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Māori Uho Kuku Apparatus (MUKA)

Year:
2020
Duration:
12 months
Approved budget:
$30,000.00
Researchers:
Dr Hope Tupara
,
Mrs Megan Tahere
Health issue:
Obstetric complications/perinatal care
Proposal type:
Health Delivery Research Activation Grant
Lay summary
Midwives use a number of consumable products for their clinical practice, which includes sterile plastic umbilical cord clamps and cord clamp cutters. About 60,000 births occur in Aotearoa each year and clamping the umbilical cord is common practice for almost every birth. Māori have a long history of using muka fibre extracted from Harakeke for occluding the umbilical vessels. However, muka is not a recognised option provided by district health boards (DHBs) and the Treaty of Waitangi is invisible in the Crown's procurement operating model and procurement strategy for all DHBs. This research involves two activation activities, a literature review and relationship development. The intended outcomes will be: 1. New benchmark criteria for procurement decision-making that includes the Treaty of Waitangi and Māori cultural principles. 2. Evidence informing the development of a Māori Uho Kuku Apparatus (MUKA) prototype. The future plan is a randomised controlled clinical trial comparing the plastic umbilical cord clamp and MUKA.