Strengthening community-based doula and clinician partnerships through implementation and dissemination science approaches: a mixed-methods pilot study. Implement Sci Commun 2026 Apr 16;7(1)
Date
04/17/2026Pubmed ID
41992300Pubmed Central ID
PMC13224534DOI
10.1186/s43058-026-00948-5Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105040645974 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)Abstract
BACKGROUND: Collaboration between community-based doulas and clinical care teams improves birth outcomes, yet partnerships are hindered by operational, communication, and role clarity challenges. Evidence is lacking on scalable, low-burden strategies to strengthen these relationships outside of formal intervention settings.
METHODS: Rapid deductive content analysis of focus groups and interviews with 12 perinatal clinicians and 11 community-based doulas was conducted. Findings informed a five-minute video vignette illustrating the role of community-based doulas and their hopes for partnerships with clinical care teams. The vignette was screened in two settings: with community-based participants (n = 72), and with clinical healthcare professionals (n = 21).
RESULTS: In the first screening, 94% of participants indicated that the vignette honored doula voices either "completely" or "mostly" (n = 72). Participants reported that the vignette centered authentic voices and presented clear, relatable narratives. In the second screening (n = 21), the 13-item Interprofessional Collaboration Scale (ICS) assessed perceived interprofessional collaboration across three subscales (Communication, Accommodation, and Isolation). Mean total ICS scores increased from 2.63 to 2.90 (t(20) = 3.27, p = .004, Cohen's dz = 0.71). Communication and Accommodation subscales also improved significantly (Communication: 2.70 to 3.09, p < .001, dz = 0.87; Accommodation: 2.75 to 3.08, p = .010, dz = 0.62).
CONCLUSIONS: Combining rapid qualitative analysis with vignette-based dissemination is a feasible approach to improve partnerships outside of intervention settings. The vignette's strongest influence was on perceptions and willingness to collaborate. This approach represents a scalable, low-burden strategy that may be adapted across interprofessional collaborations.
Author List
Olson J, Chavez A, Marion E, Quinn K, Blanks G, Post M, Whitaker T, Garnham JP, Vallejo C, Johnson C, Johnson X, Blackwell D, Williams J, Palatnik AAuthors
Jessica Olson PhD Director, Associate Professor in the Institute for Health and Humanity department at Medical College of WisconsinAnna Palatnik MD Professor in the Obstetrics and Gynecology department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Katherine Quinn PhD Associate Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Joni Williams MPH, MD Center Director, Associate Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
