title: Balancing the scale: directions for future research for perinatal advanced practice nurses.
abstract: Advanced practice nurses, including midwives, are well positioned to conduct, participate, or both in both basic and translational research to improve the outcomes and processes of perinatal care. This article contains suggestions for future research by perinatal advanced practice nurses, conceptualized around a scale to promote balance in outcomes. More research is needed in a number of areas, examples include collaborative practice, normal birth, and translation of the evidence concerning skin-to-skin practice. Health disparities; maternal, neonatal, and infant morbidity and mortality; formula feeding; and other vulnerabilities need more research to decrease these problematic outcomes. Advanced practice nurses are encouraged to be actively involved in perinatal research, to help confront and reduce health disparities, and to apply evidence in practice, broadly promoting wellness for women and their families.
authors.affiliation: Marquette University, College of Nursing, Milwaukee, WI, USA. lisa.hanson@mu.edu
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.forename: Leona
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vandevusse
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Paquette
mesh_terms: D057179:Advanced Practice Nursing / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007229:Infant Welfare; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008880:Midwifery; D020380:Needs Assessment; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D018743:Perinatal Care / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health