A new research centre that aims to identify key issues and improve outcomes for women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period has been launched.

The Trinity Centre for Maternity Care Research (TCMCR) is based in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Trinity College Dublin (TCD). Some of the key issues it will focus on are preventing birth trauma, identifying the antenatal education needs of first-time mothers and assessing the services in maternity hospitals for women who experience urinary incontinence.

The centre aims to facilitate a partnership between clinicians, academic researchers and service users in order to help drive improvements in care.

According to Prof Déirdre Daly of TCD’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, the team at the TCMCR is “dedicated to achieving excellence in original maternity care research to help drive improvements in pregnancy, childbirth, early parenthood and early childhood care”.

“We prioritise research collaboration with women and families, clinicians in our partner hospitals and services, national and international colleagues, and industry, to identify and respond to research questions of local, national and global significance to childbearing women and their families. We value co-production and partnership in ethical, relevant research with and for women and their families at all stages of the pregnancy, birth, postpartum and early childhood continuum,” she commented.

She pointed out that while the centre is new, “excellent research has been conducted for years” in TCD’s School of Nursing and Midwifery.

“The TCMCR now seeks to build on this strong foundation, becoming nationally and internationally recognised as a centre of excellence in research that leads to positive improvements in the healthcare and services delivered and received,” she added.

For more information on the TCMCR, click here.