Key words: twinning, healthcare, collaboration, midwives, equity, reciprocity

"Twinning, a promising dynamic process to strengthen the agency of midwives"

Twinning collaborations, where two groups work together cross-culturally on joint goals, are common worldwide. This research offers one of the first systematic examinations of the twinning process, and brought with it a new definition: ‘Twinning is a cross-cultural, reciprocal process where two groups of people work together to achieve joint goals’.

Experts were consulted to find out what makes twinning successful and 25 critical success factors were found, the majority of which focused on equity. It was also found that cultural differences between the groups can both hinder and facilitate professional growth, depending on personal preparedness to bridge cultural differences. When twins can build relationships of trust, they tend to succeed better at collaborating and learning from each other. 

Co-funded by midwives4mothers, the Foundation for Special Facilities for Maternal Care and the Royal Dutch Organisation of Midwives (KNOV)