Reducing documentation burden to improve nurse and midwife satisfaction: A mixed-methods study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Nursing and midwifery practice
• Clinical documentation optimization

Background:

• Documentation demands contribute to nurse and midwife dissatisfaction.
• Excessive documentation can lead to missed care and job dissatisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess nurse and midwife satisfaction with documentation before and after an intervention.
• To reduce documentation burden in a maternity setting.

Main Methods:

• Convergent mixed-methods design utilizing surveys and focus groups.
• Intervention focused on streamlining documentation by removing duplication and redundancy.
• Validated tools measured documentation burden and satisfaction.

Main Results:

• Post-intervention, participants reported satisfaction with new documentation elements.
• The intervention enhanced midwife satisfaction regarding documentation ease, complexity, and relevance.
• Time spent on documentation remained an area for improvement.

Conclusions:

• Targeting duplication and unnecessary documentation improved nurse and midwife satisfaction.
• Modifying patient clinical documentation is effective in enhancing job satisfaction in maternity settings.