Champamunny Ven
Thesis title
An exploration of what Cambodian midwives need to provide disability-inclusive maternity care.
Description of PhD Project
Despite the World Health Organization's statement that every woman is entitled to receive maternity care services with a high standard of care, including respect and dignity, the practical implementation of these rights has been limited and falls short of acceptable standards, particularly for women with disabilities. A growing body of research on maternity care of women with disabilities during pregnancy, childbirth and after delivery reveals that maternity care for women with disabilities is not inclusive. Overall, the evidence highlights that many women with disabilities have negative experiences and encounter numerous barriers within their maternity care. Those barriers include physical, communication, attitudinal, and institutional obstacles in their attempts to access maternity care services.
Healthcare providers such as nurses, midwives and doctors also face challenges when providing maternity care to women with disabilities. For example, healthcare providers encounter challenges related to insufficient general disability knowledge and training, limited access to evidence-based guidelines specifically related to disabilities, and inadequate systemic support and resources. Additionally, they encounter difficulties in promoting collaboration among healthcare professionals and overcoming institutional infrastructure barriers to providing disability-inclusive maternity care.
These factors are likely to have negative impacts on maternity care for women with disabilities, yet little empirical research has been conducted within the Cambodian context.
This PhD study hopes to examine this issue within the Cambodian context with a specific focus on understanding how Cambodian midwives could be supported to deliver inclusive maternity services for women with disabilities. This study will employ a qualitative research methodology, using in-depth interviews for data collection from research participants.
Supervisors
Advisory Committee
Biography
Munny is doing her PhD study under the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. Her research topic is about exploring the training needs of Cambodian midwives in relation to providing inclusive maternity care services for women with disabilities. She holds a Master of Public Health from La Trobe university, Australia. She has many years experiences in nursing and midwifery in Cambodia. She is very passionate about helping people in the vulnerable group such as mothers, children, and persons with disabilities. She is one of the executive team members in Cambodian Midwife Association in Cambodia. Munny is married with two sons and a very supportive husband.
Funding/scholarships
- Australia Awards Scholarship