Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Also available in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, School of Nursing, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 120-129).

Aims : The aims of the study were to describe the experiences of the midwives who were part of the first Australian CenteringPregnancy Pilot Study and to inform the future development of CenteringPregnancy. Background CenteringPregnancy is a model of group antenatal care that has evolved over the past two decades in North America. A pilot study that explored the feasibility of implementing CenteringPregnancy in Australia was undertaken in 2006-2008. I was the research midwife employed to coordinate this study and I explored the experiences of the midwives who were participants as the focus of my Master of Midwifery (Honours) research. Method : An Action Research approach was undertaken to study the implementation of CenteringPregnancy in Australia. This included a qualitative descriptive study to describe and explore the experiences of the midwives who were participants. The study was set in two hospital antenatal clinics and two outreach community health-care centres in southern Sydney. Eight midwives and three research team members formed the Action Research group. Data collected were primarily from focus groups and surveys and were analysed using simple descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis. Findings : CenteringPregnancy enabled midwives to develop relationships with the women in their groups and with their peers in the Action Research group. The group antenatal care model enhanced the development of relationships between midwives and women that were necessary for professional fulfilment and the appreciation of relationship-based care. The use of supportive organisational change, enabled by Action Research methods, facilitated midwives to develop new skills that were appropriate for the group care setting and in line with a strengths-based approach. Issues of low staffing rates, lack of available facilities for groups, time constraints, recruitment difficulties and resistance to change impacted on widespread implementation of CenteringPregnancy. Conclusions : The experience of the midwives who provided CenteringPregnancy care suggests that it is an appropriate model of care for the Australian midwifery context, particularly if organisational support and recruitment strategies and access to appropriate facilities are addressed. The midwives who undertook CenteringPregnancy engaged in a new way of working that enhanced their appreciation of relationship-based care and was positive to their job satisfaction. Implications for practice Effective ways to implement CenteringPregnancy models of care in Australia were identified in this study. These included a system of support for the midwives engaging in facilitating groups for the first time. It is important that organisations also develop other supportive strategies, including the provision of adequate group spaces, effective recruitment plans and positive support systems for change management. In the light of current evidence the development of continuity of care models which enhance the relationship between an individual women and her midwife, it is important to explore the effects of group care on this unique relationship.

What constitutes quality of learning in primary care? A social systems view of that central question regards the relationships between dimensions of learning, purposes of primary care, and quality of practice. The question of learning quality was approached in three ways. First, perceptions of learning quality were elicited through recorded interviews with fifteen participants representing diverse roles in a primary care medical clinic. Analysis of the interviews indicated learning sources, factors, and functional dimensions of learning. Second, because learning is constituted in a social practice, the social context of learning in primary care clinics was modeled with qualitative systems diagrams. This exposed systemic barriers and facilitators of learning in practice. Third, learning is directed toward fulfilling the purposes of primary care. The nature of those purposes is not well articulated. A framework of seven core purposes was developed from the perspective of systems phenomenology. This framework extends the biopsychosocial framework in several regards. Perceptions of learning quality, the structural situation of learning in clinical practice, and the core purposes of primary care, all contribute to a social systems understanding of what constitutes learning quality, and how primary care organizations might procure it and assess it. Systems phenomenology represents a significant innovation in social systems science methods. / Graduation date: 2002

Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2007. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-105). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (PH.D.)--Syracuse University, 2005.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2006. / Prepared for: School of Social Work. Bibliography: leaves 278-297. Also available online via the Internet.

Thesis (M.Ed.(Opvoedkundige Sielkunde))-Universiteit van Pretoria, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.