A Third Hospital is Expected to Launch TeamBirth, a Shared-Decision Making Model of Care, Before End of Year

 

PRINCETON — September 18, 2023 — Two more New Jersey hospitals and a birth center have launched TeamBirth, a model of care that ensures people giving birth and the clinicians who care for them have shared input and understanding around decisions during labor and delivery. A third hospital is expected to launch TeamBirth before the year ends.

 

The three new additional birthing facilities are the Mary V. O’Shea Birth Center, Saint Peter’s University Hospital, and Virtua Mount Holly. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick is expected to launch TeamBirth in the next few months and three additional hospitals will launch next year. The additions will bring the total number of hospitals and birthing centers using TeamBirth in New Jersey to eleven. The Quality Institute continues to work to bring TeamBirth to other New Jersey hospitals and birthing centers so more people giving birth can participate in this valuable care model.

 

The Quality Institute, in partnership with Ariadne Labs, is leading the initiative in New Jersey. Ariadne Labs is a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The state Department of Health provided funding and is a partner in the rigorously tested, innovative model of care.

 

“Everyone who gives birth deserves a safe, dignified experience,” says Adelisa Perez-Hudgins, MSN, RN, “We are working to expand this model of care in New Jersey so that every new parent has the best possible birthing experience. This is an evidence-based and well-researched approach.”

 

The TeamBirth model involves on-going team huddles and other tools used during labor and delivery, such as whiteboards and decision guides. Every huddle includes the person giving birth, their chosen support people, such as a partner, doula or both, their nurse, and at least one provider, such as a physician or midwife, from the clinical care team.

 

The team members discuss personal and cultural preferences and concerns. A central component of the TeamBirth model is a shared whiteboard located in all labor and delivery rooms to outline care plans and progress for the patient and the baby that serves as an ongoing shared reference for the team.

The sites new to TeamBirth join the four New Jersey birthing facilities that began using the model in September of 2022: Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, the Midwifery Birth & Wellness Center, Monmouth Medical Center, and Virtua Voorhees.

 

Data from TeamBirth’s first year in New Jersey, published here for the first time, show overwhelmingly positive results among people giving birth:

 

• 86% felt involved in decision-making
• 87% felt informed about options for their care
• 89% felt they understood information given to them
• 92% felt their choice was respected

 

In contrast, scores were lower for those who did not experience TeamBirth, ranging from 55% to 73% for the same questions.

 

When stratified by race and ethnicity, the data highlights large disparities in care for people giving birth who did not experience TeamBirth. For instance, preliminary data found that 29% of Asian patients reported feeling involved in decision-making followed by 45% of Black/African American patients.

 

With TeamBirth, all patients’ felt more involved in their care, increasing to 94% for Asian patients and 85% for Black/African American patients with similar findings for Non-Hispanic White and Hispanic patients.

 

“We know failures in communication often are the cause of maternal injuries and deaths. We want TeamBirth to enable all people giving birth to become participants in their care — and not merely a recipient of care,” said Perez-Hudgins.

 

TeamBirth data includes responses from over 500 patient surveys collected from September 1, 2022, through August 14, 2023. Data collection will continue through the rest of this year and most of 2024.

 

Saint Peters and Virtua Health both organized celebrations to welcome the launch of TeamBirth.

 

“Saint Peter’s University Hospital has been a leader in maternal health and we’re proud to be an active participant in TeamBirth, an initiative that will ensure better outcomes for expectant mothers and their newborns,” said Linda Carroll, MSN, RN, RN-BC, vice president of Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer at Saint Peter’s Healthcare System.

 

At Virtua Health, Michelle Salvatore, MD, said the approach supports patients.

 

“TeamBirth invites the patient and their support person to play an active role in shared decision-making,” said Dr. Salvatore, an OB-GYN. “We want them to feel empowered and a sense of agency during this hugely important milestone.”

 

TeamBirth now has been implemented in more than 100 hospitals around the country, collectively reaching more than 400,000 mothers and babies.

 

“We believe that all people giving birth deserve to have a safe, dignified experience,” said Amber Weiseth, DNP, MSN, RN Director of the Delivery Decisions Initiative at Ariadne Labs. “We are thrilled to see TeamBirth continuing to grow in New Jersey to improve teamwork and communication during labor and delivery throughout the state.”