Andrew Symon

University of Dundee, Mother and Infant Research Unit, School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Faculty Member

University of Dundee, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Faculty Member

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Andrew Symon qualified as a midwife in 1986, and has worked in both Scotland and Kenya.
A Social Policy and Law degree (1992) was followed by a return to clinical midwifery, and further studies, culminating in a PhD (1997). He has published two books based on this research, and edited two more on clinical risk management.
He is a senior lecturer at the University of Dundee in Scotland, and the programme manager for Early Years and Parenting research.
Research interests include quality of life assessment, independent midwifery, the healthcare environment, and nutrition during and after pregnancy.
In April 2009 he gave a plenary talk at the Perinatal Society of Australia & New Zealand (PSANZ) Annual Congress in Darwin.
He was also invited to present at the World Congress of Perinatal Medicine in Berlin, Germany, October 2009.
In April 2010 Andrew was appointed Adjunct Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney.
Andrew is married to Maggie, and has two teenage sons.
Phone: 00 44 1382 388534
Address: 11 Airlie Place
Dundee
DD1 4HJ
Scotland

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Books by Andrew Symon

Risk and Choice in Maternity Care

This book explores the complex interrelationship between risk and choice in maternity care, takin... more This book explores the complex interrelationship between risk and choice in maternity care, taking a close look at how "high" and "low" risk are defined and what impact this has on a woman's ability to exercise informed choices throughout pregnancy. It offers an international collaboration that highlights different perspectives on debated issues, with chapters on maternity care in the UK, United States, Australia, and Ireland contributed by midwives, obstetricians, risk management experts, and sociologists. The aim of this book is to illustrate the changing reality of risk management as it relates to maternity care, and to highlight risk management concerns that may limit the choices available to pregnant women

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Clinical Risk Management in Midwifery - the right to a perfect baby

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Obstetric Litigation from A-Z

This book aims to explain the nature of litigation within maternity care in Britain. Litigation i... more This book aims to explain the nature of litigation within maternity care in Britain. Litigation is one of the health service's most pressing concerns and obstetric litigation has been one of its prominent features. The book, with a foreword by Professor Bridgit Dimond, is divided into two parts. Part 1: Accountability and the law. Part 2: Obstetric litigation from A-Z.

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Papers by Andrew Symon

Infant and young child feeding in emergencies: Organisational policies and activities during the refugee crisis in Lebanon

Maternal & child nutrition, Jan 8, 2018

Appropriate infant and young child feeding (IYCF) is key to reducing mortality amongst children a... more Appropriate infant and young child feeding (IYCF) is key to reducing mortality amongst children aged under 2. Facilitating adherence to recommended IYCF practices during emergencies includes having relevant policies to support breastfeeding and complementary feeding as well as regulating the distribution of breast milk substitutes. In the current crisis, more than 1.2 million Syrian refugees are in Lebanon and it is timely to examine organisational IYCF policies and programmes. One hundred and thirty-five non-governmental organisations providing humanitarian aid in Lebanon were invited to participate in an online survey about organisational policies and programmatic activities on IYCF. Responses were obtained from 54 organisations: 29 International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) and 25 Local Non-Governmental Organisations (LNGOs). In total, 8 (15%) reported having a written policy on IYCF, but only 1 policy (in draft format) was available for inspection. Twelve (8 INGOs and ...

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Critical views of litigation 2: the legal process, and experts

British Journal of Midwifery

Peri-Conceptual and Mid-Pregnancy Alcohol Consumption: A Comparison between Areas of High and Low Deprivation in Scotland

Birth, 2016

Background. Alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among women has increased over recent decades... more Background. Alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among women has increased over recent decades, especially in areas of higher deprivation. Pre-pregnancy alcohol use is associated with continued consumption in pregnancy. We assessed whether general population alcohol consumption patterns were reflected among pregnant women in two Scottish areas with different deprivation levels. Methods. Cross-sectional study in two health boards (HB1, lower deprivation levels, n=274; HB2, higher deprivation levels, n=236) using face-to-face 7-day Retrospective Diary estimation of periconceptual and mid-pregnancy alcohol consumption. Results. A greater proportion of women in HB2 (higher deprivation area) sometimes drank periconceptually, but women in HB1 (lower deprivation area) were more likely to drink every week (49.6% vs 29.7%; p<.001) and to exceed daily limits (six units) at least once each week (32.1% vs 14.8%; p<.001). Following pregnancy recognition consumption levels fell sharply, but women in HB2 were more likely to drink above recommended daily limits (two units) each week (2.5% vs 0%; p<.05). However, women in HB1 were more likely to drink frequently. Women with the highest deprivation scores in each area drank on average less than women with the lowest deprivation scores. Conclusions. Heavy episodic and frequent consumption was more common in the lower deprivation area, in contrast with general population data. Eliciting a detailed alcohol history at the antenatal booking visit, and not simply establishing whether the woman is currently drinking, is essential. Inconsistent messages about the effects of alcohol in pregnancy may have contributed to the mixed picture we found concerning peri-conceptual and mid-pregnancy alcohol consumption.

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Good clinical reputation—bad day at work

British Journal of Midwifery, Sep 27, 2013

The development and pilot evaluation of a nutrition education intervention programme for pregnant teenage women (food for life)

Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics the Official Journal of the British Dietetic Association, Apr 1, 2003

A healthy diet in pregnancy is important for both maternal and infant health but this may be diff... more A healthy diet in pregnancy is important for both maternal and infant health but this may be difficult to achieve particularly for groups such as teenage pregnant women, many of whom are from disadvantaged backgrounds. To our knowledge this is the first report of a practical nutrition education programme for this group in the UK. An intervention was designed incorporating seven informal food preparation sessions, which allowed opportunities for discussion of nutritional, and other topics (e.g. food safety and well-being in pregnancy). Midwives in a community centre setting led the sessions. The acceptability of the package to participants and midwives was recorded and pre- and post-intervention data collected on sociodemographic details, dietary intake (using an eating-habits questionnaire and a 24-h dietary recall) and cooking skills. The midwives found the package easy to follow and use. The 16 (of the 120 invited) women who attended found the courses helpful but objective evaluation of dietary intake was not possible because of poor compliance. The nutrition education programme was favourably received by midwives and the women who participated. However recruitment was problematic and alternative methods of delivering and evaluating such a package should be investigated.

Putting two and two together—or not

British Journal of Midwifery, Sep 27, 2013

A randomized, controlled trial of computerized physiologic trend monitoring in an intensive care unit

Critical Care Medicine, 1998

To assess whether the provision of computerized physiologic trend data could improve outcome in n... more To assess whether the provision of computerized physiologic trend data could improve outcome in newborn infants requiring intensive care. Randomized, controlled trial, with subsidiary questionnaire studies. Tertiary neonatal intensive care unit with 12 intensive care cots. All infants admitted between January 1991 and September 1993 who were &lt; or =32 wks gestation or &gt;32 wks gestation, and ventilated for &gt;4 hrs or asphyxiated. Randomization to one of four groups for first 7 days of life: A) no display of trend data; B) continuous display of trend data; C1) alternating 24-hr display of trend data, starting with display in first 24 hrs; and C2) alternating 24-hr display of trend data, starting with no display in first 24 hrs. The short-term effects of monitoring on patient outcome was judged by volume of colloid given, number of blood gases taken, and by measurement taken from cranial Doppler ultrasound. Medium-term measures included time ventilated, time given supplemental oxygen, death, time to death or discharge, and cranial ultrasound at discharge. Long-term outcome was assessed by neurodevelopmental status at age 1 to 4 yrs of age. Staff and parent questionnaires assessed their respective attitudes to the introduction of this technology. None of the patient outcome measures, short-, medium-, or long-term, demonstrated any significant benefit from the provision of computerized physiologic trend monitoring. Staff questionnaires demonstrated an acceptance of the system and an improved understanding of neonatal physiology as a result of computerized physiologic trends. Parent questionnaires demonstrated increased anxiety caused by the system in 11% of parents, although only 1% of parents continued to have concerns if the system were able to help their child. A randomized, controlled trial was unable to demonstrate any benefit to patients resulting from the introduction of a computerized physiologic trend monitoring system. Benefits of the system have been recognized, however, in subsidiary studies, staff education, and research studies.

Are we facing a complaints and litigation crisis in the health service?

British Journal of Midwifery, 2006

ABSTRACT Complaints and litigation are undoubtedly significant features of contemporary health ca... more ABSTRACT Complaints and litigation are undoubtedly significant features of contemporary health care. In a democratic system there is a need to hold people to account for what they do, and midwives should not be in the position of denying this avenue when the circumstances are appropriate. There is perhaps a tendency to believe that the incidence of complaints and legal actions are is rising inexorably, but this is not so. My own research from the 1990s (Symon 2001) questioned this belief with regard to litigation, and there has been little evidence since to suggest that the incidence of legal claims has increased significantly. Nevertheless, the fear of litigation, whether based on a rational appraisal of its likelihood or not, has consequences (Symon, 2000;, Clark, 2002). A great deal of attention was devoted to considering the litigation ‘crisis’ (better understood as a compensation crisis) in the 1990s (Travers, 2004).