'From fragmented to interdisciplinary understanding of integrated antenatal and postnatal care'-an interprofessional project between public health nursing students and midwifery students.

BACKGROUND

in Norway, it is expected that public health nurses and midwives will collaborate in providing integrated antenatal and postnatal care. In practice, however, the extent of formal and informal collaboration between these two groups of health professionals appears limited. In this context, an interprofessional project was initiated, bringing together student public health nurses and midwives in a four-step programme. The objective was to develop the students' understanding of interdisciplinary collaboration in antenatal and postnatal care.

AIM

to gain knowledge of the students' experiences of the interprofessional project and their interdisciplinary understanding of integrated antenatal and postnatal care.

METHODS

the students wrote reflective notes on their experiences, and this qualitative material was analysed through systematic text condensation.

FINDINGS

the students gained awareness about each professional group's competence and responsibilities. They developed an interdisciplinary understanding, which is essential for continuity in antenatal and postnatal care. Changes in knowledge and attitudes during the project helped to develop the students' positive attitude towards future interdisciplinary collaborative practice.

CONCLUSIONS

the success of this project was due to the students' experiences during the four-step programme. They developed an interdisciplinary understanding in which loyalty to the family was more important than interprofessional disputes and boundaries. To enhance collaboration between the two professions it is essential that this programme is emphasised by the management and is integrated into the curriculum for both educational programmes.