As the first research center of its kind in Thailand, the Midwifery Research Center at Chiang Mai University is at the forefront of evidence-based midwifery practice on a national level.
Established in 2013 under the umbrella of the Centers for Excellence in Nursing Research at the Faculty of Nursing, the Center has emphasized optimal fetal development and birth defects prevention since the initiation of the government policy, "2nd National Reproductive Health Development Policy and Strategy on the Promotion of Quality Birth and Growth (2017-2026)". The Center’s focus also responds to the Ministry of Public Health’s “The First 1,000 Days Miracle of Life” policy".
With eight distinguished faculty members leading the way, the Midwifery Research Center is engaged in a host of research and health promotion activities.
Associate Professor Dr. Kasara Sripichyakan has headed up the Center since 2015 with a forthright and passionate stance. She highlights the fact that the Center is not only conducting research, but is directly engaged in frontline health promotion activities. These frontline activities are a key factor in keeping the Center on the cutting edge of midwifery knowledge in Thailand.
One example is a partnership with the local health authority in San Pa Tong, Chiang Mai in which FON students conduct home visits to pregnant women in the villages of this district. Students are greatly affected by the circumstances of mothers in the village, one student having been quoted as stating, “We don’t know how they live.” This exposure builds an understanding of client context that has great impact on the quality of care. A further initiative is working with local health promotion hospitals in creating safer communities free from substances harmful to fetuses. Through this initiative, fetal and infant health will be promoted from conception until two years of age.
Since premarital sexual health counselling is not widely accessible, the Center is also active in promoting preconception care as a facet of reproductive health. With junior high school students in San Pa Tong School, for example, the Center has implemented reproductive health programming which interweaves preconception and adolescent health care.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kasara explains that food safety is another key topic in midwifery and postnatal care. The Center was the first to bring up the importance of food safety in the midwifery context, especially in terms of heavy metals and pesticides. There is still much work to be done in raising awareness around food safety and related issues. Environmental and occupational hazards during pregnancy such as smoking, mercury, air quality, pesticides, and Zika virus, as well as topics such as the importance of using DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), iodine, and folic acid in pre- and postnatal nutrition, continue to be key areas for increased focus in developing countries such as Thailand.
One of the key challenges to midwifery research that Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kasara sees is a lack of data appropriate to the Thai context. She notes the need to generate new knowledge that is relevant to and actionable in this context to better serve local families and communities.
Another challenge is the need for ongoing training to ensure that nurses and other health personnel are staying current with best practices. Considerable infrastructure is required to foster skills and buy-in from practitioners when the evidence calls for changes to practice.
Looking forward, the Center is focused on research and promotion activities related to health behaviors key in the first two months postpartum, child development as perceived by mothers, and the development of concise, accessible health promotion modules delivered through online platforms suitable to new parents.