Evaluation of Midwifery Units (The EMU Project)
A collaboration of researchers and academics from the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales, the University of Technology Sydney and the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology, New Zealand
This program of research will evaluate midwifery-led units in Australia and New Zealand, the Evaluation of Midwifery Units (EMU). This research is a prospective cohort study of primary level (free-standing) midwifery-led units in Australia and New Zealand to determine if there are any significant differences in outcome of labour and birth for women who book at primary level free-standing midwife-led birth units compared to women who book at tertiary teaching hospitals for women with ‘no indicated risk’ at booking. Data will be prospectively collected for one year from the beginning of the study for two mutually exclusive cohorts, within the study population. The study is powered to detect a clinically relevant fall of 6.0% in the rate of women requiring a caesarean section from 29.0% to 23.0%. Sample size of approximately 2400 (1200 in each group) with 90% power and a significance level of p=0.05. These numbers will be sufficient to detect a clinically significant reduction of 4.0% in the rate of instrumental birth (forceps/vacuum) from 11.0% to 7.0% with a 90% power and a significance level of p=0.05. We are aiming to enrol 1500 women in each cohort with an anticipated non participation rate of 25%.
Research team
Chief Investigators: Professor Sally K Tracy, Professor Alec Welsh (UNSW); Professor Lesley Barclay (Sydney) Dr Mark Tracy (Sydney); Professor Marlayn Foureur (UTS) Mary Kensington (CPIT, Christchurch NZ)
Associate Investigators: Rachel Rowe, Professor Alison McFarlane and Dr Rona McCandlish (National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Oxford, UK)
PhD Candidates at University of Sydney
Celia Grigg (New Zealand) and Amy Monk (NSW)
Faculty contact
Professor Sally K Tracy, 0420277106
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