On the Same Page: A Novel Interprofessional Model of Patient-Centered Perinatal Consultation Visits

OBJECTIVE: To plan and implement an interprofessional collaborative care clinic for women in midwifery care needing a consultation with a maternal-fetal medicine specialist. DESIGN: A community-engaged design was used to develop a new model of collaborative perinatal consultation which was tested with 50 women. Participant perinatal outcomes and semi-structured interviews with 15 women (analyzed using qualitative descriptive analysis) and clinic providers were used to evaluate the model. RESULT: Participant perinatal outcomes following a simultaneous consultation visit involving a nurse-midwife and maternal-fetal medicine specialist were similar to practice and hospital averages. Women's comments on their experience were positive and had the theme “on the same page,” with 6 sub-categories: clarity, communication, collaboration, planning, validation, and ‘above and beyond.’ Providers also were pleased with the model. CONCLUSION: A simultaneous consultation involving the woman, a nurse-midwife, and a maternal-fetal medicine specialist improved communication and satisfaction among women and providers.