We are excited to share that WSHA has partnered with Ariadne Labs to implement the TeamBirth program in all 54 birthing hospitals across Washington State. The project aims to improve obstetric outcomes and reduce disparities for all birthing people and especially for those who experience structural racism and discrimination.
The TeamBirth program ensures people giving birth – and the clinicians caring for them – continually have shared input on decisions and a common understanding of the plan of care thanks to a team huddle at key decision points throughout the hospital stay. These huddles happen whenever the patient or a team member requests one, but are also expected upon admission to the hospital, when there is a change in the patient’s or fetus’ care plan, and when there is going to be a decision around delivery. This work is possible thanks to a generous grant from Ballmer Group.
Implementation will take place over the next three years with hospitals participating in one of four cohorts. With each cohort, hospitals will create a shared planning board to capture the outcomes of each huddle, learn strategies to help patients identify their birth preferences, and collect patient reported experience measures to provide the hospitals with valuable quality improvement inputs.
Please contact me directly to learn more about this promising collaboration that will positively impact the birth experience for birthing people and clinicians across the state!
Sincerely,
Jenica Sandall
WSHA Director, Safety & Quality
jenicas@wsha.org
