Staff Collaboration Strengthens Care for Parents-to-Be
February 13, 2024By: Kim Shopper
Categories: Maternity, We are NKCH and MH
Our Maternal Child Health team recognizes that some pregnant patients could need specialized emergency care. To train for these potential life-threatening situations during a baby’s birth, the MCH and critical care teams launched the OB Simulation Program.
The OB Simulation Program is unique to our organization and a partnership between the maternity staff and ICU team members, who work together to provide safe and effective care in emergency situations. On-unit exercises help critical care nurses improve their knowledge of the perinatal period, which refers to the time immediately before and after birth. The program also helps build trust between departments that wouldn’t typically interact with one another.
“Our staff wants to equip themselves with the knowledge and skills to provide the best care possible,” said Morgan Swearingin, MSN-Ed, RN, critical care clinical education specialist. “Critical care units do not see obstetrics patients very often. When our nurses have an opportunity to learn about perinatal care, they are more confident in high-risk situations.”
The collaboration also benefits the MCH staff. “OB simulation training has increased our confidence in managing obstetrical emergencies,” said Janel Zion, MSN, RN, WHNP-BC, Maternal Child Health clinical education specialist. “Practicing for situations like postpartum hemorrhage or caring for pregnant hypertensive patients helps our team perform better in a real emergency.”
MCH collaborates with the critical care team to support pregnant and postpartum patients. Patients who need a higher level of care and possible emergency surgery are cared for in the 2nd Floor ICU, near Hospital Surgery. MCH also collaborates with Surgical Services and the Emergency Department.
OB simulation improves patient outcomes by familiarizing critical care team members with room layouts, procedures and the expertise of their MCH colleagues. This kind of specialized interdisciplinary training has helped make NKCH and MH one of the nation’s best labor and delivery hospitals.
