Mâmawihitowin (bringing the camps together): Perinatal healthcare provider and staff participation in an Indigenous-led experiential intervention for enhancing culturally informed care—a mixed methods study

BACKGROUND: In partnership with a Nehiyawak (Plains Cree) community of Maskwacîs,central Alberta (Canada), we implemented an Indigenous-led intervention to provide experiential learning opportunities for perinatal health care providers (HCPs) and staff. Our objective was to capture the impact of participating in cultural safety learning opportunities on perceived self-awareness for HCPs and staff to provide enhanced culturally informed care. METHODS: Perinatal HCPs and staff who work regularly with Indigenous women from our partnering community took part in a series of experiential learning activities designed by a Community Advisory Committee. We used an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach informed by community-based participatory research. We compared Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) and Maskwacîs-Specific Cultural Scale (MSCS) scores pre- and post-intervention using non-parametrical statistical analysis (Wilcoxon signed rank test). Post-intervention, we conducted a qualitative description study using semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 17 participants completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. Responses indicated a shift in perceived cultural and community knowledge and comfort levels, with positive gains in overall mean scores for both the CQS (p = 0.01) and MSCS (p = 0.01). Nine participants completed qualitative interviews. Overall, participants felt better equipped to provide more culturally informed care to their patients post-intervention. CONCLUSION: An Indigenous-led experiential learning intervention was effective in enhancing overall perceived cultural awareness and preparedness to provide culturally informed care for perinatal HCPs and staff. This study provides evidence for fostering relationships between Indigenous communities and health systems toward enhanced perinatal care.