Stop. Look. Listen! Page 4

Drafted in 2000, the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services' Healthy People 2010 objectives called upon health care
providers to take the steps to reduce maternal mortality to 3.3
deaths per 100,000 live births by the end of that decade. Looking
at the most current data, the actual maternal death rate in 2010
was 14.5.

But there are many initiatives in the United States that are focused
on decreasing the number of maternal complications and deaths.

The AJOG study revealed that between 40 percent and 50 percent
of maternal deaths and 30 percent to 40 percent of "near
miss"/severe complications are preventable through changes in
provider, patient, and systems factors. These statistics reinforce the
need for proactive initiatives in order to improve maternal health
outcomes in this country.

One exciting proactive initiative is The National Partnership for
Maternal Safety that was created in 2013. The goal of the
Partnership is for every birthing facility in the United States to
have the three designated core Patient Safety Bundles
(Preeclampsia; Hemorrhage; and Venous Thromboembolus
Prevention) implemented within their facility within three years.
The collaborative approach seeks to help women, families and
clinicians as it moves forward.

Enhancing all aspects of maternal health care is a priority for
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood John-
son University Hospital. The importance of this area of health care, es-
pecially the need for continued educational outreach,
had become even more obvious after a member of the medical
school's extended family died due to childbirth complications
after delivering in a community hospital close to her home.
In the wake of this tragedy, a family foundation established in honor of
this young woman--The Tara Hansen Foundation--
was formed and became an important catalyst for this interprofes-
sional continuing education conference on maternal health and safety.

Co-sponsored by Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, and with program funding
from The Tara Hansen Foundation, the conference--To Have and
To Hold: Maternal Safety and the Delivery of Safe Patient Care--
marked a commitment to enhance the education of clinicians, nurses,
and all members of obstetrical health care teams in ways that
emphasize maternal safety and promote prevention of perinatal
morbidity and mortality. Perinatal health care providers and
students from across the state, as well as nationally, were invited
to attend this one-day program.

To Have and To Hold drew nearly 300 physicians, nurses, residents,
medical students, nursing students, and other health care profes-
sionals involved in the care of women to discuss maternal health
and safety. The importance of teamwork and team training, avoiding
assumptions in care, listening to patients' concerns, and empowering
patients to take an active part in their care, expanding their role as
part of the care team, were discussed throughout the day.

Also emphasized during the conference was the

Stop, Look, and

Listen!

campaign, which is designed to empower a woman's voice

as an important aspect in addressing maternal health and safety.
The concept is simple: "

stop

" when a woman has a complaint and

no longer consider her a routine obstetrical patient, "

look

" and

examine the patient related to her complaint, and "

listen

" to what

she is experiencing, in her own words.

The following pages contain highlights from the day's sessions and
ways health care individuals, teams, and organizations can and are
making a difference.

All of us who provide health care to childbearing women know the
importance of our making it a priority to address situations that
may lead to an adverse outcome that may be preventable. All of us
together have an opportunity not only to increase education and to
enhance awareness, but also, and more importantly, to effect and
encourage positive change in every perinatal health care setting.

Gloria A. Bachmann, MD, MMS

Professor and Interim Chair,
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Bonnie Baloga-Altieri, PhD, RN, NEA-BC

Vice President, Patient Care Services and
Chief Nursing Officer
Children's Specialized Hospital