From delivery suite to data: A midwife’s journey into research with BabyTrack
With more than six years’ experience as a Clinical Midwife at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), Erin O’Loughlin shares her experience of undertaking a 12-week research placement with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) HealthTech Research Centre (HRC): Emergency and Acute Care, marking her first meaningful step into the world of research.
Facilitated through the HRC’s Professional Placement Scheme earlier this year, Erin contributed to the development of a new a health tech innovation, BabyTrack, led by Professor Brendan McGrath, HRC Theme 2 (Secondary Care) Lead, and Anaesthetics and Intensive Care Professor at MFT.
The scheme offers funded placements for healthcare professionals to gain hands-on research experience, alongside leading researchers at MFT.
Erin’s experience – ‘The Midwife Brain’
Erin O’Loughlin
I’m fortunate to work for a large NHS Trust that offers many interesting opportunities, and with vast experience working as a Clinical Intrapartum Midwife (supporting and caring for women from the start of active labour to birth), I felt ready to try something new.
BabyTrack is a project focused on developing new technology to support the monitoring and assessment of labour progression. The technology will hopefully give us more insights during labour such as how the baby descends through the pelvis and the position of the baby. As someone directly involved in caring for labouring women, I found this area of research particularly interesting and was excited to be part of the team.
During the placement, I had the opportunity to act as the ‘midwife brain’ within the multidisciplinary team, offering insight into current labour care practices and sharing my perspective on the practicalities and logistics involved in developing new technology for use in clinical settings. This ensured that the solutions being designed were not only innovative but also practical and relevant to real-world settings.
One of the most valuable aspects of the experience was working alongside doctors, engineers and researchers. This collaboration gave me a deeper understanding of the extensive planning, testing, and research required before new technologies can be safely introduced into clinical practice. It was fascinating to see firsthand how healthcare innovation develops and highlighted the importance of involving frontline clinical staff in creating technology that is both practical and beneficial for women and healthcare staff.
I also developed skills outside of my usual clinical role, particularly in data collection, analysis, and both grant application and report writing. While these were initially a little outside my comfort zone, they gave me a greater understanding of the research process and increased my confidence in contributing to projects beyond direct patient care.
Something I found challenging at first was adapting from a fast-paced clinical environment to a more research-focused role, as the pace and priorities are very different to what I’m used to. However, the experience gave me a greater appreciation of the research and development processes involved in healthcare innovation and helped me build confidence in contributing outside of a purely clinical role.
This experience has also highlighted how valuable it is for midwives to be involved in healthcare research and innovation. As midwives, we bring an important frontline perspective of maternity care, and being part of research helps make sure that new ideas and technologies are grounded in real clinical practice and meet the needs of women.
Looking ahead, I’d be interested in exploring further opportunities that allow me to stay involved in research alongside my clinical role. This could include short-term research placements or embarking on bigger projects such as a master’s degree. This placement has made me more aware of how research and practice can work well together, and I’d like to keep building on that in a way that fits alongside my clinical work.
Beyond the placement itself, I have also contributed to several formal research outputs, including a national presentation at the Anaesthesia Research Society in Cardiff, a published abstract and contributions to a research paper focused on monitoring technologies in delivery suites. I have also played a key role in survey design, grant applications and the development of the BabyTrack kit.
Overall, this experience has been incredibly rewarding, and I am grateful for the opportunity provided by the NIHR HRC: Emergency and Acute Care. I look forward to seeing how the BabyTrack project continues to develop and hope it will make a meaningful difference in maternity care.
‘A midwife’s journey into research with BabyTrack’
Featuring Erin O’Loughlin and Professor Brendan McGrath, NIHR HRC: Emergency and Acute Care Theme Lead and Intensive Care Consultant at Wythenshawe Hospital, part of MFT.
