Seattle-based Virginia Mason Medical Center launched a new model of labor and delivery care, one that has rolled out at a handful of hospitals nationwide — including at 15 hospitals in Washington state — and has since streamlined processes for 115 new births since its implementation in October.
Two Virginia Mason hospitals were part of the initial 15 hospitals selected by the Washington State Hospital Association to begin using the new labor and delivery care method.
"We've gotten very positive feedback. Patients are grateful for everyone to be on the same page – especially those who transfer from other hospitals who don't have TeamBirth in place; they are surprised at how much autonomy they have over their birthing process here," Allie Pleas, BSN, RN, a labor and delivery nurse for Virginia Mason Franciscan Health stated in the Feb. 1 news release. "This protocol has allowed us to honor their original plan with minimal intervention, and we've been able to integrate what the patient wants with the VMMC plan."
Developed in 2021 by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Ariadne Labs and UMass Memorial Health, the TeamBirth model prioritizes routine check-ins with all members of a patient's care team and family at key points to streamline communication about birth preferences and patient status using a whiteboard as a key tool.
Fourteen additional hospitals have signed up to be part of the second and third cohorts that will implement the model with the help of the Washington State Hospital Association.