Developing a reflective practice model to support healthcare workers engaged in abortion-related work in Queensland

Dr Shelly Makleff
shelly.makleff@unimelb.edu.au
Christy Fischer
christyf@childrenbychoice.org.au

Project Details

Healthcare settings can be a source of stress, compassion fatigue and secondary trauma for healthcare workers, associated with decreased job satisfaction, staff turnover, and absenteeism – putting pressure on a strained health system. Work-related stressors are worse for teams working in stigmatised areas such as abortion care. Yet abortion care workers often lack the support and training needed to provide high-quality care.

One approach to support healthcare teams is reflective practice – an ongoing, facilitated process that helps individuals and teams navigate emotionally challenging aspects of their work. Reflective practice can increase empathy towards patients and reduce stress, stigma, and vicarious trauma. It fosters feelings of trust and support within teams, develops capabilities to resolve conflict, and improves job satisfaction. This contributes to improved client outcomes and client safety and an improved workforce wellbeing.

Despite these benefits, reflective practice is not systematically used in Australia’s health system, and there is a global evidence gap about how to tailor reflective practice for abortion care teams. This project develops a reflective practice model to support healthcare workers involved in abortion-related care in Australia, using a Training of Trainers approach.