A Focus on Women's Health Before, During and After Pregnancy Aims to Save Lives.
“I don’t feel well,” said Tara Hansen, 29, of Wanamassa, shortly after giving birth to her son in 2011. But her health care providers considered her a healthy postpartum patient, and sent her home. Six days later, she died from an infection that occurred during the birth.
Pregnancy-related deaths are relatively rare—about 700 occur each year in the U.S.—but are on the rise. So is the rate of delivery-related “severe maternal morbidity,” which is defined as significant short-or long-term effects to a woman’s health.
“In New Jersey, health care systems, community-based organizations and government agencies are tackling this issue head-on,” says Suzanne Spernal, Vice President of Women’s Services for RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH). “We’re collectively looking at the entire continuum of health care to see what women want and need to be healthy before, during and after pregnancy.”
Empowering Women
Providing education is a priority. “The majority of maternal adverse events don’t happen on the day a woman gives birth,” Spernal says. “They occur in the days and weeks that follow the birth, when mom is back at home and the warning signs of a serious complication may not be immediately recognized.”
To increase awareness, Tara’s husband, Ryan, partnered with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, an RWJBH facility, to create the Tara Hansen Foundation’s “Stop. Look. Listen!” program. This initiative empowers women to voice any concerns they have and reminds providers to pay close attention, rather than assuming a symptom is a typical complaint of pregnancy or the postpartum period. The program has been embraced by facilities throughout RWJBH.
Alert in the ED
RWJBH Emergency Departments (EDs) have created a system to ensure that any woman coming to an ED who has given birth within the previous 42 days is identified, and a note made in her electronic health record. “Care management for certain conditions can be quite different for a woman who has recently given birth compared to a woman in the general population,” Spernal says. “This alert system quickly identifies postpartum women and when minutes matter it can save lives.”
Other aspects of RWJBH’s comprehensive approach to maternal health include:
Promoting equality in health care to improve pregnancy outcomes. “Our hospitals are exploring the specific needs and challenges of women in their unique communities,” Spernal says.
Providing reproductive planning so women, particularly those with medical conditions, can plan safer pregnancies.
Co-designing initiatives with community groups that address issues such as housing, domestic violence, obesity, diabetes and substance abuse, all of which can negatively affect pregnancy outcomes.
Focusing on maternal mental health. Monmouth Medical Center, an RWJBH facility, has the state’s only perinatal mood and anxiety disorder program.
Participating in Maternal Health Awareness Day, this year on January 23. “This is new attention to maternity care that is so long over due,” Spernal says. “Healthcare providers, policy advocates, women’s advocates—together, we’re really going to change the landscape over the next few years.”
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