gms | German Medical Science

4th International Conference of the German Society of Midwifery Science (DGHWi)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hebammenwissenschaft e. V.

16.02.2018, Mainz

Interprofessional collaboration of midwives – a field of research in occupational science

Meeting Abstract

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German Association of Midwifery Science. 4th International Meeting of the German Association of Midwifery Science (DGHWi). Mainz, 16.-16.02.2018. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2018. Doc18dghwiP18

doi: 10.3205/18dghwi24, urn:nbn:de:0183-18dghwi247

This is the English version of the article.
The German version can be found at: http://www.egms.de/de/meetings/dghwi2018/18dghwi24.shtml

Published: February 13, 2018

© 2018 Kraienhemke.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. See license information at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.


Outline

Text

Background: Midwives, obstetricians and nurses are all involved in maternity care in the clinical setting. Collaboration is a case of everyday work but does not always work. But the quality of care depends on the quality of collaboration [1]. Up to now there is limited knowledge about collaboration in maternity care and a clear concept of interprofessionality is missing [2]. Current interprofessional competency frameworks are usually not developed empirically but in expert panels. In Germany there is a lack of extended research on this theme. In occupational science practice is the basis of research and the relevant requirements in the workplace. Research enables inside into the change of professional duties and tasks that are relevant to the work process [3].

Aim, objectives: The aim of this study is to explore the collaboration of midwives, doctors and nurses in the clinical setting. Two research questions will be answered: what are the structures that form the situation of interprofessional collaboration for midwives in the clinical setting? What subjective perceptions have midwives on interprofessional collaboration with doctors and nurses?

Method: The research questions imply a qualitative research design and the study follows the grounded theory methodology. Method triangulation offers a diversity of perspectives and permits the use of work process analysis (work observation and observation interview), a method from occupational science [3]. Data are collected with participant observation and semi-structured interviews (episodic interview). The observations focus on the one hand the collaboration of midwives and doctors on the labour ward and on the other hand collaboration of midwives and nurses on the postnatal ward. Episodic interviews enable the combination of an invitation to recount events (narrative knowledge) and immanent questions (semantic knowledge) [4]. The interviews are conducted with midwives from the different settings. Following the grounded theory methodology situations of observation and interviewees are identified with theoretical sampling [5]. Observations are recorded as fieldnotes and observation protocols, interviews are taped digital and transcribed verbatim. Data are analyzed with open and theoretical coding [5].

Results: This research enables insight into everyday work conditions in the clinical setting of maternity care and into successful and unsuccessful structures and behavior regarding interprofessional collaboration. A grounded theory of collaboration in maternity care in Germany may address the lack of interprofessional theory. A deep inside in the work conditions of midwives in the clinical setting may highlight the requirements of interprofessional collaboration and improve preparing midwifery students before they enter the workforce as well as developing the concept of academic midwifery.

Ethical criteria and conflict of interests: The research / project was not submitted to an ethics committee for the following reasons: Health professionals are not considered a vulnerable group in their work and women and families are not explicitly involved in the observations. It was financed from own resources. There is no conflict of interest.


References

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Zwarentein M et al. Interprofessional collaboration: Effects of practice-based interventions on professional practice and healthcare outcomes. Cochrane Database of systematic reviews. 2009;3:CD000072.
2.
Hastie C, Fahy K. Interprofessional collaboration in delivery suite: a qualitative study. Women and birth. 2011;24(2):72-9.
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Becker M, Spöttl G. Berufswissenschaftliche Forschung: Ein Arbeitsbuch für Studium und Praxis. Frankfurt: Peter Lang Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften; 2008.
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Flick U. Qualitative Sozialforschung. Reinbek: Rowohlts Enzyklopädie; 2010.
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Glaser B, Strauss A. Grounded Theory. Strategien qualitativer Forschung. Bern: Hans Huber; 2010.