North Queensland midwives' experience with a team model of midwifery care

Abstract

This qualitative study investigated midwives' perception of a team midwifery model of care implemented in North Queensland, Australia. A midwifery model of care is the use of primary health care principles to deliver care throughout the woman's entire pregnancy and postpartum period in partnership with other members of the health care team. Four focus groups were undertaken with 22 midwives to determine their perception of the team midwifery model of care. The study found the experience of the team midwifery model of care for midwives had been influenced by organisational characteristics, team structures, and accountability. Recommendations from this study include the need for an appropriate environmental scan and implementation of planning process and team building before the introduction of any new model of care, transportability of health care services to any new model of care, and a shared governance to allow midwives to meet both organisational and professional goals.