The experiences of midwives and nurses collaborating to provide birthing care: a systematic review

Abstract

Qualitative evidence about the experiences of midwives and nurses collaborating to provide birthing care was identified, appraised and synthesized. Two synthesized findings were created from the findings of the five included studies. Midwives and nurses had negative experiences of collaboration which may be influenced by: distrust, unclear roles, or a lack of professionalism or consideration. Midwives and nurses had positive experiences of teamwork which can be a source of hope for overcoming the challenges of sharing care.There is clearly a gap in the literature about the collaborative experiences of midwives and nurses, given that only five studies were located for inclusion in the systematic review. More qualitative research exploring collaboration as a process and the interactional dynamics of midwives and nurses in a variety of practice and professional contexts is required.Distrust, unclear roles, and lack of professionalism and consideration must all be addressed. Strategies that address and minimize the occurrences of these three elements need to be developed and implemented in an effort to reduce negative collaborative experiences for midwives and nurses. Postive experiences of teamwork must be acknowleged and celebrated, and the challenges that sharing care present must be understood as a part of the collaborative process.More qualitative research is required to explore the collaborative process between midwives and nurses. Further exploration of their interactional dynamics, their relationship between power and collaboration, and the experiences of collaboration in a variety of professional and practice contexts is recommended.

Advancing quality and safety of perinatal services in India: opportunities for effective midwifery integration

“…Collaborative maternity care promotes respectful and active participation of each discipline involved ( Macdonald et al. , 2015 ).…”

“…Many midwives report challenges when there is little inter-professional knowledge and respect for their distinct role in achieving optimum health outcomes for mother, infant and family. Facilitators for collaboration include clarity of roles, mutual respect, shared values or vision and a willingness to collaborate ( Macdonald et al. , 2015 ; Waldman et al.…”

“…, 2015 ). Barriers to collaboration include ineffective communication, resistance to change, lack of respect, gender inequality, a lack of clearly defined roles and lack of knowledge of other health disciplines ( WHO, 2016d ; Macdonald et al. , 2015 ).…”

La atención de enfermería en el embarazo de alto riesgo

“…Las matronas y las enfermeras tuvieron experiencias positivas de trabajo en equipo que pueden ser una fuente de esperanza para superar los desafíos de compartir la atención; por lo tanto, es necesario desarrollar e implementar estrategias que aborden y minimicen las ocurrencias de estos tres elementos en un esfuerzo por reducir las experiencias de colaboración negativas para parteras y enfermeras. Las experiencias positivas de trabajo en equipo deben reconocerse y celebrarse, y los desafíos que presenta compartir la atención deben entenderse como parte del proceso colaborativo (Macdonald et al 2015).…”

Interprofessional learning interventions: championing a lost cause?

“…A review of serious case reviews involving children found that most failings were due to poor interprofessional communication, interprofessional disagreement, interprofessional conflict, power differences in teams, documentation, not speaking and or sharing information, and poor or inadequate interagency communication 5. A systematic review examining midwives' and nurses’ collaborative experience found negative experiences might be influenced by distrust, unclear roles, or a lack of professionalism or consideration 6. Interprofessional working in both the clinical and academic settings requires competence, commitment, and the desire and will to cooperate.…”