02 Juliana van Olphen Fehr
Channel: Virtual Midwives
Date: 2022-05-12

VIDM 2022 : Midwifery caring through touching, measuring, and teaching with the Optimality Index instrument

Facilitator: Cindy Nelly

The Optimality Index is a performance measurement instrument whose scoring system is revised to include a learning component that supports midwives as they care together when touching (using evidence-based practices), measuring (reflecting on impacts of care), and teaching (mentoring). Background: Optimality Index items describe evidence-based practices or optimal outcomes occurring within four perinatal domains: antenatal, parturition, newborn condition, and maternal condition. Researchers using the original Optimality Index graded these domains together producing one score. Midwives using the revised Optimality Index can grade each domain separately during care to discover its optimality. Midwives can also reflect together upon the relationships between practices and outcomes in different domains. An Optimality Index-US will be used during the discussion to focus on item grading, measuring relationships between domains, and using touching, measuring, and teaching to prevent interventions. Summary: Since 1996 researchers worldwide have used the Optimality Index to support the optimality of midwifery…