Midwives' and obstetricians' perspectives on collaborative practice in antenatal care: a qualitative systematic review protocol

OBJECTIVE: This qualitative systematic review will aim to synthesize evidence on midwives' and obstetricians' perspectives on collaborative practice in antenatal care. The review will identify barriers and facilitators of collaboration, ultimately improving maternal and neonatal outcomes. INTRODUCTION: Fragmented health care and the shortage of professionals hinder the provision of antenatal care. Collaboration between midwives and obstetricians is essential but is often impeded by differing philosophies, structures, and tensions. To identify these conditions and to explore and synthesize both perspectives, a qualitative systematic review is required. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: This review will focus on qualitative studies exploring midwives' and obstetricians' perceptions and experiences of collaborative practices in antenatal care. There will be no restrictions on care setting, study date, geographic location, demographic characteristics, or cultural context. The studies will be limited to routine antenatal care, encompassing appointments, risk factors, and screenings. METHODS: The review will follow JBI methodology for systematic reviews of qualitative evidence. A comprehensive search strategy, limited to English and German, will retrieve published articles and gray literature from MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Web of Science Core Collection, Midwives Information & Resource Service (MIDIRS), PsycINFO (EBSCOhost), ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Citation Index (Web of Science), and Google. Study selection, abstract/full-text screening, critical appraisal, data extraction, and data synthesis will be conducted independently by 2 reviewers. A third reviewer will arbitrate unresolved decisions. Midwives and obstetricians will provide feedback on synthesized findings to bridge scientific evidence and practice, enhancing practical recommendations. REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42025644640.