Barriers and Facilitators of Safe Communication in Obstetrics: Results from Qualitative Interviews with Physicians, Midwives and Nurses

Martina Schmiedhofer, Christina Derksen, Franziska Maria Keller, Johanna Elisa Dietl, Freya Häussler, Reinhard Strametz, Ilona Koester-Steinebach and Sonia Lippke
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Martina Schmiedhofer: Department of Psychology & Methods, Jacobs University Bremen GmbH, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
Christina Derksen: Department of Psychology & Methods, Jacobs University Bremen GmbH, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
Franziska Maria Keller: Department of Psychology & Methods, Jacobs University Bremen GmbH, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
Johanna Elisa Dietl: Department of Psychology & Methods, Jacobs University Bremen GmbH, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
Freya Häussler: German Coalition for Patient Safety (Aktionsbuendnis Patientensicherheit e.V.), Alte Jakob Str. 81, 10179 Berlin, Germany
Reinhard Strametz: German Coalition for Patient Safety (Aktionsbuendnis Patientensicherheit e.V.), Alte Jakob Str. 81, 10179 Berlin, Germany
Ilona Koester-Steinebach: German Coalition for Patient Safety (Aktionsbuendnis Patientensicherheit e.V.), Alte Jakob Str. 81, 10179 Berlin, Germany
Sonia Lippke: Department of Psychology & Methods, Jacobs University Bremen GmbH, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: Patient safety is an important objective in health care. Preventable adverse events (pAEs) as the counterpart to patient safety are harmful incidents that fell behind health care standards and have led to temporary or permanent harm or death. As safe communication and mutual understanding are of crucial importance for providing a high quality of care under everyday conditions, we aimed to identify barriers and facilitators that impact safe communication in obstetrics from the subjective perspective of health care workers. A qualitative study with 20 semi-structured interviews at two university hospitals in Germany was conducted to explore everyday perceptions from a subjective perspective (subjective theories). Physicians, midwives, and nurses in a wide span of professional experience and positions were enrolled. We identified a structural area of conflict at the professional interface between midwives and physicians. Mandatory interprofessional meetings, acceptance of subjective mistakes, mutual understanding, and debriefings of conflict situations are reported to improve collaboration. Additionally, emergency trainings, trainings in precise communication, and handovers are proposed to reduce risks for pAEs. Furthermore, the participants reported time-constraints and understaffing as a huge burden that hinders safe communication. Concluding, safety culture and organizational management are closely entwined and strategies should address various levels of which communication trainings are promising.

Keywords: patient safety; interprofessional communication; obstetrics; preventable adverse events; interprofessional cooperation; safety II; qualitative health research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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