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Upcoming important dates, next steps for the SIVB Initiative...

(The Support for Birth initiative's weekly email newsletter comes out every Tuesday.  As a reminder, it is your job as key contact to share relevant information with other team members at your hospital.)

 
August 9, 2011
July data is due this week!
 

data entryThank you to the many teams who have already submitted July data.  If yours is not complete, please make every effort to get it in this week.  If you will not be able to do that, contact Jessica to let her know when your data will entered.
 
Several hospitals are experiencing a downward trend in the c-section rate among their NTSV patients.  Here's an example from a hospital that has noted its overall primary c-section rate is dropping faster than the NTSV rate:


"Our primary c-section rate has been falling like a rock for the last three months.  It is falling faster than our Nulliparus rate and I feel sure the SIVB program has spilled over to our other patients as well. Just to make sure I was not celebrating numbers that were causing other problems, I checked with our Neonatologists and NFNP and asked if they were seeing an increase in problems that could be attributed to a falling CS rate and they all said absolutely not."
 
One of the reasons we are collecting data on maternal and neonatal complications is to ensure we have "balancing" measures that would capture any unintended negative consequences of a decrease in the NTSV c-section rate. We have not noted an increase in maternal or neonatal complications in recent months' data. Keep up the good work!   

 

Oxytocin Safety Considerations
 
newsLast week I shared a Cochrane Review that suggested oxytocin use was not associated with a reduction in the c-section rate among women with slow progress in the first stage of labor.  Another paper related to oxytocin use for induction and augmentation of labor, published in Nursing for Women's Health earlier this year, was written by Nancy Pearson, the nurse champion of Forsyth Medical Center's SIVB team.  Her paper addresses the importance of maintaining a focus on patient safety when using oxytocin, a "high-alert" medication, and includes case studies. Click here to review a copy of this article.


 

Childbirth Connection Resources for Patient Safety in Maternity Settings
 
information   "Patient Safety Day" recently passed on July 25.  In honor of this not-yet-recognized national holiday, Childbirth Connection created a webpage that provides access to its many patient safety resources related to maternal and neonatal care.  Click here to go to the Childbirth Connection patient safety resources page.


 

Contact Kate

Kate Berrien
Kate Berrien, RN, BSN, MS
UNC Center for Maternal & Infant Health
CB# 7181
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
 [email protected]
Phone: 919-843-9336 Fax: 919-843-7866
 


KMC