Midwifery practice and maternity care in the UK – what matters to you? Survey by the RCM

Summary

Influence the future of research and help find the top 10 priorities for midwifery practice and maternity care. The RCM wants all members of our profession, together with student midwives, MSWs and service users to get involved.

This survey is the first in a larger project that aims to find the Top 10 future research priorities for midwifery practice and maternity care in the UK. We will turn the ideas and suggestions that you share into research questions, and these will then be included in a second survey. We expect this survey to open in September 2024. 

The second survey will ask you to say which of the suggested research questions you think are the most important.  The final Top 10 priorities will be decided in a workshop in January 2025.  We hope that the Top 10 priorities will be used by individuals and organisations to decide which research projects should receive funding. 

The project is being led by the Royal College of Midwives, with support from the James Lind Alliance, and a Steering Group made up of midwives, maternity support workers and women and birthing people. 

We are inviting you to take part if you are a:

• Woman or birthing person (pregnant now, have been pregnant or hope to be pregnant in the future) 
• A partner, family member or friend
• Midwife, midwifery student or maternity support worker
• A representative of an organisation or charity which supports women
• A person who supports pregnant women, such as a doula or antenatal teacher

We want to find out the most important gaps in knowledge and hear what matters to you in the following areas:

• Pregnancy, birth and postnatal care
• The work of midwives, midwifery students and maternity support workers – clinical, educational, workforce or any other aspect of midwifery practice
• The role of family members, friends and birth supporters

Click here to take part or find out more at Research Prioritisation Project – RCM.