Emergency Departments are Part of the Maternal Health Solution: Findings from Piloting an Educational Toolkit in Illinois
Emergency Departments are Part of the Maternal Health Solution: Findings from Piloting an Educational Toolkit in Illinois Heading link
As birthing and non-birthing hospitals in Illinois and across the United States shutter their doors, the emergency department is often the only place pregnant and postpartum individuals can receive care.1,2
We are excited to announce the publication of the results of the Maternal Health Emergency Department Toolkit training pilot program. The Maternal Health Emergency Department Toolkit is a free evidence-based online training course designed to provide essential information to support the delivery of high-quality care for pregnant and postpartum patients.
The pilot program found meaningful improvements in practice at the pilot hospital emergency departments regardless of the presence of an obstetrics unit or geographic location. Key findings included:
- Medical record documentation of pregnancy or postpartum status increased from 56.4% to 83.4%
- Screening pregnant and postpartum patients for mental health or SUD rose from 52.2% to 69.6%
- Communication between an ED and an OB or maternal fetal medicine (MFM) provider increased from 30.1% to 56.4%
Read more about the results of the pilot program in the publication.
Do you work at an Illinois emergency department? We are actively offering the training to all emergency departments in Illinois. Email us to get started: crwg@uic.edu
Are you outside of Illinois and interested in utilizing this training? This training is free and available to the public – fill out this form to request access.
This training was brough to you by the University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine Center for Research on Women and Gender, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois regional Administrative Perinatal Centers.
References
- Declercq ER, Liu C, Cabral HJ, Amutah-Onukagha N, Diop H, Mehta PK. Emergency care use during pregnancy and severe maternal morbidity. JAMA Network Open. 2024;7(10):e2439939.
- March of Dimes. Where you live matters: Maternity care deserts and the crisis of access and equity. March of Dimes. 2023.