Dr Sara Webb

Dr Sara Webb

Department of Applied Health Sciences
Research Midwife
The APPEAL Study Honorary Research Fellow

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 415 8846
Email
s.s.webb@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
@webbyali1
Address
Murray Learning Centre
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Sara is a registered midwife specialising in childbirth related perinea trauma with a special interest in obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASI).  As well as working at Birmingham Women's & Children's Hospital as Specialist Midwife – Perineal Trauma, Sara champions midwife-led translational research and was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Midwives in 2016 in recognition of her continued contribution to research and evidence based care into childbirth related perineal trauma.  

Sara is currently working as Research Midwife for the APPEAL Study – an NIHR Programme Grant led from University of Birmingham and brings together a programme of research to prevent pregnancy- and childbirth-related urinary incontinence 

Sara is a midwifery advisory member of the RCOG Pelvic Floor Clinical Skills Group and a founding Trustee of the MASIC Foundation charity established to support women with anal incontinence following childbirth. Sara is also a lead researcher for the ARC-WM Maternity Theme and has formed the first Specialist Perineal Midwife network in the UK, establishing a collaboration with the Hospital Granollers, Barcelona.  

Qualifications

  1. Research Midwife – The APPEAL Study
  2. Honorary Research Fellow: 
  • PhD University of Birmingham 2017
  • Fellow of the Royal College of Midwives 2016
  • MPhil University of Birmingham 2010
  • Registered Midwife 2000
  • Dip(HE) University College Worcester 2000
  • BSc (Hons) University of Bradford 1991

Biography

Since becoming a registered midwife in 2000, Sara has always had a special interest in female pelvic floor anatomy and physiology and the associated impact of pregnancy and childbirth. 

She retains her clinical role in order to encourage midwives to take an active interest and involvement with research, and is committed to leading the development of a ‘Clinical Academic’ role for midwives and other Allied Health Professionals.

Research

Research Theme: 

Childbirth related Perineal Trauma, Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury (OASI), improving education and training in Perineal trauma repair and pelvic floor anatomy and physiology

Current research:

NIHR Programme Grant: APPEAL (Antenatal Preventative Pelvic floor Exercises and Localisation) - Delivery of Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise Education for Women During Pregnancy

Past research:

  • NIHR Clinical Doctoral Fellowship - CDRF-2012-03-064:  The effect of Birth after Anal Sphincter Injury on bowel symptoms & Quality of Life Study: The BASIQ Study
  • Analysis of fetal Position at the Onset of Labour and Labour Outcomes: The APOLLO Study

Research groups and Centres:

www.perineal-trauma.co.uk

www.masic.org.uk

Other activities

Specialist Midwife – Perineal Trauma, Birmingham Women's & Children's NHS Foundation Trust:

  • Runs the only midwife-led OASIS ‘One-Stop’ service in the UK enabling women with OASIS to attend and have the gold standard endoanal ultrasound scans and counselling service either following the injury or in a subsequent pregnancy to decide on management and mode of subsequent birth.  
  • Runs a postnatal perineal clinic for women who have problems with their perineal following childbirth

Publications

The incidence of wound infection and dehiscence following childbirth-related perineal trauma: A systematic review of the evidence. Jones K, Webb S, Manresa M, Hodgetts-Morton V, Morris RK. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2019 Jun 1;240:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2019.05.038.

Incidence of perineal pain and dyspareunia following spontaneous vaginal birth: a systematic review and meta-analysis. M Manresa, A Pereda-Núñez, E Bataller, C Terré-Rull, K Ismail, S Webb.  Int Urogynecol J (2019) https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-019-03894-0.

The role of a specialist clinic to care for childbirth related perineal trauma. M Manresa, S Webb, A Pereda-Núñez, E Bataller, C Terré-Rull.  Matronas Prof. 2018; 19(4): e58-e66

The impact of subsequent birth and delivery mode for women with previous OASIS: systematic review and meta-analysis. Sara S Webb, Margarita Manresa, Derick Yates, Matthew Parsons, Christine MacArthur, Khaled M Ismail.  Int Urogynecol J (2016) doi: 10.1007/s00192-016-3226-y

Book chapter  Chapter 8: Perineal Trauma and Its Impact on Women’s Health, Webb S, Laine K, de Leeuw JW.. Page range 147-160 inBook Title: Perineal Trauma at Childbirth.  Editor: Ismail, Khaled M. K. (Ed.) Springer, 2017  ISBN 978-3-319-14859-5

Book chapter  Chapter 10:. Management of Perineal Trauma Complications: The Role of the MDT. Futaba K, Radley S, WebbS, Parsons M. Page range 169-179 inBook Title: Perineal Trauma at Childbirth.  Editor: Ismail, Khaled M. K. (Ed.) Springer, 2017  ISBN 978-3-319-14859-5

The social, psychological, emotional morbidity and adjustment techniques for women with anal incontinence following Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury: use of a word picture to identify a hidden syndrome. M. R. B. Keighley, Yvette Perston, Elissa Bradshaw, Joanne Hayes, D. Margaret Keighley, Sara Webb.BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2016 16:275.DOI: 10.1186/s12884-016-1065-y

An obstetric sphincter injury risk identification system (OSIRIS): is this a clinically useful tool? Webb SS, Hemming K, Khalfaoui, MY, Henriksen T, Kindberg S, Stensgard S, Kettle C, Ismail KMK.  Int Urogynecol J (2016). doi:10.1007/s00192-016-3125-2

Book chapter  ‘Episiotomy and second degree tear’, Khaled MK Ismail & Sara S Webb, 488-489inGynecologic and Obstetric Surgery: Challenges and Management Options,  First Edition. Edited by Arri Coomarasamy, Mahmood I. Shafi, G. Willy Davila and Kiong K. Chan. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2016             

Managing Perineal Trauma after childbirth.  S Webb, M Sherburn, K Ismail.  BMJ2014; 349:g6829 

The association between fetal position at the onset of labor and mode of delivery: a prospective cohort study Aishah Ahmad, Sara S. Webb, Bernadette Early, Alice Sitch, Khalid Khan and Christine MacArthur.  Accepted manuscript online: 8 AUG 2013 09:33AM EST | DOI: 10.1002/uog.13189       

Abdominal palpation to determine fetal position at labor onset:  a test accuracy study.  Sara S Webb, Maria N Plana, Javier Zamora, Aishah Ahmad, Bernadette Earley, Christine MacCarthur, Khalid S Khan.  Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. Vol 90, Issue 11. November 2011, pp 1259–1266.

Webb SS, KMK Ismail (Original Authors). Submitted 2015. Third and Fourth degree tears.  Birth after OASIS. StratOG [Online]. Available at: https://stratog.rcog.org.uk/tutorial/perioperative-trauma/future-pregnancies-and-delivery-2528

Webb SS(Contributing Author). 2013. Postpartum and Neonatal problems. The postpartum period. StratOG [Online]. Available at: https://stratog.rcog.org.uk/tutorial/the-postpartum-period