Dr Rachel Arnold
- 01202 964327
- rarnold at bournemouth dot ac dot uk
- http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1436-1897
- Post Doctoral Researcher in Maternity Organisation and Culture
- BGB
Biography
I am a nurse/midwife - but have primarily worked as midwife both in the UK and abroad. I have worked with relief & development agencies in various places including South Sudan, Rwanda, Pakistan and Afghanistan trying to provide or improve health services. This has included working with healthcare providers in remote rural or mountain communities, a small maternity unit in a city hospital and refuge camps. In each setting I have been driven and fascinated by the challenge of achieving sustainable improvements to the quality of care, and also by the complex institutional, social, personal and political factors that influence behaviors’ and care.
My PhD (Bournemouth University) developed out of these experiences. It was an ethnographic exploration of the barriers and facilitators to quality care for women in an Afghan maternity hospital - particularly from the perspectives of the midwives, doctors, care assistants.
My current research post is to work in partnership with maternity services at Dorchester County Hospital to generate insights into maternity organisation and culture... In particular, to find strategies that facilitates them in achieving their vision of high quality, safe, effective care for women and families - to give their children the best possible start in life.
In addition, I am part of a project working to strengthen midwifery education in Nepal and am a Research Staff Association representative for the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences.
moreJournal Articles
- Arnold, R., Van Teijlingen, E., Ryan, K. and Holloway, I., 2019. Villains or victims? An ethnography of Afghan maternity staff and the challenge of high quality respectful care. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 19 (1).
- Arnold, R., van Teijlingen, E., Ryan, K. and Holloway, I., 2018. Parallel worlds: An ethnography of care in an Afghan maternity hospital. Social Science and Medicine, 216, 33-40.
- Arnold, R., Van Teijlingen, E., Ryan, K. and Holloway, I., 2015. Understanding Afghan healthcare providers: A qualitative study of the culture of care in a Kabul maternity hospital. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 122 (2), 260-267.
- Ryan, K., Brown, S., Wilkins, C., Taylor, A., Arnold, R., Angell, C. and Van Teijlingen, E., 2011. Which hat am I wearing today? Practising midwives doing research. Evidence Based Midwifery, 9 (1), 4-8.
Conferences
- Arnold, R., van Teijlingen, E., Ryan, K. and Holloway, I., 2017. Ensuring high-quality respectful care in a climate of fear & intimidation. In: International Confederation of Midwives 31st Triennial Congress 19-22 June 2017 Toronto, Canada.
- Arnold, R., van Teijlingen, E., Ryan, K. and Holloway, I., 2017. Healthcare providers and the challenge of evidence-based decision-making. In: Afghan Ministry of Public Health 6th Results Conference 23 May 2017 Kabul, Afghanistan.
- Arnold, R., van Teijlingen, E., Ryan, K. and Holloway, I., 2013. Afghan women: a qualitative study of the culture of care in a Kabul maternity hospital. In: Global Women’s Research conference (GLOW) 1 November 2013 Birmingham, UK.
- Arnold, R., van Teijlingen, E., Ryan, K. and Holloway, I., 2011. Perspectives of Care amongst Afghan maternity healthcare providers. In: ICM 29th Triennial Congress, International Confederation of Midwives 19-23 June 2011 Durban, South Africa.
Theses
- Arnold, R.E., 2015. Afghan women and the culture of care in a Kabul maternity hospital. PhD Thesis. Bournemouth University, School of Health and Social Care.