Dartmouth Health’s Cheshire Medical Center officially implemented TeamBirth, a patient-centered care model that supports open communication among patients, their support people, and clinicians during childbirth.
Developed by Ariadne Labs, the TeamBirth model empowers patients to take an active role in their care throughout their stay for labor, delivery and recovery. A Joint Commission study found that failures in communication between providers and patients account for up to 90% of preventable injuries during childbirth. This coincides with a rising U.S. maternal mortality rate in recent decades: women giving birth today are 50% more likely to die during childbirth than their own mothers, with these rates being at least three times higher among Black and Indigenous women.
“You should be in the center of your care. And when we practice TeamBirth, what that means is discussions about you happen with you,” said Brandi Ring, MD, MBA, Cheshire’s Chair of Obstetrics & Gynecology. “At Cheshire Medical Center, one of the most important things we can do is make sure we know and follow your preferences while still keeping you and your baby safe.”
All Dartmouth Health members with labor and delivery services will be implementing TeamBirth, joining nearly 300 other hospitals and birth facilities nationwide who have adopted this model. In one trial of the care model, 90% of clinicians said they would recommend TeamBirth, and 96% of patients said their preferences made a difference in the care they received.
“We have all been working hard for months preparing for TeamBirth,” said Jennifer Osborne, BSN, RNC, OB, C-EFM, clinical nurse educator and perinatal safety nurse in Cheshire’s Women’s and Children’s Health Unit. “I feel so fortunate that Cheshire Medical Center is able to lead the way as one of the first hospitals in NH to implement this great program.”
Learn more about TeamBirth at ariadnelabs.org/delivery-decisions-initiative/teambirth