A Fresh Look at Safety and Quality: WellStar Kennestone Perinatal Safety and Quality Initiative
- Advocate and provide leadership for the ongoing improvement in the delivery of perinatal services and the enhancement of patient safety
- Improve the performance of the healthcare delivery in processes and outcomes of care as reflected in data related to various clinical quality indicators.
- Identify and validate best practices in clinical practice and patient safety and develop educational programs designed to disseminate these practices.
Proposed change: The WellStar Kennestone Perinatal Safety and Quality Initiative was designed to develop and implement best practices to improve the quality and reliability of obstetrical and perinatal care processes in an effort to reduce the incidence of perinatal and maternal injuries. This initiative focuses on a comprehensive redesign of current perinatal processes to establish an organizational culture where patient safety is promoted, supported and understood enabling WellStar Kennestone’s perinatal care team to perform at its best.
Implementation, outcomes and evaluation: This initiative draws on the principles of the science of high reliability and applying these principles to improve patient care. The five key components of the initiative are: 1) the assessment of performance improvement opportunities within obstetrical service areas 2) the development of reliable clinical processes to manage labor and delivery 3) the use of proven principles that improve safety 4) the development of trained and activated perinatal care teams that communicate effectively with each other, mothers and families and 5) a centered focus on mother and family during labor and delivery. ;Analysis and performance reports are provided monthly to hospital leadership and performance improvement teams which illustrate strengths and opportunities for improvement. Analysis is based upon;
- Collecting clinical data to quantify improvement in both processes and outcomes, initiated 8/2009
- Conducting ongoing interdisciplinary education and training and simulated rapid response drills to assess response to emergent situations initiated 9/2009
- Conducting periodic safety climate survey, initiated 12/2009
- Monitoring adverse outcome index measures initiated 12/2009
Implications for nursing practice: In an effort to address safety and quality it is important to identify the nurse's role in ensuring and maintaining safety during labor and birth. This initiative works to improve maternity care quality through research, education, advocacy and policy. Our clinical team is intimately involved with monitoring clinical effectiveness, including systematic case reviews, performance measurement, practice guidelines and informed decision-making.
Keywords: Perinatal, Safety, Education, Team, Performance
