A process improvement program implemented at 26 hospitals in five states reduced elective early-term deliveries by 83 percent, according to a study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
The participating hospitals implemented provided policies and procedures for scheduling inductions and cesarean deliveries, and staff received education and training. As a result, elective early-term deliveries fell from 27.8 percent in January 2011 to 4.8 percent in December 2011.
The March of Dimes, which partially funded the study, quoted lead author Bryan T. Oshiro, MD, of Loma Linda University School of Medicine, highlighting the study's take-away point: "We can create a change in medical culture to prevent unneeded early deliveries and give many more babies a healthy start in life."
The toolkit used by the participating hospitals, developed by the March of Dimes, the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative and the California Maternal Child and Adolescent Division within the California Department of Public Health can be downloaded here.
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The participating hospitals implemented provided policies and procedures for scheduling inductions and cesarean deliveries, and staff received education and training. As a result, elective early-term deliveries fell from 27.8 percent in January 2011 to 4.8 percent in December 2011.
The March of Dimes, which partially funded the study, quoted lead author Bryan T. Oshiro, MD, of Loma Linda University School of Medicine, highlighting the study's take-away point: "We can create a change in medical culture to prevent unneeded early deliveries and give many more babies a healthy start in life."
The toolkit used by the participating hospitals, developed by the March of Dimes, the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative and the California Maternal Child and Adolescent Division within the California Department of Public Health can be downloaded here.
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