AWHONN
News & Views
Hospitals Partner With AWHONN to Prevent Maternal Deaths
W Photo © freddie vargas / thinkstockphotos.com
With U.S. women experiencing a greater risk of death from pregnancy-related complications than women in 46 other countries, AWHONN launched a multiyear three-pronged initiative to improve the treatment of pregnancy-related complications. The first initiative focuses on improving the treatment of obstetric hemorrhage—one of the leading causes of death during labor and delivery. AWHONN’s Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH) Project has brought together 54 birthing hospitals in Georgia and New Jersey to assess and improve clinical practices. Additional hospitals in the District of Columbia are expected to join the PPH Project later this year. Approximately 125,000 women and their families (each
year) will benefit from the PPH Project. A full list of the participating hospitals is available on www.pphproject.org. While two to three women die every day in the United States from pregnancy-related complications, more than half of these deaths are preventable. Incidents of obstetric hemorrhage have increased in recent years along with an overuse of inductions of labor. Research suggests that women who have inductions of labor have a greater risk of experiencing PPH. Between 1999 and 2009, the number of women who received blood transfusions during and immediately after childbirth increased by 183 percent. African American women are disproportionately affected by birthing complications,
DOI: 10.1111/1751-486X.12141
http://nwh.awhonn.org
© 2014, AWHONN
347
News & Views
New Advocacy Resource Materna AWHONN partnered with the American Congress off l Health Accounta bility Ac Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and Repre-t sentatives John Conyers (D-MI) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) to host a briefing on Capitol Hill entitled, “Making Childbirth and Death a Never Event.” AWHONN member Cheryl Larry-Osman spoke at the May briefing, which was intended to educate elected officials and their staff about the rising rates of maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States. The briefing also highlighted federal legislation that would provide funding to states to start or ramp up the efforts of a Maternal Mortality Review Committee. If you are interested in advocating for this important legislation, use AWHONN’s new online advocacy toolkit. t lkit The ttoolkit lkit includes information about the legislation, a template letter to send to your member of Congress and tips for setting up a meeting with your elected officials. Visit www.awhonn.org/ advocacytoolkit.org and get involved today! LEARN
VIEW
CHECK
WRITE
VISIT
ASK
Women in the Un ited Sta from pre tes have gnancya greate related other co r risk of complica untries. dying tions tha Help the Mater n wome nal Health reverse this tre n in 47 nd by ad Accoun vocating tability Act (MHA for A).
LEARN
READ
VIEW
CHECK
WRITE
AWHONN
VISIT
ASK
with three to four times more deaths than women of all other racial and ethnic groups. Participating hospitals joined the initiative because of their interest in shaping and improving PPH clinical practices. During the project they will work with national experts to identify best practices for treatment. “By participating in the Postpartum Hemorrhage Project these hospitals are leading the way in providing women quality care during labor and delivery,” said AWHONN’s CEO, Lynn Erdman, MN, RN, FAAN. “Maternal deaths can largely be prevented and AWHONN is working to help keep mothers and babies safe.” Supported by a grant from Merck for Mothers, AWHONN’s PPH Project is designed to • increase clinician recognition of women at greatest risk of obstetric hemorrhage; • increase early recognition of women who are bleeding too much; • increase the readiness of clinical team preparedness to successfully respond to obstetric hemorrhage; and • improve clinician response to obstetric hemorrhage. Additional practice improvements will include identifying barriers to treating obstetric
348
READ
Nursing for Women’s Health
about the MH AA, a bill grants ava that wo maternal ilable to sta tes to estuld make expand mortality rev iew com ablish a the eff orts of existing mittee or commi ttees. the leg islative languag e.
AWHO NN legislatio ’s letter of sup n. port for
the
to see if your Represen MMHA . tative sup ports the
a letter to support your Member of the of Cong MHAA using ou ress in r templa te. Conside r Congres meeting with your Me s importa to explain wh mb nt. Use y the MH er of prepare AWHO NN’s po AA is so for the int meeting ers to .
If you hav e quest inform ions or ati kwade@ on, contact Ke need more rri Wade awhonn .org. at
hemorrhage, sharing clinical best practices and identifying how to more effectively implement similar improvements in all hospitals in the United States.
Emerging Leaders Launched in 2007, AWHONN’s Emerging Leaders Program engages nurses in a formal, year-long leadership training program. Activities include guidance from mentors, networking events, meetings with members of Congress and their staff, multiple continuing education opportunities and other experiential training to build confidence and leadership skills among participants. The Emerging Leaders Program is made possible through a 1-year educational grant from the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future. The AWHONN Emerging Leaders Program places special emphasis on fostering diversity— in age, race and gender—among its prospects. Participant selection was based on each applicant’s skills, experience and enthusiasm for women’s health and perinatal nursing. The 2014 emerging leaders are Deborah Andersen, MSN, RNC-OB, from Golden, CO, is a perinatal safety nurse educator
Volume 18
Issue 4
Kimberly Rowzee, BSN, MSN, RNC-OB, of Brandon, MS, is a clinical educator at the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants.
Carrie H. Jacobson, BA, RN, MS, CNM, WHNP, from San Francisco, CA, is a PhD candidate in nursing at the University of California, San Francisco.
Sherita R. Wilkinson, RN, BSN, MS, IBCLC, of Bowie, MD, is the nurse clinical supervisor for Medstar Ambulatory Services in Mitchellville, MD.
Paris Maloof-Bury, RNC-OB, IBCLC, ICCE, from Ventura, CA, works as a staff nurse for labor and delivery as well as a lactation consultant at Community Memorial Hospital.
For more information on AWHONN’s Emerging Leaders program, please visit www. awhonn.org.
News & Views
Gwendolyn A. Foster, BSN, MSN, CNM, from Sunderland, MD, is the Air Force Element Medical Deputy Squadron Commander and CNM for the U.S. Air Force.
AWHONN
Gail Elliott, MSN, BSN, RN, of Mills River, NC, is an assistant professor of nursing at Western Carolina University.
Susan Peck, BSN, MSN, APN, from Morris Plains, NJ, is a women’s health nurse practitioner at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
at Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center.
Rita Nutt, DNP, MSN, RN, from Magnolia, DE, is an assistant professor at Salisbury University. Ryan Olivere, BSN, MSN, RNC-OB, lives in Wilmington, DE, and is a clinical practice leader in labor and delivery for the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
It seems that barely a day goes by without a new drug being released—or perhaps recalled. How can you stay on top of it all? Read “Rx,” a clinical practice column appearing three times a year in Nursing for Women’s Health. It covers the latest developments in prescription and over-the-counter pharmacotherapeutics—everything from the HPV vaccine to over-the-counter weight loss drugs, all to help you provide optimum care to your patients and to answer their questions.
August | September 2014
Nursing for Women’s Health
349
News & Views
Hospitals Partner With AWHONN to Prevent Maternal Deaths
W Photo © freddie vargas / thinkstockphotos.com
With U.S. women experiencing a greater risk of death from pregnancy-related complications than women in 46 other countries, AWHONN launched a multiyear three-pronged initiative to improve the treatment of pregnancy-related complications. The first initiative focuses on improving the treatment of obstetric hemorrhage—one of the leading causes of death during labor and delivery. AWHONN’s Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH) Project has brought together 54 birthing hospitals in Georgia and New Jersey to assess and improve clinical practices. Additional hospitals in the District of Columbia are expected to join the PPH Project later this year. Approximately 125,000 women and their families (each
year) will benefit from the PPH Project. A full list of the participating hospitals is available on www.pphproject.org. While two to three women die every day in the United States from pregnancy-related complications, more than half of these deaths are preventable. Incidents of obstetric hemorrhage have increased in recent years along with an overuse of inductions of labor. Research suggests that women who have inductions of labor have a greater risk of experiencing PPH. Between 1999 and 2009, the number of women who received blood transfusions during and immediately after childbirth increased by 183 percent. African American women are disproportionately affected by birthing complications,
DOI: 10.1111/1751-486X.12141
http://nwh.awhonn.org
© 2014, AWHONN
347
News & Views
New Advocacy Resource Materna AWHONN partnered with the American Congress off l Health Accounta bility Ac Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and Repre-t sentatives John Conyers (D-MI) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) to host a briefing on Capitol Hill entitled, “Making Childbirth and Death a Never Event.” AWHONN member Cheryl Larry-Osman spoke at the May briefing, which was intended to educate elected officials and their staff about the rising rates of maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States. The briefing also highlighted federal legislation that would provide funding to states to start or ramp up the efforts of a Maternal Mortality Review Committee. If you are interested in advocating for this important legislation, use AWHONN’s new online advocacy toolkit. t lkit The ttoolkit lkit includes information about the legislation, a template letter to send to your member of Congress and tips for setting up a meeting with your elected officials. Visit www.awhonn.org/ advocacytoolkit.org and get involved today! LEARN
VIEW
CHECK
WRITE
VISIT
ASK
Women in the Un ited Sta from pre tes have gnancya greate related other co r risk of complica untries. dying tions tha Help the Mater n wome nal Health reverse this tre n in 47 nd by ad Accoun vocating tability Act (MHA for A).
LEARN
READ
VIEW
CHECK
WRITE
AWHONN
VISIT
ASK
with three to four times more deaths than women of all other racial and ethnic groups. Participating hospitals joined the initiative because of their interest in shaping and improving PPH clinical practices. During the project they will work with national experts to identify best practices for treatment. “By participating in the Postpartum Hemorrhage Project these hospitals are leading the way in providing women quality care during labor and delivery,” said AWHONN’s CEO, Lynn Erdman, MN, RN, FAAN. “Maternal deaths can largely be prevented and AWHONN is working to help keep mothers and babies safe.” Supported by a grant from Merck for Mothers, AWHONN’s PPH Project is designed to • increase clinician recognition of women at greatest risk of obstetric hemorrhage; • increase early recognition of women who are bleeding too much; • increase the readiness of clinical team preparedness to successfully respond to obstetric hemorrhage; and • improve clinician response to obstetric hemorrhage. Additional practice improvements will include identifying barriers to treating obstetric
348
READ
Nursing for Women’s Health
about the MH AA, a bill grants ava that wo maternal ilable to sta tes to estuld make expand mortality rev iew com ablish a the eff orts of existing mittee or commi ttees. the leg islative languag e.
AWHO NN legislatio ’s letter of sup n. port for
the
to see if your Represen MMHA . tative sup ports the
a letter to support your Member of the of Cong MHAA using ou ress in r templa te. Conside r Congres meeting with your Me s importa to explain wh mb nt. Use y the MH er of prepare AWHO NN’s po AA is so for the int meeting ers to .
If you hav e quest inform ions or ati kwade@ on, contact Ke need more rri Wade awhonn .org. at
hemorrhage, sharing clinical best practices and identifying how to more effectively implement similar improvements in all hospitals in the United States.
Emerging Leaders Launched in 2007, AWHONN’s Emerging Leaders Program engages nurses in a formal, year-long leadership training program. Activities include guidance from mentors, networking events, meetings with members of Congress and their staff, multiple continuing education opportunities and other experiential training to build confidence and leadership skills among participants. The Emerging Leaders Program is made possible through a 1-year educational grant from the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future. The AWHONN Emerging Leaders Program places special emphasis on fostering diversity— in age, race and gender—among its prospects. Participant selection was based on each applicant’s skills, experience and enthusiasm for women’s health and perinatal nursing. The 2014 emerging leaders are Deborah Andersen, MSN, RNC-OB, from Golden, CO, is a perinatal safety nurse educator
Volume 18
Issue 4
Kimberly Rowzee, BSN, MSN, RNC-OB, of Brandon, MS, is a clinical educator at the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants.
Carrie H. Jacobson, BA, RN, MS, CNM, WHNP, from San Francisco, CA, is a PhD candidate in nursing at the University of California, San Francisco.
Sherita R. Wilkinson, RN, BSN, MS, IBCLC, of Bowie, MD, is the nurse clinical supervisor for Medstar Ambulatory Services in Mitchellville, MD.
Paris Maloof-Bury, RNC-OB, IBCLC, ICCE, from Ventura, CA, works as a staff nurse for labor and delivery as well as a lactation consultant at Community Memorial Hospital.
For more information on AWHONN’s Emerging Leaders program, please visit www. awhonn.org.
News & Views
Gwendolyn A. Foster, BSN, MSN, CNM, from Sunderland, MD, is the Air Force Element Medical Deputy Squadron Commander and CNM for the U.S. Air Force.
AWHONN
Gail Elliott, MSN, BSN, RN, of Mills River, NC, is an assistant professor of nursing at Western Carolina University.
Susan Peck, BSN, MSN, APN, from Morris Plains, NJ, is a women’s health nurse practitioner at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
at Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center.
Rita Nutt, DNP, MSN, RN, from Magnolia, DE, is an assistant professor at Salisbury University. Ryan Olivere, BSN, MSN, RNC-OB, lives in Wilmington, DE, and is a clinical practice leader in labor and delivery for the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
It seems that barely a day goes by without a new drug being released—or perhaps recalled. How can you stay on top of it all? Read “Rx,” a clinical practice column appearing three times a year in Nursing for Women’s Health. It covers the latest developments in prescription and over-the-counter pharmacotherapeutics—everything from the HPV vaccine to over-the-counter weight loss drugs, all to help you provide optimum care to your patients and to answer their questions.
August | September 2014
Nursing for Women’s Health
349
