Biomedical knowledge, culture, safety and maternal health policy: international perspectives

This one-day symposium is designed to bring together people to illuminate cross-national comparisons of the social shaping of biomedical knowledge production in obstetric science, and the relationship with maternal health policy in a global context.

Currently in the UK, there is considerable debate about the safety and quality of maternity services reflected in ongoing reviews by the independent think tank the King’s Fund and the Healthcare Commission. Current issues under discussion are concerned with the safety of birth settings and childbirth interventions such as caesarean section with a range of views around how safety and risk should be assessed.

Increasingly, global maternity policy and practice is informed by ‘evidence’, through clinical and policy guidelines. However, the social shaping of evidence informing such policies, global childbirth politics and new modes of professional jurisdiction have been under explored. Furthermore, there has been little exploration of the relationship between culture and constructions of risk and safety in relation to the shaping of maternal health policy, and even less interface between policymakers, professionals and researchers working in the area of low/middle and high income health systems. This event provides an international comparative perspective and the opportunity for participants to discuss key issues in maternal health policy drawing on a social and political sciences perspective.

Registration required:

Yes

Free:

No