Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration During Emergent Birth Center Transfers: A Quality Improvement Project.

Abstract

Midwifery care in the birth center setting has proven to be a safe and ideal option for some low-risk women. Although rare, perinatal complications that require emergent transfer to a higher level of care can occur in community birth settings. Optimal perinatal outcomes during emergent transfers depend on excellent interprofessional communication and collaboration. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement interprofessional emergent birth center transfer mock drills in order to improve communication and collaboration among birth center midwives, local paramedics, and receiving hospital staff during emergent birth center transfers. Birth center midwives and hospital staff provided education sessions on perinatal emergencies and the scope of practice for midwives for local paramedics. Paramedics' knowledge level was assessed with pretests and posttests, before and after the education sessions, respectively. An interprofessional, collaborative mock drill was then organized and included birth center, paramedic, and hospital staff. All participants received a questionnaire after the drill. Mean test scores after paramedic education sessions increased by 43.5% (n = 95, P <.001). The Likert-type scale questionnaire given to mock drill participants after drill completion revealed that 97% indicated probable support for the sustainability of future mock drills in the birth center setting (n = 10). Health care providers can help improve perinatal outcomes during emergent transfers from the community setting by having clearly outlined guidelines and procedures and communicating efficiently with interprofessional members of the health care team. Both interprofessional education sessions and collaborative mock drills are effective methods to increase knowledge of perinatal emergencies, thus improving interprofessional communication and collaboration during emergent birth center transfers.