The effective representation of midwifery care in documentation: A Delphi study
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Authors
Kerkin, Bridget
Author ORCID Profiles (clickable)
Degree
Master of Midwifery
Grantor
Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga
Date
2020
Supervisors
Baddock, Sally
Patterson, Jean
van Wagner, Vicki
Patterson, Jean
van Wagner, Vicki
Type
Masters Thesis
Ngā Upoko Tukutuku (Māori subject headings)
Keyword
midwifery
documentation
health record keeping
quality care
documentation
health record keeping
quality care
ANZSRC Field of Research Code (2020)
Citation
Kerkin, B. (2020). The effective representation of midwifery care in documentation: A Delphi study [Master's thesis, Otago Polytechnic]. Research Bank. https://doi.org/10.34074/thes.6817
Abstract
The documentation of midwifery care is widely accepted as a critical component of midwifery practice. This documentation serves a variety of purposes. At a minimum it represents the care provided to a woman, childbearing person and/or baby, by the midwife. It may enhance coordination of care provision, highlight the priorities and decision-making of the woman or childbearing person and the midwife, and promote communication between them, and with other health professionals. Effective health records will support audit and practice review processes and contribute to research and education. However, optimal practice in relation to the documentation of midwifery care is not clearly defined in Aotearoa New Zealand, or elsewhere in the world. Evidence is lacking to support midwives to understand the most effective approach to documenting the care they provide. Therefore, clarification of midwifery practice priorities for documentation is warranted.
The research question, developed from initial exploration of the existing pool of literature, was “What content should be included in midwifery documentation to effectively represent the care provided?” A modified Delphi methodology was used to explore the opinion of expert midwives in relation to this research question. Three survey rounds were completed, with the data from the first two surveys analysed to develop consensus-seeking statements which were presented to participants in the third, and final, survey. Consensus was achieved on 70 of these 93 individual consensus-seeking statements. The rich commentary contributed by the participants also developed understanding of the complex factors contributing to the practice of midwifery documentation. The opinions of these expert midwives emphasised that the impact of the context of care provision cannot be underestimated. Prioritisation of the provision of safe, individualised care, and autonomous midwifery decision-making to achieve this, was identified as a principal focus.
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CC BY-NC-ND Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International