We talk a lot about MATFLIX teaching and learning boxsets on this site and I have had a major privilege to be involved in their creation. When we attend Maternity and Midwifery festivals, we get asked a number of questions that are often repeated. It seemed a good idea to answer them here too, for those who are unable to get to festivals face to face.
Why were they created?
The Maternity and Midwifery festivals have been running now for around 8 years, all recorded or filmed from the beginning, and therefore a large resource of midwifery knowledge. They are all curated with one eye on the research and presentations being recorded for long term teaching use.
All the midwifery hour talks are also now included where you will find one or two 20-minute presentations recorded for longevity. This has built a wonderful and unique video catalogue of the most topical research, insight and advice for midwives and maternity staff.
However, the resource needed to be made more accessible and manageable for midwives and maternity carers to use.
Originally, they were designed to help midwives revalidate, each including five video or podcast talks, reflective questions in line with the NMC revalidation requirements, and an appropriate reference list.
But they are not just for midwifery revalidation. They are appropriate for all who work in maternity services, students, healthcare professionals, lay birthworkers and any who work with maternity care, such as mental health nurses, paramedics and practice educators in all areas. For example, they are being used by mental health nurse and adult nurse educators, for obstetric courses. Midwifery educators are using them in courses, including in “flipping the classroom”. They can be used in similar ways by practice educators to help update staff.
What are the topics?
There are already over fifty different MATFLIX box sets available online. By the end of the year there will be at least seventy, as they are released biweekly. The topics cover the full range of midwifery and maternity practice and policy, with talks from midwifery clinical experts, researchers, policy makers, consultants, NMC, UK Health Security and educators, as well as obstetric and public health specialists. There are talks too from lay birthworkers, support workers in specialist charities and parents with experience to share.
Examples of topics covered:
- Clinical practice: covering antenatal, postnatal and labour care
- Mental health
- Management and leadership of services: e.g. organisation of postnatal services,
- Education
- Maternity services policy
- Specific sets for the island of Ireland:
- Student midwives and pre-student midwives
- Newly qualified midwives, preceptorship and preceptorship development
- Research focussed sets
- Caring for midwives and self care
- Global midwifery practice
There is something for everyone. They are all at your fingertips accessible from phones, laptops and through library and e resource systems.
As we develop these further, we would like your feedback. How are you using them? Are they integrated into courses? Are they used for revision or projects? What topics do you need covered for your practice and revalidation purposes? If you have any ideas or comments, please feel free to contact the team at [email protected]
If you would like any bespoke box sets, we can also support filming or you would be welcome to join in any of the midwifery festivals and submit your paper to be added to a set in the future!
Jenny Hall
Editor
Maternity and Midwifery & Midwifery Forum | MATFLIX
August 2023