Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

• Committee Chair Name & Credentials:
  Michelle Ardisson, DNP, RN, ACNP-BC
• Committee Member Name & Credentials:
  Margaret Taylor, DNP, CNM, FACNM and Ruth Kleinpell, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAANP, FCCM

DNP Project Abstract

Program Evaluation of Peer Mentoring/Training for Labor Positioning Techniques: Pilot Study

Purpose
The purpose of this project was to evaluate a peer mentoring/training program with a group of professional labor and delivery (L&D) clinicians who participated in peer training on active labor positioning on the unit and to assess perceptions of benefit and application to clinical practice.

Methods
This project was a program evaluation of a pilot study of the peer mentoring/training program conducted in 2020 on the L&D unit.  A validated and reliable survey tool was adapted to assess value and uptake (Acceptability [AIM], Appropriateness [IAM] and Feasibility [FIM]) of the program and determine changes that may or may not need to be done. Since the completion of the pilot study, staff were encouraged to continue to utilize methods of peer mentoring/training for learning to refresh and teach labor positioning techniques among L&D professional staff.

Results
The survey was sent to 98 labor and delivery professional staff and 34 (34.7%) individuals completed in the survey. Participants gave high ratings to labor positions techniques/ use of childbirth tools and peer mentoring/training in terms of acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility. Overall, the implementation and unit uptake of the use of labor positioning techniques and childbirth tools was found to have a high level of agreement across the participants (94-100%). Participants reported a high rate of continuing to utilize peer mentoring/training to reinforce labor positioning techniques demonstrated by the result of 18 (52.9%) of the 34 survey respondents reported engaging in peer mentoring/training on the unit since the initial peer sessions offered.

Implications for Practice
The evaluation of the peer mentoring/training and use of labor positioning techniques/childbirth tools allows for insight for further educational opportunities among the L&D professional staff. Expansion of topics through the model of peer mentoring/training can be improved with greater availability of added scheduled sessions and structure to one-on-one sessions on the unit.