New care model initiates better communication among patient and providers

Communication is key, we hear this phrase a lot, but in the delivery room, it’s imperative. As childbirth complications and maternal mortality continue to challenge health systems across the country, certain hospitals are looking at communication as a way to improve the safety and quality of maternity care.

Cleveland Clinic Akron General has recently implemented a new model of care called TeamBirth. TeamBirth, part of the March of Dimes and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Maternal HeathCARE initiative, aims to put practices in place to enhance communication, teamwork, and clinical care.

The TeamBirth approach keeps everyone in the room on the same page. This means the birthing person, the delivering provider, nurses, support people, etc. Through established tools and practices like planning boards and regular “huddles,” care teams are able to:

• “Promote the roles of the laboring patient, nurse, and delivering provider as members of the care team with equally valuable input for decision-making
• Elicit the patient’s preferences, symptoms, and subjective experiences and integrate with clinical data to inform patient care plans
• Distinguish maternal, fetal, and labor progress statuses and care plans
• Set shared expectations for next the planned evaluation” (ARIADNE LABS)

Though TeamBirth is a fairly new technique, this prioritization of communication and collaboration between patients and providers is a hopeful step towards improved maternal outcomes and patient satisfaction.

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Sources: https://www.ariadnelabs.org/delivery-decisions-initiative/teambirth/; https://newsroom.clevelandclinic.org/2023/03/21/cleveland-clinic-akron-general-1-of-4-u-s-hospitals-to-adopt-new-approach-to-labor-and-delivery/