Clinical reasoning for interprofessional pregnancy care-everyone on the same page.

Abstract

Introduction: Interprofessional collaboration is crucial to provide women with safe and effective team-based pregnancy care. However, it can be challenging for all team members to develop shared mental models and the required clinical reasoning and thinking steps. An interprofessional workshop was conducted and evaluated to facilitate development of a shared understanding regarding clinical reasoning. Method(s): The workshop comprised a one hour, face-to-face, interactive session using typical case studies in a large metropolitan health service. A common framework and set of thinking steps necessary for formulating a pregnancy care plan was presented. The thinking steps developed to 'make thinking visible' were issue identification, issue management, evaluation of care type and communication/documentation. Learners completed an evaluation. Result(s): 193 midwifery and medical learners completed an evaluation. The majority agreed or strongly agreed to better recognizing the need (93%), acquiring the skills (92%) and being more confident (84%) to develop a pregnancy care plan. Additional comments were overall very positive. Discussion(s): Although pregnancy care is provided by an interprofessional team, there is often a presumption that interprofessional collaboration will automatically occur. This workshop suggests deliberate practice enables learners to apply their own clinical reasoning to pregnancy care and also consider that of their colleagues. The workshop made visible the 'practices' of a community, with discussions at interprofessional meetings providing ongoing feedback to staff. Clinicians value explicit education on clinical reasoning. This assists them to provide pregnancy care to women and ensures all members of the interprofessiona team are on the same page!