The MPS Foundation is calling on women doctors across Ireland to take part in the vital Medicine and Motherhood (MAM) survey aimed at exploring family planning, pregnancy, and motherhood, and their association with wellbeing, work-life balance and career satisfaction.

Data from the survey, which is being led by the University of Galway School of Medicine, will support the development of evidence-based recommendations intended to improve the experiences of women doctors in Ireland who seek to balance motherhood and a medical career. It will also stimulate discussion about how improving these experiences for women doctors can aid recruitment and retention within the Irish healthcare system.

Medical Protection Society (MPS) launched the MPS Foundation – which invests in research with a key focus on patient safety and the wellbeing of healthcare professionals and teams – in 2022. Now in its third year, it has already supported over 30 research projects from across the world.

Professor Gozie Offiah, Chair of the MPS Foundation, said: “We are proud to support this vital study, and help in initiating a national conversation around family planning, pregnancy and motherhood and careers in medicine.

“I would encourage all female doctors in Ireland who are pregnant, have children, or have accessed fertility treatments or experienced infertility treatments to get involved, and share how these experiences are impacting or have impacted their professional lives.”

Dr Sinéad Lydon, Associate Professor in Primary Care at University of Galway School of Medicine, added: “We hope that women doctors from all medical specialties will share their experiences of fertility and family planning, pregnancy and motherhood.

“There is an increasing focus on doctor wellbeing in recent years but, as the numbers of women in the profession grow, it’s crucial that we understand the unique challenges that women in the profession face in balancing pregnancy and motherhood alongside their medical career so that we can learn what supports and changes might be needed within medical training and the healthcare work environment.

“Our survey will only take a short time to complete but it has the potential to deliver important benefits for doctors, their patients, and our healthcare system as it struggles with the ongoing recruitment and retention crisis”

The survey can be accessed at: MAM SURVEY

END

For further information about MPS Foundation contact [email protected]

Further information about the study: Medicine and Motherhood – the MAM study

About the MPS Foundation:

The MPS Foundation is a global, not-for-profit research initiative that aims to shape the future of patient safety by investing in research, analysis, education, and training. The MPS Foundation is part of Medical Protection Society (MPS) - the world’s leading protection organisation supporting more than 300,000 doctors, dentists, and healthcare professionals around the world. The MPS Foundation

About MPS

The Medical Protection Society Limited (“MPS”) is the world’s leading protection organisation for doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals. We protect and support the professional interests of more than 300,000 members around the world. Membership provides access to expert advice and support and can also provide, depending on the type of membership required, the right to request indemnity for any complaints or claims arising from professional practice.

Our in-house experts assist with the wide range of legal and ethical problems that arise from professional practice. This can include clinical negligence claims, complaints, medical and dental council inquiries, legal and ethical dilemmas, disciplinary procedures, inquests and fatal accident inquiries.

Our philosophy is to support safe practice in medicine and dentistry by helping to avert problems in the first place. We do this by promoting risk management through our workshops, E-learning, clinical risk assessments, publications, conferences, lectures and presentations.

MPS is not an insurance company. All the benefits of membership of MPS are discretionary as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association.