How to improve newly qualified midwives’ wellbeing in practice. A Delphi study | 155 The medical ethical review board of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands has declared that this study fulfil all the requirement for patient anonymity and has followed the regulations for publication of patient data (reference: M23.309800). All participants gave prior written informed consent. To ensure confidentiality, the participants’ personal data was separated from the outcomes and saved according to the University of Groningen’s data management rules. Conducting statements and questionnaires The members of the research team formulated initial statements based on Figure 1 and based on a literature search for effective support for NQPs. In the course of that search, systematic reviews and meta-analyses on transition support were studied and summarised (Appendix II). We formulated one or more statements per component of support (Figure 1). Questions were also added about stakeholders’ background, working context and managerial responsibilities. Sixteen statements were pilot tested among a group of 10 researchers and lecturers, all with a background in midwifery practice. They were asked to comment on the clarity of the statements and on the time taken to complete the questionnaire and to provide feedback on the statements. Based on the feedback provided by all 10 participants, we reformulated the text of the statements and added background information to make them clearer to participants. In Round 1, further information was added in the form of hyperlinks. This included a document containing background information on research outcomes for practising NQMs, plus definitions of the terms used. Each statement included two questions: one about importance and one about applicability in practice. Each question used a fivepoint Likert scale (strongly agree to strongly disagree). After each statement, a space was provided for the participants’ feedback or remarks. In a separate question, the participants were also required to identify the most important and least important statements. Data collection The various data collection steps are shown in Figure 2. In an online environment (Qualtrics XM), the participants were invited to review various written statements and questions and to provide the research team with informed consent. In Round 1, Qualtrics sent an email with a personal link to each participant directly. After two weeks, Qualtrics issued reminders to any non-responders in the form of a personalised email and personal link. After three weeks, any remaining non-responders received an invitation from the
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