Frincy Francis

The Maternal Clinical Nursing Students of the College of Nursing at SQU organized a presentation on evidence-based practice in maternity care titled “Bridging the Gap: Through Best Evidences to Best Practices” recently. This presentation, that focused on research evidences related pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum, targeted staff nurses from the maternity related wards at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital. Over 24 nurses including the head nurses and deputy head nurses from the wards attended the presentation. There were five groups of students and each group presented innovative proven research findings that covered the area of pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum.

Dr. Vidya Seshan, the head of the department of Maternal & Child Health Nursing, and Course Coordinator in unison with her course team Dr. Girija, Ms. Divya, Ms. Sophia and Ms. Frincy voiced the opinion that there is a dire need for keeping abreast of the happening changes especially to meet the growing demands of Quality in patient care. “To keep pace with it, utilization of the available research findings and implementing them in the clinical settings would fasten the process of creating an evidence based practice environment and bring out those published Level I research evidences that remain as “Sleeping Beauties” in the shelves”, they observed.

The students in their various presentations emphasized and recommended the Hospital Administrators about the need for an antenatal education unit for pregnant woman to have reliable health related information, importance of postpartum support to prevent depression, using the birth ball to smoothen labor process which is widely practiced in the western countries but still under-utilized in the Arabian Gulf countries.

Innovative upcoming research findings like use of Haptotherapy for reducing fear of childbirth as well as using ice massage for coping with labour pain were also presented. The research studies were chosen with care under the guidance of their instructors and was chosen from the LEVEL I evidences which includes the RCT to serve with quality. Ms. Raya Al Ghassaini, Deputy Head Midwife, Labor Room, SQUH said “There is an ongoing project introducing the birthing ball to understand and promote its benefits among the pregnant woman”. Ms. Morniyati Ismail, Head Nurse, 2 Red, SQUH and Ms. Janice Priya Sunny, Staff Nurse, Antenatal OPD, SQUH voiced the same views that “Most of the nurses usually complain of their lack of time to get back and read research and that’s when this kind of presentation come so handy with information in a nutshell”. The nurses appreciated the efforts taken and indeed felt happy for keeping them abreast of these new ideas. The students urged those in the administrative positions to implement these feasible findings to improvise the existing care with innovation and quality.