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Dr Kate Buchanan

Post-Doctoral Fellow - Midwifery

Staff Member Details
Email: k.buchanan@ecu.edu.au
Campus: Joondalup  
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8552-7412

Dr Kate Buchanan is a Post Doctoral Research Fellow in Midwifery at the ECU School of Nursing and Midwifery. She also holds an honorary Research Consultant position with the South Metropolitan maternity Health Service.

Background

Kate is a registered midwife with over 20 years of clinical experience in tertiary, rural midwifery and homebirth support settings. Kate has also worked for over six years in universities as a Midwifery Lecturer.

  • 2023- present Post Doctoral Research Fellow ( midwifery)
  • 2020 - 2023 Level B Midwifery Lecturer and course coordinator
  • 2018-2020 Sessional Nursing and Midwifery staff member
  • 2016 - 2021 Childbirth educator and perinatal mental health counsellor

Professional Associations

  • Nurse Education Today – Guest Editor for the student special 2024
  • ECU Low Risk and Negligible Risk Research Committee – School of Nursing and Midwifery 2024
  • ECU School of Nursing and Midwifery Research and Research Training Committee – member 2024
  • ECU Safe Quality Midwifery Care Research Group – School of Nursing and Midwifery – Research lead 2024
  • WA Midwifery Research Network – Secretary and Research hub lead – Midwifery role and scope 2024
  • Reviewer for three journals: Nurse Education Today, Midwifery and Nurse Ethics
  • Australian College of Midwives member

Awards and Recognition

  • VC international research collaboration award ($ 5000)

Research Areas and Interest

Kate’s research area is midwifery philosophy, midwifery theory and midwifery ethics, and the midwifery role in debriefing post birth, respectful and culturally safe care. Kate is a qualitative researcher, with experience in feminist research, action research and implementation science.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Edith Cowan University, 2023.
  • Graduate Diploma of Counselling and Integrated Psychotherapy, Other WA registered training organisation, 2017.
  • Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training, Curtin University of Technology, 2004.
  • Midwifery certificate, Other WA registered training organisation, 2001.
  • Bachelor of Science (Nursing), Curtin University of Technology, 1996.

Research Outputs

Journal Articles

  • Buchanan, K., Ross, C., Bloxsome, D., Hocking, J., Bayes, S. (2024). Development of a Midwifery Student Peer Debriefing Tool: An interpretive descriptive study. Nurse Education Today, 137(2024), article number 106167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2024.106167.
  • Elliott, J., Buchanan, K., Bayes, S. (2024). The neurodivergent perinatal experience — A systematic literature review on autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Women and Birth, 37(6), article number 101825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2024.101825.

Journal Articles

  • Buchanan, K., Newnham, E., Geraghty, S., Whitehead, L. (2023). Navigating midwifery solidarity: A feminist participatory action research framework. Women and Birth, 36(1), e169-e174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2022.06.004.
  • Buchanan, K., Geraghty, S., Whitehead, L., Newnham, E. (2023). Woman-Centred Ethics: A Feminist Participatory Action Research. Midwifery, 117(2023), article number 103577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2022.103577.

Journal Articles

  • Buchanan, K., Newnham, E., Ireson, D., Davison, C., Geraghty, S. (2022). Care ethics framework for midwifery practice: A scoping review. Nursing Ethics, 29(5), 1107-1133. https://doi.org/10.1177/09697330221073996.
  • Buchanan, K., Newham, E., Ireson, D., Davison, C., Bayes, S. (2022). Does midwifery-led care demonstrate care ethics: A template analysis. Nursing Ethics: an international journal for health care professionals, 29(1), 245-257. https://doi.org/10.1177/09697330211008638.

Journal Articles

  • Buchanan, K., Velandia, M., Weckend, M., Bayes, S. (2021). Learning objectives of cultural immersion programs: A scoping review. Nurse Education Today, 100(May 2021), Article number 104832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2021.104832.

Research Projects

  • How do Western Australian midwives' occupational motivation, occupational engagement, satisfaction with the practice environment, and workplace stress impact their intention to stay in their job and the profession? An exploratory cross-sectional study., Rosemary Bryant Foundation, Grant, 2024 ‑ 2026, $12,178.
  • Midwifery Ethics: An implementation Science Project - Stage 2 - Implementation and Feasibility, WA Nurses Memorial Charitable Trust, Grant, 2024 ‑ 2025, $15,000.
  • Midwife-led debriefing intervention: An implementation science project using a validated counselling tool for perinatal post-traumatic growth. , Women and Infants Research Foundation, Research Acceleration Awards, 2024 ‑ 2025, $15,000.
  • Woman-centered Ethics: A co-created midwifery specific ethical tool for practice: A Delphi study, WA Nurses Memorial Charitable Trust, Grant, 2024, $2,950.

Research Student Supervision

Associate Supervisor

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Single registered midwives' lived experiences of working in small general hospital maternity units and assisting with general patients
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Safe maternity care: A participatory and appreciative action and reflection study of the views and prioities of care recipients
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