Collaboration Through Interdisciplinary Education on Fetal Heart Monitoring in the Perinatal Setting

Objective

To conduct interdisciplinary fetal monitoring education focused on communication strategies to improve attitudes toward collaboration among members of the perinatal team.

Design

Participants received interdisciplinary fetal monitoring education from the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) and were surveyed preclass, at the immediate conclusion of the in-person interdisciplinary class, and within 60 days postclass using the Jefferson Survey of Attitudes Toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration (JSAPNC). Scores were calculated and analyzed by applying the scale provided by the JSAPNC’s author.

Setting

An academic medical center providing level IV maternal care located in the southeast region of the United States.

Participants

Physicians, registered nurses, and certified nurse-midwives attending AWHONN’s Intermediate Fetal Heart Monitoring (FHM) Course from January 2024 through March 2024.

Intervention/Measurements

The reliable and validated JSAPNC tool was used to survey participants. Survey scores were compared for the total scores and four identified constructs (shared education and collaborative relationships, caring versus curing, nurse’s autonomy, and physician’s authority) to better understand collaboration and interdisciplinary education.

Results

Attitudes toward collaboration demonstrated statistically significant improvement among the perinatal team after participation in an interdisciplinary AWHONN Intermediate FHM Course.

Conclusion

The findings establish that interdisciplinary education is associated with improved attitudes around collaboration.