HealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
View All ProductsHealthStream works with healthcare organizations to create engaging and high-quality training videos for your staff and management.
View All ProductsImprove care quality and save money by making informed decisions about your healthcare facility and staff with HealthStream's reporting analytics solution.
View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsThe leadership development program from HealthStream helps mold your high-potential healthcare employees into proven leaders.
View All ProductsFulfill compliance requirements with a variety of programs and courseware designed to address critical regulatory requirements as well as educate staff to recognize and mitigate risks.
View All ProductsBy increasing your healthcare staff's focus on quality and safety with HealthStream, they can help to reduce medical errors and readmission rates.
View All ProductsLearn about what HealthStream's healthcare policy management software and how it can help aid your organization efforts.
View All ProductsHealthStream's education helps address diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization, as well as promoting health equity in the communities you serve.
View All ProductsDeliver custom or industry designed product training directly to patient and resident care environments to reinforce proper use.
View All ProductsTeach your healthcare staff about the revenue cycle and claim management through targeted training and video tools from HealthStream.
View All ProductsIn all areas of resuscitation, from neonatal to elderly care, clinical deterioration is a risk that can be avoided with the help of HealthStream's training programs.
View All ProductsHealthStream's EMS Program offers a comprehensive, CAPCE accredited EMS course library that meets National Registry annual recertification.
View All ProductsNurture the skills of your nurses and medical staff to help mold them into effective leaders with development training from HealthStream.
View All ProductsMake sure your clinicians have the support they need to provide competent care with clinical competency training and development from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All ProductsThe suite of healthcare onboarding solutions available from HealthStream aids in nurse retention and improved patient outcomes.
View All ProductsGive your healthcare staff the decision support and skills training they need with the online products available from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream leverages medical professional development in healthcare by providing staff training programs
View All ProductsExperience standardized and centralized healthcare credentialing, privileging, and enrollment that is smarter and faster than ever before.
View All ProductsAutomated, web-based provider credentialing and enrollment software for growing medical groups.
View All ProductsNCQA-certified CVO verification services for initial and re-credentialing files in an overflow or full-service capacity for healthcare organizations.
View All ProductsSearch, review, and add providers into the Epic provider master file with our Epic app integration, Provider Validate.
View All ProductsFinally, a comprehensive resource to support collecting, storing, and sharing credentialing data with ease.
View All ProductsHealthcare scheduling software designed to optimize staffing requirements & elevate patient care
View All ProductsPrecisely align staffing and needed resources to enable efficient patient flow and high-quality, cost-effective patient care.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s free nurse schedule app, NurseGrid™, is built to help you care for your staff and engage with their specific needs.
View All ProductsMitigate risk and elevate your quality of care. Improving both clinical and business outcomes starts with a smarter, more integrated approach to regulatory training, continuing education and quality management.
Learn MoreThis blog post is taken from a recent Webinar featuring Dr. Tamika Auguste, Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology Simulation, MedStar Health, and Jeanne Mahoney, Senior Director of The College’s Provider’s Partnership, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
Why is it important to focus on OB risk reduction education? Our problem is maternal mortality here in the United States. Our maternal mortality rate in 2007 was 12.7 and by 2013 had increased to 22.0. By 2010, the U.S. was ranked 50th among 59 developed countries according to WHO and then by 2013 the Lancet estimated that our maternal mortality rate was as high as 18.5 per 100,000, thus dropping us to 60th in the world. And when we take a closer look not only in the United States, but across the world as to what is contributing to the problem of maternal mortality, the leading preventable causes of maternal death and severe morbidity are obstetrical hemorrhage and preeclampsia. So where are the problems coming from—how are these numbers increasing?
Some investigators have pointed to the recent improvements in identification of maternal deaths and the collection of maternal death data, where others point to significant changes in population characteristics of pregnant women that make them more at risk for morbidity and mortality. And yet there's also a fraction of investigators who acknowledge that, yes there are administrative and population characteristic changes, but while they account for only some of the increase, a significant portion of the increase may be due to clinical factors under the control of a healthcare system. That's more of a reflection on the quality of care that a healthcare system may deliver. So what can we do? Continuing our maternal mortality reviews, researching and finding the primary causes of death, and sharing that data. That's the only way that we're really going to learn.
We also want to continue with our quality improvement initiatives that increase awareness. Though on a local level it may seem a small change, but often times these small changes can lead to larger change. We also want to continue to develop and utilize bundles and tool kits for education that come from organizations like AIM, the Council for Patient Safety in Women’s Health Care, CMQCC, AWHONN, SMSN, etc.
Focus on Education
The focus should be on education. To help with our maternal mortality rate, we need to improve communication and our critical thinking. Communication breakdown is the number one cause in 73% of perinatal sentinel events. When we are developing education around communication we have to focus on the tools that we have and how we deliver education around them. We need education that allows people to set the stage when they're in a tough case. Allow learners to feel confident if they see something to say something, and to go ahead and ask questions. We're talking about shared decision making—we have to allow our healthcare team and patients to discuss evidence-based options, consequences of these options, and the other ones available, and to make a decision together. It allows patients to have his or her opinions and values heard and respected by the whole healthcare team. And it's important to realize that each member of the healthcare team has an equal contribution to the decision-making process and the outcome.
We also need to be able to teach structured communication, this is what we know of specifically things like ASPAR. Its utilization needs to be improved. When you think about effective assertion, this is where we have to allow our learners to speak up and state the information they need with appropriate persistence until there's a clear resolution. We need to focus on the use of critical language, key phrases that are understood by all to mean, “Stop and listen to me, we have a potential problem here!” We also have to be able to teach our learners situational awareness. This allows us to recognize all the events that are going on around us, and to act correctly when things proceed as planned and react appropriately when they don't. It's important to realize that situational awareness is shared by the whole entire team. So what is the education that has to happen around these?
Strengthen Communication and Critical Thinking
Communication and critical thinking is where we're going in the future. What is the definition of critical thinking? The objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form judgement. When you have the belief, action, conceptualizing, and judgment involved in the concept that we have to teach, that is difficult. Critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking.
There's a theme of communication across all the topics, in addition to specific modules on communication and disclosure. Why? Because we know how important communication is, and all the modules truly encourage critical thinking. It helps learners to truly get the most out of the education. And one of our greatest educators said, "If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever, use a pile driver. Hit the point once, then come back and hit it again, and then hit it a third time, a tremendous whack!”
So when you think of critical thinking, it's no longer solely task-specific focused education. It's not just shoulder dystocia, breech delivery, vacuum, or forceps, but encompasses decision making. What do you do with category two tracings? What if you have prolonged stage two labor? And then it also speaks to that inner voice in us about failure to speak up. This is a significant problem in the world of safety and often due to hierarchy and intimidation. Critical thinking is a combination of those specific paths and communication and that's where we are today and what we have to teach, that's our challenge.
HealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All Learning & PerformanceHealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
View All ProductsHealthStream works with healthcare organizations to create engaging and high-quality training videos for your staff and management.
View All ProductsImprove care quality and save money by making informed decisions about your healthcare facility and staff with HealthStream's reporting analytics solution.
View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsThe leadership development program from HealthStream helps mold your high-potential healthcare employees into proven leaders.
View All ProductsWhen you enact HealthStream's quality compliance solutions, you can do so with the confidence your healthcare organization will meet all standards of care.
View All Quality & ComplianceFulfill compliance requirements with a variety of programs and courseware designed to address critical regulatory requirements as well as educate staff to recognize and mitigate risks.
View All ProductsBy increasing your healthcare staff's focus on quality and safety with HealthStream, they can help to reduce medical errors and readmission rates.
View All ProductsLearn about what HealthStream's healthcare policy management software and how it can help aid your organization efforts.
View All ProductsHealthStream's education helps address diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization, as well as promoting health equity in the communities you serve.
View All ProductsHealthStream offers professional training and education on how to best optimize your reimbursement process within your healthcare organization.
View All ReimbursementTeach your healthcare staff about the revenue cycle and claim management through targeted training and video tools from HealthStream.
View All ProductsLearn about our advanced resuscitation training solutions. Our solutions are designed to help improve patient outcomes.
View All ResuscitationIn all areas of resuscitation, from neonatal to elderly care, clinical deterioration is a risk that can be avoided with the help of HealthStream's training programs.
View All ProductsHealthStream's EMS Program offers a comprehensive, CAPCE accredited EMS course library that meets National Registry annual recertification.
View All ProductsNurture the skills of your nurses and medical staff to help mold them into effective leaders with development training from HealthStream.
View All ProductsExpand the decision-making skills and effectiveness of your healthcare workforce with HealthStream's clinical development programs and services.
View All Clinical DevelopmentMake sure your clinicians have the support they need to provide competent care with clinical competency training and development from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All ProductsThe suite of healthcare onboarding solutions available from HealthStream aids in nurse retention and improved patient outcomes.
View All ProductsGive your healthcare staff the decision support and skills training they need with the online products available from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream leverages medical professional development in healthcare by providing staff training programs
View All ProductsLearn more about HealthStream's Provider Credentialing, privileging, & enrollment solutions.
View All CredentialingExperience standardized and centralized healthcare credentialing, privileging, and enrollment that is smarter and faster than ever before.
View All ProductsAutomated, web-based provider credentialing and enrollment software for growing medical groups.
View All ProductsNCQA-certified CVO verification services for initial and re-credentialing files in an overflow or full-service capacity for healthcare organizations.
View All ProductsSearch, review, and add providers into the Epic provider master file with our Epic app integration, Provider Validate.
View All ProductsMake sure your healthcare staff can schedule out appointments and work schedules with ease using HealthStream's line of software solutions.
View All SchedulingHealthcare scheduling software designed to optimize staffing requirements & elevate patient care
View All ProductsPrecisely align staffing and needed resources to enable efficient patient flow and high-quality, cost-effective patient care.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s free nurse schedule app, NurseGrid™, is built to help you care for your staff and engage with their specific needs.
View All Products