Grant: Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant: Knowledge Translation

The production of clinical practice guidelines for health care providers is an evolving aspect of the knowledge translation process. Midwives are an increasingly larger and visible part of the maternity care team in Canada, and bring a distinct philosophy of care and values-based approach to the development of guidelines for clinical practice. This approach focuses on the ethically sound application of research in the context of informed choice. Stakeholders in the Association of Ontario Midwives (AOM) project to produce evidence-based guidelines for Midwives have not had the opportunity to meet in person as researchers, implementers and knowledge-users. The overall goals of this meeting are three-fold: (1) To collaborate on the conceptualization of evidence in midwifery and how it may differ from other health care professions; (2) To build critical appraisal skills among Midwives, and (3) To respond to requests from Ontario midwives for an increased ability of guideline researchers and reviewers to use the grading quality of evidence and strength of recommendations (GRADE) system of evaluating evidence and forming recommendations, choosing this system as the standard methodology for all future AOM guidelines. This full-day meeting will engage stakeholders in strengthening the process of knowledge translation and guideline development at the AOM, and will facilitate collaboration among midwives and leading experts in knowledge translation and the GRADE methodology. Impacts and outcomes will include building consensus on the future direction of the AOM clinical practice guideline program, and a strengthening of the skills necessary for knowledge translation that is responsive to client values, and congruent with the Midwifery model of care in Canada.