Work package 2

Ethnographic case study to describe the practice of intermittent auscultation (IA), identifying facilitators and challenges to following national guidance.

In each of our eight partner NHS maternity sites we will observe midwives using IA for monitoring of the fetus during a woman's labour, interview midwives and other relevant practitioners involved in IA training, practice or auditing, carry out a case note audit to describe IA practice in relation to guidance and collect relevant documentation e.g. protocols for IA monitoring.

When will the ethnography start?

We are in the process of securing NHS research ethics and other regulatory approvals for this work package and anticipate that the research will start later in 2023.