Developing an implementation guide for quality assurance of midwifery education - A Delphi study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Midwifery education standards
• Educational program evaluation

Background:

• Quality midwifery education is crucial for safe maternal and newborn care.
• Lack of specific internal quality assurance guidelines for midwifery education.
• Bangladesh developed a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle for quality assurance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a consensus-based Implementation Guide for internal quality assurance in midwifery education.
• To strengthen the quality of midwifery education in Bangladesh.
• To provide a practical framework for educational institutions.

Main Methods:

• Delphi technique employed with a Bangladeshi expert panel (n=28).
• Four consultation rounds: workshops, iterative design, validation review, and consensus building.
• PDSA cycle-based approach integrated into the guide development.

Main Results:

• An expert panel defined PDSA cycle steps, activities, and actions.
• The guide was refined for clarity, follow-up, accountability, and ownership.
• The final guide achieved ≥85% consensus and demonstrated strong validity and applicability.

Conclusions:

• A validated, consensus-based Implementation Guide for internal quality assurance in midwifery education was produced.
• The guide offers a practical, context-sensitive approach for Bangladesh.
• The framework has potential applicability in similar international contexts.