to support arguments that you are presenting. Articles in peer reviewed journals must go through an evaluation process with experts in the field before being published. The term refereed is also used.

The terms scholarly and academic are also sometimes used to indicate quality journals.

Remember the assignment instructions:

  • Reference your program textbook(s)
  • Minimum of 4 additional peer reviewed journal articles published from 2015 onwards

5. Synthesize ideas

Review the above video Essays - Synthesizing ideas by EMTeaching Videos (CC - BY 4.0 licence). This video will give you some ideas on how to synthesize ideas in your essay.

6. Write your Assignment

View the Student Engagement Unit's Academic Skills website for help writing your assignment, or to make an appointment with SEU staff.

7. Correctly reference your sources

You must appropriately cite (‘acknowledge’) all references used in your assignment to avoid plagiarism.

If you need help, just ask!

Navigate to the Ask the Library webpage. Navigate to the UniSA study help pals webpage. Navigate to the Studiosity webpage. Navigate to the Learning Advisors' webpage.
Contact: Ask the Library Ask: the Study Help PALs Use: Studiosity Talk to: Learning Adviser