Racial Minority Doulas' Perceptions of Hospital Team-Based Care.
Leanne T Burke, Elaha Noori, Catherine Pham and 3 others
PMID 40797136WHAT IT FOUND
Doulas reported that hospital teams often misunderstand their role, leading to exclusion.
They identified better orientation, clear boundaries, and mutual respect as key to integrating into birth teams and supporting patients.
Key findings
01Doulas perceived that health care teams lacked understanding of their role, which hindered their ability to support patients and led to their exclusion from the birth team.
02Hospital orientation and knowledge of medical terminology were cited by doulas as essential for improving communication and collaboration with the health care team.
03Establishing clear boundaries of scope of practice and defining the non-medical role of the doula was reported as crucial for preventing role confusion and improper reliance for medical advice.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study included only seven doulas, limiting the breadth of perspectives. Findings may not transfer to doulas who do not identify as racial minorities or those working in different geographic regions. The sample was skewed toward doulas with over three years of experience and those working in California teaching or community hospitals. The study relies on self-reported perceptions and does not measure patient outcomes.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest or funding sources were reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these themes as evidence that integrating doulas improves clinical outcomes or patient safety. This study reports perceptions of doulas about their workplace integration, not the effects of doula care on birth results.