The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has designated January 23rd as Maternal Health Awareness Day with the goal of shining a spotlight on critical maternal health outcomes. Women’s health is near and dear to me because I started my professional career as a registered nurse, spending several years in the neonatal intensive care unit. I’ve seen firsthand the joy and fulfillment this work brings and the complexity of caring for unstable mothers and infants.
Most expecting parents assume their new baby will be perfect, just like they see in the movies. When that doesn’t happen, it can be devastating on many fronts. Every new mother and child deserves access to the best possible care we can deliver in the U.S. We still have work to do, and awareness is the first step to true quality improvement.
The current state of U.S. maternal health
The maternal mortality rate—or when a woman dies during pregnancy, childbirth, or within one year of birth—is higher in the United States than in any other industrialized nation. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 700 women in the U.S. die each year as a result of pregnancy or delivery complications, and 50,000 women are injured during childbirth.
Since 2000, the U.S. maternal mortality rate has steadily increased, as reported by the Commonwealth Fund, and when the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, the severity of the problem only grew. Recent data from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that pregnant women with COVID-19 are more likely to experience complications with the virus, contributing to approximately 25% of maternal deaths in 2020 and 2021. This rate is disproportionally higher for Black or African-American women in comparison to White and Hispanic, or Latina women. These statistics highlight a serious gap in the healthcare system that is in need of change.
The social impacts of the pandemic further exacerbated disparities in maternal healthcare. Differential access to quality care and a lack of education or training required to care for this complex and unique population are key drivers of these shocking statistics. Thus, solutions to help eliminate these poor maternal outcomes must address better access to care, and evidence-based education for care providers focused on developing clinical judgment and frequent practice. Though maternal mortality continues to rise, the issues that mothers and babies face are still considered low-volume and high-risk. Since each unique issue doesn’t occur daily, it’s extremely difficult for care providers to develop or maintain competence.
A case study for improving obstetric care
After years of clinical experience, I now have the honor of helping to educate clinicians on a much larger scale through my work at HealthStream. After observing rising maternal mortality rates and hearing from several clinical and obstetric leaders across the U.S., we began expanding our child and maternal education portfolio with an emphasis on improving key quality outcomes.
Healthcare leaders have already started to make meaningful investments in frequent and repeated training for our specialized clinicians. They understand the importance of education and simulation when varied experience is challenging to acquire and maintain in practice.
In fact, those who deployed Healthstream’s Quality Obstetrics (OB) program experienced a 22% decrease in negative events versus the national average. One medium-sized healthcare system was also able to report zero harm after two years with the program, which also led to a substantial reduction in insurance costs.
HealthStream’s Quality Obstetrics (OB) program is an evidence-based, blended curriculum focusing on developing clinical judgment and optimizing team-based care through virtual simulation. It also includes flexible maintenance of the competency plans, enabling frequent practice in several key areas that have challenged overall maternal outcomes and insurance, litigation, and reputation costs. The 6 key competencies addressed include:
- Electronic Fetal Monitoring
- Communication and Event Disclosure
- Hypertension in Pregnancy
- Postpartum Hemorrhage
- Shoulder Dystocia
- Trial of Labor after Cesarean (TOLAC)
In terms of access and approach to maternal care, healthcare leaders can also leverage more than 40 engaging, mobile-friendly programs addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion, all specifically designed for the healthcare workforce through HealthStream and its partnering thought leaders.
Many providers and industry leaders are actively combating these staggering statistics by pouring research and resources into improving the quality of patient care. HealthStream’s stake is in developing the clinicians who are actively providing care. For those who aren’t healthcare professionals but want to contribute to improving maternal health outcomes, the first step is understanding the unique challenges of the population and care providers. For this reason, Maternal Health Awareness Day is important because they highlight important issues that cannot be ignored. Armed with new, proven tools and the knowledge to address the problem, these inequities may finally be put firmly in the past.
About Healthstream’s Child & Maternal Solutions
HealthStream’s suite of Child and Maternal Health solutions provides clinicians with evidence-based education that will proactively develop and maintain a competent and empowered team, ultimately improving the quality of care for mothers, infants, and children. Our comprehensive offerings include education from ACOG, AWHONN, Children’s Hospital Association, Jones & Bartlett, Lactation Education Resources, MedStar Health, S.T.A.B.L.E., and St. Luke’s.
About HealthStream
HealthStream (HSTM) is dedicated to improving patient outcomes through the development of healthcare organizations’ greatest asset: their people. Our unified suite of solutions is contracted by healthcare organizations across the U.S. for workforce development, training & learning management, nurse & staff scheduling, clinical education, credentialing, privileging, provider enrollment, performance assessment, and managing simulation-based education programs. HealthStream’s corporate office is in Nashville, Tennessee. For more information, visit http://www.healthstream.com or call 800-521-0574.
About Trisha L. Coady
Trisha Coady is a neonatal nurse turned healthcare software executive at the forefront of designing educational solutions to help organizational leaders empower their clinicians who provide specialized care. She understands the nuances of care delivery amidst resource challenges, competing priorities, and the under-investment in professional development. With a more holistic view of the healthcare system, Coady has a unique perspective on maternal-newborn care and what it will take to improve quality outcomes. Small steps can lead to big change.
Anneliese Lawton on Maternal Mental Health Exclusive Interview(Opens in a new browser tab)
Coady joined HealthStream in 2013 and currently serves as Senior Vice President & General Manager at Workforce Development Solutions. As a nurse, healthcare entrepreneur, and nationally recognized thought leader on professional development for the healthcare workforce, her expertise helps guide Healthstream’s strategy for its clinical competency, resuscitation, quality & safety, and revenue cycle solutions.