Project:

Women’s decision making regarding pain relief in labour

From September 2003 to August 2008
Project Leader(s): Mrs Joanne Lally, Prof Richard Thomson, Dr Madeleine Murtagh, Dr Sheila Macphail (R.V.I.)
Contact: Mrs Joanne Lally
Sponsors: MRC Training Fellowship – Health of the Public/Health Services Research (£124,524); Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Charity (£37,640)

There is increasing public interest and demand to be involved in decisions about health care. This includes being involved in the discussion about the risks and benefits of treatment choices. Choice regarding pain relief in labour is an area where high quality information about risks and benefits is of pivotal importance. Women should have the opportunity to receive the information they require at the appropriate time and in an appropriate form to ensure that they feel able to make an informed choice about the pain relief they receive, and that they are satisfied with their choice and their involvement in the decision making process.

This project seeks to describe and understand women’s needs in relation to supporting their decisions about pain relief in labour at various stages in pregnancy. This will be done through semi-structured interviews at various times in pregnancy and post-delivery focus group discussion including expectations about pain relief and information needs, including timing and format. Understandings gained in this study will inform development of decision support aid(s) to assist in this decision making process.

Research Objectives

  • Examine what information is currently provided and what information women and the professional involved in their care requires
  • Examine the most appropriate time during pregnancy that this information can be provided
  • Explore the most appropriate format in which this information could be provided
  • Contribute to the development of a larger study to develop a decision tool for use in this area

Conference Presentations

  • Lally, J, Murtagh, M, Thomson R, Women's decision making regarding pain relief in labour. International Shared Decision Making Conference, Ottawa, 14-16 June, 2005
  • Lally, J, Murtagh, M, Thomson, R, McPhail, S. Women’s decision making about pain in labour. UK Public Health Forum, Gateshead, 5-7 April 2005

Staff

Joanne Lally
Shared Decision Making Programme Lead

Professor Richard Thomson
Professor of Epidemiology & Public Hlth