Introduction (approximately 350 words)
Your introduction should provide focus for your essay. It should generally answer the following 3 questions:
a. What? The introduction must begin by clearly explaining what the essay is about. You need to identify in your own words what is required in the assessment brief given above.
b. How? You need to outline how the essay is structured
c. Why? You need to articulate why your chosen dilemma or topic is significant and of relevance to contemporary midwifery practice.

Remember that you need to provide context for your chosen topic (some relevant background detail). Ensure that you clearly introduce your chosen issue or dilemma. State why you have chosen it and be clear about its relevance for midwifery practice, with particular focus on your place of work.
You should clearly present your selected dilemma and state why this is an issue within practice. Clarify current or usual practice within your clinical workplace in relation to this issue. You may support your discussion with local guidance or evidence.
You may choose for your dilemma an area where practice is unclear or disputed or use an example of when a woman requested care that was outside of the usual Trust guidance.
You should refer to professional documentation (for example, the Nursing Midwifery Code) to outline how midwives have a duty to discuss women’s care preferences with them and provide unbiased evidence-based information to inform their decision-making.
Main body (2000)words
You should provide a brief summary of how you searched for the evidence relevant to this dilemma. This should include the databases searched, key words used, results found and how you selected your chosen articles. These might include local and national guidelines, professional recommendations, primary and secondary research studies. Select 2-3 primary/secondary research studies along with national guidelines and professional recommendations for your essay.
You should discuss your findings and clearly present any issues.
Consider how the findings are applied to midwifery practice. How would you share this information with women to facilitate informed choice and safe care. This would include making recommendations for safe care. For example, you may need to consider your choice of language, the woman’s understanding and whether any additional information would be required (such as relevant information resources for women). The most appropriate timing and setting of information giving should be considered also. Following this you should then consider whether any extra information is required to help inform and support women’s decision – making. Are there gaps or areas where the evidence is unclear or nonspecific. Consider whether referral and liaising with other members of the multi-professional team may be necessary, for example the consultant midwife, neonatologist, consultant obstetrician or specialist midwifery team. (Approximately 1900 words)
Conclusion
You should not introduce any new ideas or evidence within your conclusion and instead use your conclusion to summarise your review, findings, and implications for practice. (Approximately 250 words)
References
All sources must be cited accurately and be consistent with the Harvard referencing system. The reference list is not included in your word limit. Make sure all your references are correctly cited in both your text and in the reference list. You need to ensure that they both match (i.e., all references referred to in your writing are in your reference list and all references in your list are cited in your writing).
Critique two primary research studies; Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5103375/.
https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2393-13-31