Ascension Health created a unique training experience for obstetric leaders across the System during the “Excellence in Obstetrics: Evidence and Standards” conference held Dec. 10-11, 2013, in Dallas.
The conference’s objective was to disseminate a single education standard for obstetric patient safety and care that had been ratified by Ascension Health’s Obstetric Partner Leaders. The new standard will help improve patient safety and quality and reduce claims and costs associated with obstetric adverse events.
“Our nursing staff had not been exposed to a meeting such as this where pioneers have blazed a path,” said participant Randall Morgan, MD, MBA, FACOG, Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Via Christi Hospital St. Francis in Wichita, Kan. “They are energized and our hospital will mobilize resources in a fashion we have not experienced. The conference exceeded my expectations.”
The conference’s “train the trainer” format provided obstetrics physician and nurse leads from each Ascension Health labor and delivery hospital with training and education on the implementation of the Ascension Health HANDS® (Handling All Neonatal Deliveries Safely) program. Leaders were provided a HANDS® Implementation Kit prior to the meeting.
During the conference, attendees practiced simulations on birthing torsos based on best practices outlined in the Ascension Health shoulder dystocia “bundle” (a collection of processes and procedures related to a specific clinical situation) and fundamentals from the TeamSTEPPS® program. TeamSTEPPS® stands for Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety. In the healthcare setting, TeamSTEPPS® is an evidence-based program aimed at optimizing performance among teams of healthcare professionals, enabling them to respond quickly and effectively to whatever situations arise. Each physician and nurse trainer from the 62 sites demonstrated expertise in critical patient safety practices, led and overseen by obstetric leaders from across Ascension Health.
At the meeting’s conclusion, attendees were certified to implement the spread and adoption of the HANDS® obstetrics education standards at their hospitals. Each site received a birthing torso as well as other tools and resources to support their local implementation of the HANDS® program.
