Clinical Resources and Tools
Maternal mortality is a concerning public health problem in the United States. About 700 women die every year due to pregnancy-related complications. Although rare, these deaths are particularly tragic because about two in three deaths could be prevented.
Clinical Tools
- Maternal Patient Safety Bundles developed by the former Council on Patient Safety in Women’s Health Care.
- Maternal Early Warning Signs (MEWS) Protocol developed by the former Council on Patient Safety in Women’s Health Care.
- Toolkit for Improving Perinatal Safety developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
- Guide to Patient and Family Engagement in Hospital Quality and Safety developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Healthcare Professional Education
- POST-BIRTH Warning Signs Education Program developed by the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN).
- Back to Basics: Foundations for Mindful Care developed by the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN).
- Eliminating Preventable Maternal Mortality and Morbidity from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
- Maternal Cardiac Conditions: Addressing a Leading Cause of Pregnancy-Related Death—Webinar hosted by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
Implicit Bias and Stigma
- March of Dimes’ Professional Education, including Implicit Bias Training focused on maternity care.
- Beyond Labels: Reducing Stigma developed by March of Dimes.
- SPEAK UP Program by the Institute for Perinatal Quality Improvement.
- AWHONN Insights Podcast: The Impact of Implicit Bias in Healthcare
- Healthy Equity, Implicit Bias, Stigma & Antiracism developed by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Health Equity and Cultural Awareness
- American Medical Association (AMA) Center for Health Equity.
- Importance of Social Determinants of Health and Cultural Awareness in the Delivery of Reproductive Health Care by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
- Birth Equity developed by the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN).
- Think Cultural Health developed by the Office of Minority Health.
- The EveryONE Project™ developed by the American Academy of Family Physicians.