SiGerinn - interprofessional patient safety training in perinatal care: Concept and formative evaluation.

Objectives: Interprofessional education (IPE) seeks to promote interprofessional competencies among care providers, to help improve quality of care and patient safety. Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) and teamwork are particularly important in perinatal care. Therefore, we introduced SiGerinn (Safety and interprofessionality in perinatal care - Together and from the beginning), an interprofessional patient safety training for students in perinatal care. Here, we aim to present its concept and formative evaluation results.

Methods: The training programme designed for midwifery, nursing and medical students, focuses on IPC core competencies and safety communication techniques pertaining to perinatal care. It consists of two one-hour training sessions implemented in the setting of an inter-professional training ward in the local postpartum care unit of an academic university hospital. Additionally, skilled practice trainers supervised practical application of learning contents in the ward. Formative evaluation involved semi-structured interviews with practice trainers, focusing on relevance and feasibility.

Results: Practice trainers reported overall acceptance of the training content. High individual motivation was identified as a key success factor for implementing IPE and IPC. Leaders' support and structural feasibility were also identified as critical factors. The remaining challenges for future training adaptations need to be considered for sustainable transfer to safe perinatal care practice.

Conclusion: Our formative evaluation and preliminary experiences of SiGerinn revealed several critical success factors and barriers for IPE and IPC in perinatal care. We identified critical challenges and opportunities for future project refinement, serving as a blueprint for similar initiatives in perinatal care and beyond.