This new edition of a highly regarded classic midwifery text encourages critical thinking about the art and science of midwifery. Promoting the idea that thinking directly affects practice, it offers a clear explanation of the concepts, theories and models that shape effective evidence-informed care for women. This insightful book challenges the reader to reconsider the knowledge at the heart of your own midwifery practice. It is the essential text on midwifery's growing theoretical framework for students and practitioners alike. New to this Edition: - Extensively updated and reworked edited collection - New exercises: undergraduate and postgraduate specific activities highlight the significance of the theoretical framework to everyday practice

Midwives and other healthcare providers are grappling with the issue of rising intervention rates in childbirth and trying to identify ways to reverse the trend. It is increasingly accepted that intervention in childbirth has long-term consequences for women and their children. Birth Territory provides practical, evidence-based ideas for restructuring the birth territory to facilitate normal birth. Links new research findings to birth environments and outcomes. Describes the elements of an ideal birthing environment. Suggests how to modify existing maternity services to achieve optimal results. Investigates the links between the experiences of women and babies, and outcomes. Explores the effects of legal and socio-political factors.

This book walks you step-by-step through the whole research process so you can get up to speed understanding and doing your own research. In their friendly, down to earth style, the authors lay the theoretical foundations you need to consume and critique research, before showing how to translate this into action when tackling your own literature review or research project. This second edition: Draws on a wealth of examples from midwifery, four fields of nursing including mental health nursing and child nursing, and a range of health care specialities. Covers new and updated NMC professional education standards and maps all relevant policy and law. Supports your learning with reflective exercises, online activities and quizzes that enable you to be confident in your understanding and develop your thinking. Whether you’re encountering research and evidence-based practice for the first time or refreshing your methods knowledge, this is the ideal research companion for nurses and midwives pre-registration, post-registration and beyond.

The eBook version of this title gives you access to the complete book content electronically*. Evolve eBooks allows you to quickly search the entire book, make notes, add highlights, and study more efficiently. Buying other Evolve eBooks titles makes your learning experience even better: all of the eBooks will work together on your electronic "bookshelf", so that you can search across your entire library of Midwifery eBooks. *Please note that this version is the eBook only and does not include the printed textbook. Alternatively, you can buy the Text and Evolve eBooks Package (which gives you the printed book plus the eBook). Please scroll down to our Related Titles section to find this title. The book looks at a broad perspective of decision making and each chapter focuses on a specific aspect related to making crucial decisions. Following an initial introduction the book explores the concept of autonomy and the many factors that influence autonomous practise. The role of knowledge in decision making, using evidence to inform decisions, as well as different approaches to decision making are also examined - including the traditional or rational approach, decision analysis and the development of professional judgement. Dilemmas arise when decisions are made and therefore ethical decision making is an important component of this book. Management decisions may be different from those related to giving specific care to women, hence one chapter focuses on making management decisions. Emphasis is also placed on the role of the midwife in helping women make their own decisions, the role of reflection in enhancing the decisions midwives make and the support midwives can receive from their Supervisor of Midwives. Flowcharts explain and facilitate the decision-making process. A very practical approach to decision-making in midwifery, with contributions from midwives who have considerable experience in this area Provides guidelines on how to achieve successful autonomous midwifery practice, enabling theory to be effectively applied to practice Includes coverage of management roles and decision-making as well as clinical scenarios, offering frameworks and flowcharts to guide the inexperienced Suggests different approaches to making difficult decisions

"It is very exciting to see all of these studies compiled in one book. It can be read sequentially or just for certain transitions. It also can be used as a template for compilation of other concepts central to nursing and can serve as a resource for further studies in transitions. It is an excellent addition to the nursing literature." Score: 95, 4 Stars. --Doody's "Understanding and recognizing transitions are at the heart of health care reform and this current edition, with its numerous clinical examples and descriptions of nursing interventions, provides important lessons that can and should be incorporated into health policy. It is a brilliant book and an important contribution to nursing theory." Kathleen Dracup, RN, DNSc Dean and Professor, School of Nursing University of California San Francisco Afaf Meleis, the dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, presents for the first time in a single volume her original "transitions theory" that integrates middle-range theory to assist nurses in facilitating positive transitions for patients, families, and communities. Nurses are consistently relied on to coach and support patients going through major life transitions, such as illness, recovery, pregnancy, old age, and many more. A collection of over 50 articles published from 1975 through 2007 and five newly commissioned articles, Transitions Theory covers developmental, situational, health and illness, organizational, and therapeutic transitions. Each section includes an introduction written by Dr. Meleis in which she offers her historical and practical perspective on transitions. Many of the articles consider the transitional experiences of ethnically diverse patients, women, the elderly, and other minority populations. Key Topics Discussed: Situational transitions, including discharge and relocation transitions (hospital to home, stroke recovery) and immigration transitions (psychological adaptation and impact of migration on family health) Educational transitions, including professional transitions (from RN to BSN and student to professional) Health and illness transitions, including self-care post heart failure, living with chronic illness, living with early dementia, and accepting palliative care Organization transitions, including role transitions from acute care to collaborative practice, and hospital to community practice Nursing therapeutics models of transition, including role supplementation models and debriefing models

"This is an excellent review of the development of self-care deficit theory and the use of self-care in nursing practice. Explanations of the various theories and theory terms are well done and written at a level that novice theorists can relate to. The authors demonstrate how self-care science can be fiscally and effectively applied to the care of patients/clients."--Doody's Medical Reviews Dorothea Orem's Self-Care Theory has been used as a foundation for nursing practice in healthcare institutions and as the basis of curricula in nursing schools for decades. This book explores the high-level theory of the application of Orem's Self-Care Theory, and how it can improve patient outcomes as well as cost-effectiveness of nursing care delivery. Written for nursing theorists, researchers, administrators, and graduate students, the text addresses the relationship of self-care theory and evidence-based care in nursing, and provides a solution to improving contemporary healthcare outcomes. The book is divided into three sections. Section one discusses the reason for the existence of the nursing profession, and identifies the performance of self-care. Section two covers three nursing practice sciences-wholly compensatory nursing, partly compensatory nursing, and supportive educative nursing. Section three offer suggestions on how health care organizations can incorporate this broadened perspective of what constitutes evidence based practice and on-going research methodology into every-day delivery of nursing services. Key Features: Includes case examples to illustrate the application of theory to nursing practice Provides a current, cost-effective resource for implementing Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory for effective evidence-based practice Builds the link between the application of Orem's Self Care Theory and improved patient and fiscal healthcare outcomes