Evaluation of an Innovative, Hospital-Based Volunteer Doula Program

To evaluate program growth, doula characteristics, patient satisfaction, and characteristics and perceptions of labor and delivery nurses who work with volunteer doulas in a hospital-based volunteer doula program.

Descriptive quantitative.

An academic health center in the southeastern United States with approximately 4,000 births per year.

Participants (N = 519) included volunteer doulas (n = 80), labor and delivery nurses (n = 24), and women who were supported by doulas (n = 415).

We evaluated program growth by the number of doulas and women supported over time. We developed surveys to evaluate doula characteristics, patient satisfaction, and characteristics and perceptions of labor and delivery nurses who work with volunteer doulas.

From 2012 to 2018, the number of Birth Partners doulas increased from 25 to 80. The annual number of women who received intrapartum care from doulas increased from 88 in 2012 to 477 in 2018. Doula characteristics included race, ethnicity, age, student or nonstudent status, and ability to speak Spanish. Of the 1,185 women who received doula support from 2015 to 2018, 415 (35%) responded to the patient satisfaction survey. Most were satisfied with the physical support (n = 379, 97.63%), emotional support (n = 384, 96.88%), doula care (n = 410, 96.34%), and support for family/friends (n = 346, 95.38%). All of the labor and delivery nurses who responded (n = 24, 100%) agreed or strongly agreed that doulas were important members of the maternity care team.

In this evaluation, we highlight rapid program growth, expansion of services, and demographic characteristics of volunteer doulas; patient satisfaction with doula care; and acceptance of volunteer doulas among nursing staff. The data provided herein can be used to inform future development and guide the implementation of similar volunteer doula programs at other institutions.