Professional Liability Section Survey

Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) and Certified Midwives (CMs) face litigation and liability in their clinical practice. The Professional Liability Section (PLS) of the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) has conducted surveys in the past to understand the issues surrounding litigation in CNM and CM practice. The last liability and litigation survey distributed by the PLS was in 2009. Litigation data in midwifery practice is currently outdated, leaving a knowledge gap about multiple issues connected to litigation. The purpose of this project is to make revisions to the current survey, create a draft of the new version, and pilot the draft. The revised survey will be given to ACNM to use nationally. The objectives of this project included, 1) evaluation of previous surveys and current literature regarding CNM litigation and liability, 2) revision of the latest PLS survey for ACNM and pilot the survey, 3) analysis of the feedback from the piloted survey and discussion of needed changes with ACNM, and 4) submission of the revised survey to ACNM for national member distribution. Two previous PLS surveys have been conducted in 2005 and 2009. The 2009 survey concluded that there is a need for regular surveys to track litigation frequency and outcomes noting that new data will help to clarify professional roles in litigation for midwives, to justly distribute responsibility and thereby will improve relationships between midwifery practice and physicians. This project was implemented through discussion of the previous surveys with ACNM PLS personnel, revision of the survey with a content expert, and a review of current trends in obstetric litigation, all of which informed the revision of a new survey. The revised survey was piloted among CNM members of the Region VI ACNM affiliate in Utah who gave feedback which was as analyzed and discussed with the content expert. Revisions were made to the final survey which will be submitted to ACNM to be distributed nationally to ACNM members. The goal of this DNP project was to revise and pilot the next ACNM professional liability survey. The survey will inform stakeholders about midwifery practice trends and include the frequency and reasoning for litigation in midwifery practice. National results will provide information on changes that have occurred in liability over the last seven years. It will also highlight practice areas that are linked most frequently with litigation. The future goal of this project is to initiate a process of obtaining increased frequency of cyclic survey information.