Published on 25 September 2021
In a first for Western Health, an innovative midwifery research role is helping to provide women and their families with high-quality evidence-based care.
Professor Linda Sweet is the inaugural Chair of Midwifery in the Deakin University Western Health Partnership.
Whether it’s postpartum haemorrhage, breastfeeding rates, or homebirths, Professor Sweet is conducting research that directly assists the health service to find ways to
address clinical challenges or assess the success of existing programs.
Professor Sweet worked as a nurse for a decade before becoming a midwife. She made the move into education, and then academia, where she has amassed considerable experience.
In her current role at Western Health, Professor Sweet is supported by Dr Vidanka Vasilevski, who has a background in neuropsychology and an interest in women’s health.
“We have more than 30 projects underway involving Western Health staff and collaborators both in Australia and internationally,” Professor Sweet said.
“They are interprofessional, including collaborating with Newborn Services, Lactation Consultants, Midwifery Group Practice, Homebirth Midwives, Maternal Foetal Medicine Obstetricians, and the DIAMOND Clinic team who support pregnant women who are overweight and obese.
This is important because pregnant women are seen by a variety of services across the hospital and by working with our colleagues; we ensure midwifery has a voice in shaping the provision of care.”
One of the largest projects the team has been working on over the past year has been exploring the experience of women giving birth in our publicly-funded homebirth program at Sunshine Hospital, which is the largest of only two services of this kind in Victoria.
“Ten years ago the first publicly funded homebirth programs were launched at Sunshine and Casey hospitals,” Professor Sweet said.
“It offers women increased choice of their place of birth.”
The majority of women in Australia give birth in a hospital, with approximately one percent of women having a homebirth.
Between 2009-2019 a total of 483 women gave birth at home through the Sunshine Hospital program.
“We sought to explore the experiences of women who were involved in the program, including: women who ended up birthing at home, those who were transferred to hospital care before, during, or after birth, and women who were not eligible for a homebirth but applied.”
As well as conducting in-depth interviews with a range of women, they assessed the maternal and neonatal clinical outcomes and spoke to healthcare workers about their experience of the program. Whilst the findings are awaiting publication, Professor Sweet said their research is providing invaluable insight into the homebirth program.
Professor Sweet has completed a pilot trial of a new lactation device for breastfeeding women to apply massage, heat and cold, and compression to the breast. The team is also evaluating the Registered Undergraduate Student of Midwifery (RUSOM), which involves health services like Western Health employing students to work in their hospitals while they continue to study.
It’s hard to believe that it has only been two years since Professor Sweet took up her position at Western Health, but already the impact of her expertise is having a positive impact on women and their families in the West and beyond.
