Tampa General Hospital’s Post

🌟 Exciting Announcement! 🌟 I’m thrilled to share that as a co-author representing the European Midwives Association (EMA), along with esteemed partners the European Association of Perinatal Medicine (EAPM) and the European Board and College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (EBCOG), we have collaborated on a groundbreaking joint position statement titled “Substandard and Disrespectful Care in Labour – Because Words Matter.” This statement underscores the critical importance of addressing substandard and disrespectful care during labor, emphasizing the profound impact it can have on a woman’s experience—one of the most significant events in her life. Our collective effort aims to raise awareness and promote best practices in healthcare delivery to ensure every woman receives dignified, respectful, and evidence-based care during childbirth. Published in the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, our statement delves into the complexities and underlying causes of substandard and disrespectful care, advocating for collaborative approaches to address these issues. We firmly believe in fostering mutual comprehension, trust, and respect among all healthcare professionals to enhance women’s experiences and outcomes during labor. I invite all individuals and institutions who share our commitment to improving women’s healthcare experiences to join us in this important endeavor. Let’s work together to develop common strategies and initiatives that prioritize the dignity, autonomy, and well-being of every woman during childbirth. Read the full statement here: [https://lnkd.in/dSsnx8BW] European Midwives Association European Journal of Midwifery Pernilla Stenbäck Elena Petelos #WomenHealthcare #MaternalHealth #Midwifery #EAPM #EBCOG #EMA #SubstandardCare #RespectfulCare #Collaboration #HealthcareLeadership

Patient care is not the priority 

In today’s US maternity care an all to common news headline reads, “Hospital Ends Midwifery Services”. The number one reason typically cited for midwifery closure is unsubstantiated comments around cost. This headline 12 hours ago from Billings MT is worth reading, as what happened there is the exact OPPOSITE. https://lnkd.in/g76BjFC8 The Billings Midwifery service started two years ago and worked tirelessly to grow midwifery-led care in a system that did not offer this choice. The community knew the midwives and followed their practice, rapidly growing to >30% of all births. And then things began to change. Within the article the CNO is quoted that she did not know the reasons why ALL the MIDWIVES RESIGNED. This is either an extremely unfortunate quote or absolutely false to believe in the role of chief nursing officer. In over five years of national consulting work it is indisputable that unresolved conflict between physicians and midwives always surrounds one or more of three issues: power, money, and respect. Until the physician-centric culture within maternity care is addressed, midwives will continue to face harsh barriers even when their performance proves high satisfaction, optimal outcomes, and lower costs of care. THIS TIME the midwives said #ENOUGH and goodbye. #Staytuned #GrowMidwives #scalingupandsustainingmidwifery #FindYourPower

👉Another historic midwifery-led practice ending in September, this one in Chicago. https://lnkd.in/giqX9R7F Veiling this model of midwifery care as “the best of both worlds” is public misinformation. Although a blended model of maternity care can be found in the US, care delivered in this manner does not provide midwifery autonomy nor the unique benefits of independent midwifery-led care. “…the Swedish midwifery program is merging with the obstetrics department starting in September. Hospital officials said the move is necessary because of “staffing challenges” and “increased costs” brought on by the pandemic, but having midwives and physicians working together will produce a “comprehensive continuum of care for all our patients throughout their pregnancy.” What is ironic in their published rationale is the executive comment, “the hospital also is expanding its women’s health offerings by hiring three new OB/GYN physicians and upgrading the hospital’s birthing center.” HMMM, what is the cost of those decisions compared to “staffing challenges” and “increased costs” of the midwifery service? What a poorly placed response to this devastating change removing a historically valued option of care for the community. #GrowMidwives five years working with midwives in hospital settings challenged by risk for closure have noted the most COMMON “costs of care” issues include: a) identifying poor billing practices and revenue cycle management for midwifery care and not attributing all income generation rendered by midwives to the midwifery service or, b) ignoring income contributions by the midwifery service that would otherwise not have been captured (eg facility fees for mom/baby — families that chose this location BECAUSE of the midwives), significant referral base for complex OB/GYN services, ultrasounds, etc. Nor do most executives note midwives significant contribution to hospitals lower c-section rates, reduced pre-term birth rates and high patient satisfaction. Our advice - if you do NOT KNOW the fiscal contribution of midwifery services where you work, you are hampered in making the case of susustainabilty and any fair chance for negotiation. We are poised to help analyze fiscal data that should be provided to you as licensed providers of the care, strategize how to make the business case, and assist in recruiting additional staff. [GM Match launching this fall]. Extending deep sadness to learn another historic midwife-led service is being eliminated due to “increased costs”. #scalingupandsustainingmidwifery #heretohelp https://lnkd.in/gkYaDgGr

Midwifery continuity of care model- the evidence - Checkout this article for more details

Concerns Regarding Racist Treatment in Maternity Care CAHN and the Society of African & Caribbean Midwives (SoAC) were deeply concerned to read about an incident where an NHS midwife reportedly told a Black woman experiencing a miscarriage - “You people have a high pain threshold.” This statement is both insensitive, unacceptable and continues to be an everyday occurrence in care delivery. We cannot stand by and remain silent. The article highlights 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟. The MBRRACE-UK Perinatal Confidential Enquiry report continues to show the disparities in care received by Black and other ethnic minority groups. It is imperative that standards and accountability measures are put in place to improve outcomes in care and experiences. This report follows previous evidence from 𝐌𝐁𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄-𝐔𝐊 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭, which highlighted the care Black women who have experienced stillbirths or neonatal deaths received. This report was updated on 11th January 2024.  1. 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞: For 42% of Black women, improvements in care could have made a difference to the baby’s outcome. Similarly, 61% of Black women could have benefitted from better care for the mother. 2. 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐈𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬: Major or significant issues were found in antenatal care provision for 83% of Black women. 3. 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞: During postnatal and bereavement care, 33% of Black women faced major or significant care issues. 4. 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬: Pathology issues affected 67% of Black mothers and babies. 5. 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰-𝐔𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: At follow-up or during care reviews, 75% of Black parents had major or significant issues identified. CAHN and SoAC want to work with the NHS to address these disparities and ensure equitable and compassionate care for all women. We will be writing to the next Government with our 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 that sits behind the Black Health Manifesto, which gives a comprehensive review of health inequality for Black people in the UK and what matters to them. We invite all to read and share our statement including: The Nursing and Midwifery Council Royal College of General Practitioners The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) NHS England NHS Race & Health Observatory Health Service Journal Prof. Bola Owolabi, MRCGP MFPH(Hon), FRSPH Prof. Kevin Fenton CBE Amanda Pritchard Prof Habib Naqvi MBE The Health Foundation People's Health Trust

"Your birth team includes both your clinical team and your nonclinical support people. Your clinical team might include medical doctors, midwives, medical residents, medical students, anesthesiologists, nurses, physician’s assistants, and birth assistants, to name a few. Part of the decision about who is on your team is made when you pick a birth location—all the more reason to carefully consider location. Some of these people, like your medical doctor or midwife, you will get to select and meet with beforehand." #birthteam #obgyn #midwife #childbirtheducation

Today is International Day of the Midwife - a day to celebrate & raise awareness of midwives and what they do. I want to share a quick reflection on a story one of my midwife clients shared with me. Her practice (at full capacity) turned away over 400 patients last year 👀🤯 I didn't really think about it but while we have Free(ish) health care in Canada - you still need access. If you don't have a Midwife or OB-Gyn that actually takes you in - it's not like you can get checked out or have someone walk alongside you during your pregnancy. I heard about mothers who show up to the emergency department right about to give birth with no pre-natal care which is mindboggling to think about. I understand that there are other socio-economic factors to consider. I understand those in healthy life circumstances find ways. The stories still opened my eyes to how lucky my family is. We had access to midwifery care. We got to request the same midwives for all our children. My wife and kids had easy transitions to an OB or back to our family doctor when needed. It's clear though - not everyone get's that. So for today - International Day of the Midwife I want to say thank you to the midwives who helped our family. You all gave us such awesome experiences. We have birth stories that we look back on and value. We have healthy children, a healthy mother throughout, and we felt informed, cared for, and acknowledged. As a mostly useless dad I didn't feel judged and was able to ask all the questions my nerdy self wanted 😂. You all made me feel like I was a part of the team. Midwifery is cool. They come visit your house for the first few visits after child-birth. There is a lot of cool experiences you can have (like a home birth which we had for our second child). Bottom line - If you are a low risk pregnancy - it's worth considering. Shout out to The Hamilton Midwives who gave us such awesome experiences. Thank you to my midwife clients who continue to trust me and share their stories with me every day. Finally - one big note across all of healthcare. Healthcare is stretched these days. Burnout is more and more common. As we just learned - access isn't always the same. So - whomever your healthcare providers are: Midwife, OB-GYN, Family Doc, Specialist etc: Look them in the eye and say thank you. There's an alternate world where you don't have them. Happy International Day of the Midwife! To the midwives out there delivering babies...or walking with their patients through grief cycles when it doesn't work out... Thank you. Thank you as well for trusting me as you do. I'm honoured to play a small part in your community.

This post from the Globe and Mail highlights the importance of midwives in providing services to pregnant, birthing and postpartum people. The Alongside Midwifery Unit (AMU) in Markham Stouffville Hospital is one fantastic example of how midwives have improved health outcomes and filled important service gaps. Women and birthing people are busy and need comprehensive services, so they should not run from one location to another to find good care. Midwives are one under-utilized way that women can receive exceptional care within their home, hospital, birthing center, clinic, AMU and through access to a pager 24 hours per day, every day of the year. The Children's Health Foundation has made it possible for the Department of Midwifery at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) to innovate and find solutions to provide exceptional care to the women and people of our community. The Department has been able to create a Bilirubin Clinic, an Early Discharge Program for people to be seen at home by midwives who don't necessarily have a midwife, to change policies that directly impact women's health care and to reduce emergency room visits. This is just the beginning of what we can do in our community. Thanks to the Children's Health Foundation, midwives have found tangible solutions in London to the many barriers clients face, and health outcomes are improving for both women and children as a result! Through donations to the CHF, the Department's novel Midwifery Leadership Structure has been able to hear, create and innovate solutions that directly impact the women and families of our communities. Women's health has historically been underfunded and ignored, with only a small percentage of funding being allocated to women's issues. The CHF and LHSC have taken action to support more equitable funding for women, as we know that to save children, we have to support their mothers and birthing parents to be healthy and thrive. https://lnkd.in/gsSNqjGp