Dear
Thank you for your telephone call and for offering to participate in this study. The study will look at the strengths and weaknesses of Ireland's public health services for women with disabilities during pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood. Your support will help us to ensure that we carry out the study as effectively as possible.
The enclosed information booklet will give you more details about the study. I am also attaching a consent form, which you should fill out and return to me in the enclosed stamped addressed envelope.
If you need any further information about the study or if anything in this letter is unclear, please contact me on the telephone number or email address provided below and I will be happy to discuss any details with you.
I look forward to hearing from you and will be in contact with you again soon.
Yours sincerely,
Denise Lawler
________________________
Denise Lawler
School of Nursing and Midwifery,
Trinity College Dublin,
24 D'Olier Street,
Dublin 2
Telephone: 086 3789758
Email: lawlorde@tcd.ie
Re: A study exploring the strengths and weakness of the publicly funded health services for women with disabilities during pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood.
Dear
As you are aware a team in Trinity College Dublin is undertaking a research study with the specific aim to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the publicly funded Irish health services provided to women with disabilities during pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood.
There are five strands to the study:
Over the past number of months we have conducted semi structured interviews with women from the five different strands to ascertain their experiences when accessing the publicly funded health services during pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood. We have also conducted a telephone interview with all the publicly funded maternity hospitals in Ireland, to identify the policies that govern service provision for women with disabilities during pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood. Thank you for participating in the telephone interview. We are now embarking on the third phase of the study, inviting health professionals to participate in a focus group discussion.
The aims of the focus group are
To ensure geographical representation the focus groups will be held in four different locations - Dublin, Galway, Donegal and Waterford. The duration of the focus group discussion will be approximately 1 hour. I am writing to invite you to participate in the focus group located nearest to you and also to nominate a person ideally, with an interest in the area of women with disabilities, in each of the positions identified in the attached list. Once I receive the names I will write to the person(s) and formally invite time to participate in the focus group.
Please complete the attached list with the name of the nominated person(s) and return it, in the enclosed stamped self addressed envelope, to Denise Lawler, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, 24 D'Olier Street, Dublin 2.
Thanking you in anticipation.
_____________________________________________
Denise Lawler
Tel: 086 3789758
Email: lawlerde@tcd.ie
Re: A study exploring the strengths and weakness of the publicly funded health services for women with disabilities during pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood.
Dear
A team in Trinity College Dublin is undertaking a research study with the specific aim to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the publicly funded Irish health services provided to women with disabilities during pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood.
There are five strands to the study:
Over the past number of months we have conducted semi structured interviews with women from the five different strands to ascertain their experiences when accessing the publicly funded health services during pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood. We have also conducted a telephone interview with all the publicly funded maternity hospitals in Ireland, to identify the policies that govern service provision for women with disabilities during pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood. We are now embarking on another phase of the study, inviting health professionals to participate in a focus group discussion.
The aims of the focus group are
To ensure geographical representation the focus groups will be held in four different locations - Dublin, Galway, Letterkenny and Waterford. The duration of the focus group discussion will be approximately 1 hour.
I cordially invite you to participate in the focus group located in the [name of venue, geographic location and time here]. Light refreshments will be provided. Enclosed is further information about the focus group including the questions that will frame the discussion. Please let me know if you will be attending/or will not be attending the focus group. I can be contacted via the telephone number or email address provided.
Yours sincerely,
_____________________________________________
Denise Lawler
Tel: 086 3789758
Email: lawlerde@tcd.ie
Are you interested in talking about your experience of maternity services in Ireland?
An exploration of the strengths and weaknesses of the publicly funded Irish health services provided to women with disabilities in relation to pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood.
We set up this study to look at the strengths and weaknesses of Ireland's public health services for women with disabilities during pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood. As little is known about your experiences of health services - both in Ireland and throughout the world - we hope to increase our knowledge of such services through this study, so that we can help to improve health and maternity services for women with disabilities.
We would like to talk to you if you have a disability and are pregnant or have had a baby in the past six months or two years. We will be asking you to tell us about your experiences of the public health system during pregnancy, childbirth or early motherhood. To take part in the study, you must be aged 18 years or over. We would like to hear from women with one of the following:
If you agree to take part in the study, we will ask you to sign a consent form, giving us permission to interview you for the study. We will interview you face-to-face in your home or at another suitable location. The interview will last no longer than one hour. We will ask you to tell us about your experiences of the public health services during pregnancy, childbirth or the early stages of motherhood. We may ask you to take part in more than one interview. All interviews will be recorded to make sure that we get the best account of your views and experiences. You can ask for a copy of this recorded interview if you agree to take part in the study. We hope to use the information from the interviews to put together a report outlining your needs and views.
Note: If you are hard of hearing, you will be interviewed through sign language or in written form.
You do not have to take part in the study if you do not want to. We won't ask you to give a reason if you choose not to take part and your care will not be affected. If you agree to take part, you can pull out of the interview at any stage without giving any reason. You can also refuse to answer any question(s), turn the tape off, or ask to stop the interview at any time.
We will make sure that all of the information you give will be kept totally private and we will not tell anyone that you took part in the study. Your name, details or any other information that might reveal your identity will not appear anywhere in the report resulting from this study. Your name will not even appear on the tape of your interview; instead, we will label this with a code number.
You will not be paid for taking part in this study. However, we hope that the knowledge we gain from this study will give us a better understanding of your experiences and those of other women. This will, in turn, help us to improve the quality of health services for you and others in the future. You may also enjoy telling your story and gain knowledge or information through discussing your experience with a health professional.
This research has been granted ethical approval from the Faculty of Health Sciences, Trinity College, Dublin.
If you wish to take part in the study after reading this information leaflet, please fill out the attached form. The form will ask you for your name and contact details and to tell us whether or not you will be taking part in the study. If there is a particular time at which you would like us to contact you, please write this on the form. After you return the form in the envelope provided, we will contact you to discuss arrangements.
If you need any further information or if you do not understand anything in this information sheet, please contact us and we will be happy to discuss or explain any of the details.
For further information, contact:
Denise Lawler
School of Nursing and Midwifery,
Trinity College Dublin,
24 D'Olier Street,
Dublin 2
Telephone: 086 3789758
Email: lawlorde@tcd.ie
Thank you for taking the time to read this information.
This study is funded by the National Disability Authority
To explore the strengths and weaknesses of publicly funded Irish health services provided to women with disabilities in relation to pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood.
Ms Denise Lawler, Telephone Number: 086 3789758, E-mail : lawlerde@tcd.ie
In Ireland and internationally little is known about disabled women's experiences of health services. This research is attempting to fill the gap in knowledge, by providing information, which may impact on future development of health and maternity services. The study will involve interviewing service users.
The study involves a face-to-face interview conducted in your home or a venue accessible for you. The interview will be about 45-60 minutes and will be conducted at a time convenient for you. The objective is to hear your views and opinions and to listen to your experiences. You will be asked a range of open-ended questions, which you are free to answer, and or not answer in whatever way you choose. If you agree to be interviewed we would like to tape record the interview, so we can listen to it afterward, to ensure that we represent your views and experiences as completely as possible. The interview will be held at a time and location convenient to you and of your choosing.
I have read the study information sheet and this consent form.
I have had the opportunity to ask questions and all my questions have been answered to my satisfaction.
I understand that all information collected in this study will be treated as confidential and that my identity will remain confidential.
I freely and voluntarily agree to be part of this research study, though without prejudice to my legal and ethical rights.
I have received a copy of this agreement and I understand that the results of this research may be published.
I understand I may withdraw from the study at any time.
PARTICIPANT'S NAME (Block Capitals):.....................................
CONTACT NUMBER: ...................................
PARTICIPANT'S SIGNATURE:..................................................
Date:................................
Statement of investigator's responsibility: I have explained the nature and purpose of this study to the persons named above, the procedures to be undertaken and any risks that may be involved. I have offered to answer any questions and have fully answered such questions. I believe that the person named above understood my explanation and has freely given informed consent.
Investigator's Signature................................. Date.....................
For Investigator's Use Only
Participant Code: ------------------
DECLARATION (Please read and sign if you agree):
I have read the study information sheet and this consent form.
I have had the opportunity to ask questions and all my questions have been answered to my satisfaction.
I understand that all information collected in this focus group will be treated as confidential and that my identity will remain confidential.
I freely and voluntarily agree to be part of this research study, though without prejudice to my legal and ethical rights.
I have received a copy of this agreement and I understand that the results of this research may be published.
I understand I may withdraw from the study at any time.
PARTICIPANT'S NAME (Block Capitals):......................................
TITLE/POSITION:...........................CONTACT NUMBER: ..................
PARTICIPANT'S SIGNATURE:.....................Date:.....................
Statement of investigator's responsibility: I have explained the nature and purpose of this study to the persons named above, the procedures to be undertaken and any risks that may be involved. I have offered to answer any questions and have fully answered such questions. I believe that the person named above understood my explanation and has freely given informed consent.
Investigator's Signature ......................................Date..................