Date of Graduation

Winter 12-12-2025

Document Access

Project/Capstone - Global access

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

College/School

School of Nursing and Health Professions

Program

MSN project

First Advisor

Scout Hebinck, MSN, RN-C

Abstract

Setting: 22-bed, Labor and Delivery (L&D) unit in the Bay Area serving diverse birthing patients. Problem & Context: The unit lacks a standardized model to introduce doulas, clarify their roles, or communicate their value. Evidence shows that doulas feel unseen by other hospital staff (Kett et al., 2022) and report that their role can be misunderstood, undervalued, or unrecognized, creating barriers to effective partnership (Louis-Jacques et al., 2024). Pre-survey: Only 19.2% of the participating volunteer doulas felt patients understood their role as a doula, and 11.5% felt patients were only slightly knowledgeable. In terms of collaboration, just 15.4% felt consistently understood and supported by staff. Intervention: To address this gap, the team created a standardized doula awareness poster, featuring each doula’s name, photo, brief information, and patient testimonies. The goal was to improve visibility and staff understanding. Methods: A pre- and post-survey assessed doula visibility, role clarity, patient and staff understanding, and perceived support from staff. Descriptive statistics were used to compare pre- and post-intervention responses. Post-survey was collected after four weeks of implementation. Results: Post-intervention responses from the doulas showed increased feelings of visibility, improved perception that patients and staff understood their role, and a strengthened sense of integration within the L&D team. 70% of respondents reported moderate to significant improvement in communication and collaboration. 60% rated their comfort level as moderately to significantly improved after the poster was displayed. After intervention, the percentage of doulas who felt consistently supported doubled from 15.4% to 30%. Rarely feeling supported dropped to 0%. Conclusion: The doula awareness poster effectively enhanced visibility, understanding, and integration of volunteer doulas within the L&D microsystem. Ongoing updates and continued staff education are recommended to maintain these gains.

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