The March of Dimes and its partners at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital will collaborate to create the Center on Perinatal Safety, a first-of-its-kind center in the U.S. The goal of the center is to improve the health care of mothers and babies throughout the entire spectrum of perinatal care: during pregnancy, labor, delivery and postnatal care, and through the transition back home. These efforts will reach beyond the walls of the center by creating evidence-based techniques and training that can be used in both community and hospitals settings – from clinics to labor and delivery units — throughout the country.
The Center on Perinatal Safety comes at an important time in our country where patient safety and medical errors remain a major public health issue, and the rate of maternal mortalities are on the rise. New born babies are particularly vulnerable to medical errors, with rates as high as 74 events for every 100 patients, of which 56 percent are considered preventable. The U.S. is experiencing an increase in infant mortality rates due in large part to the high rate of preterm and very low birth weight births. For parents of high-risk infants, the transition from hospital to home is vital. While program exist that aid in this change of environments, there is a great need for evidence-based evaluation of the transition, in order to create and update health care resources accordingly.
The foundation, as part of its work in patient safety, is supporting the March of Dimes, UTHealth and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, along with Joe Kiani/Masimo Corporation, in this endeavor. Our work in patient safety stems from our co-founder, Betty Irene Moore, who, based on her own experience in the hospital and in caring for family members who have been hospitalized, saw an opportunity to improve the quality and safety of care. In the last 15 years or so, successes in patient safety initiatives have taken into account human factors and failures, safety cultures, error reporting and analysis and patient engagement. Most of this focus has been at the hospital level, or inpatient setting. While this setting is important, there remains a need to focus on the outpatient setting as well. Perinatal care, much like serious illness care, often crosses geographic domains and clinical practices. Transitions of care exist between outpatient and hospital settings as well as between health care teams that care for two distinct patients: obstetricians to neonatologists and pediatricians to surgical subspecialists. With the creation of the Perinatal Safety Center, there is opportunity to bridge the gap between these settings and improve the experience and outcomes of patient care.
Each partner in this project draws upon a unique set of skills to develop the center and address pressing safety issues with pregnancies, birth and caring for newborn children. For more than 75 years, the March of Dimes has been a champion of healthy babies and mothers through cutting-edge research and promotion of health policies and practices. They have led the way to discover the genetic causes of birth defects, to promote new born screening, and to educate medical professionals and the public about best practices for a healthy pregnancy. The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Memorial Hermann Hospital System have embraced patient safety initiatives in all clinical departments and are widely recognized for their leadership in patient safety. Additionally, the Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, which is staffed by the physician faculty and residents of UTHealth, carries the distinction of being a regional center for neonatal intensive care for high-risk deliveries and very low birth weight infants.
For additional information, see the full press release: First center dedicated to mom and baby safety created by March of Dimes and partners.
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