ANMCTN’s Post

Respectful Maternal Care. Respectful and inclusive care is a key element of the provision of quality maternity care. Women who feel safe, supported, respected and able to participate in shared decision-making are likely to have more positive childbirth experiences. It is important to note that respectful maternity care is not merely the absence of mistreatment. Women value being provided with care that is respectful, inclusive and of good quality. How can maternity care be inclusive and respectful? 1.Being free from harm and mistreatment 2.Maintaining privacy and confidentiality 3.Preserving women’s dignity 4.Prospective provision of information and seeking informed consent 5.Ensuring continuous access to family and community support 6.Enhancing quality of physical environment and resources 7.Providing equitable maternity care 8.Engaging with effective communication 9.Respecting women’s choices that strengthens their capabilities to give birth 10.Availability of competent and motivated human resources 11.Provision of efficient and effective care 12.Continuity of care

Our latest national report on maternity care access in the United States reveals a stark reality; where you live matters when it comes to the options available for maternity care. While some progress has been made to increase access to care, such as expanding and extending Medicaid, we continue to witness steady reports of obstetric unit closures and workforce shortages. In fact, 1 in every 25 obstetric units in the US shuttered their doors in the last 2 years, resulting in fewer choices, increased stress, and greater travel times for birthing people. The 2024 Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts in the US report reveals that over 35% of counties are considered maternity care deserts. This means that in 1,104 US counties, there is not a single birthing facility or obstetric clinician. These counties are home to over 2.3 million women of reproductive age and are the resident county of women who gave birth to over 150,000 babies in 2022. Learn about access to maternity care where you live, and how you can take action to help all families get access to care: https://lnkd.in/gJ-hnEkn

The American #maternalhealth crisis is multifactorial and complex. However, access to care is an absolute necessity to start the improvement process. Today we released our latest #maternity care desert report detailing not just where hospitals, birth centers and providers are lacking, but the impact on patients, such as: ➡ inadequate #prenatal care ➡ longer distances to delivery hospitals ➡ higher likelihood of #pretermbirth I'm proud to be part of this organization as we leverage advocacy, programming, strategic investment and research to make change. Things can and should be better for families as they navigate the #pregnancy --> #postpartum --> #newborn experience.

In South Dakota, families travel long distances to a maternity centers inorder to birth their babies. Leveraging technology and resources can create efficiencies to help support health care providers and patients. However, policy and payment lag and are barriers to implementing these changes. At the Avera Research Institute, we are engineering and studying the best way to provide safe and joyful maternal health care, and then working with policy makers and payers to create sustainable change. Thanks March of Dimes—for shining a light on rural maternal health. #maternity care. #maternalhealth. https://lnkd.in/gwkd_ZBn

Where you live matters. Where you deliver matters.

The rights of women should never be overlooked nor forgotten, especially when it comes to maternity care. On #IWD2024 take a few moments to read The Respectful Maternity Care Charter which addresses the issue of disrespect and abuse toward women and newborns who are utilizing maternal and newborn care services and provides a platform for improvement. https://ow.ly/mJPp50QOqtX

So important to see employers stepping into this space with meaningful metrics and action.

The 2024 March of Dimes report on maternity care deserts in the United States reveals a concerning situation regarding access to maternal healthcare. Thank you for this crucial work. Here are the key findings and implications: Prevalence of Maternity Care Deserts Over 35% of U.S. counties are classified as maternity care deserts. These counties lack any birthing facilities or obstetric clinicians. Approximately 2.3 million women of reproductive age live in these areas. Poorer pre-pregnancy health; Less prenatal care Women in maternity care deserts face a 13% higher risk of preterm birth. Healthcare Provider Shortages Over 1 in 3 U.S. counties lack a single obstetric clinician. Many regions are seeing OB-GYNs and family physicians who deliver babies leaving the workforce. 23 states have policies restricting midwives from providing full-scope care. 70% of birth centers in the U.S. are concentrated in just 10 states. This report underscores the urgent need for comprehensive reforms to improve maternal and infant health outcomes across the United States, particularly in underserved areas. HeraMED Limited is working with our healthcare partners to bring customised pregnancy and post-partum care to moms in the US and continuing to collaborate with our partners to reduce and remove barriers to access care. #maternalcare #maternitydesert #access #SDOH #rpm

Today at our ‘Multiple Births Study Day’ for healthcare professionals, we launched ‘NICE works II: Transforming Maternity Care for Multiples’. This report builds on Twins Trust’s original ‘NICE Works’ report (2019), which highlighted that maternity units provide better, safer care for multiple pregnancies when following NICE guidelines. Twins Trust Maternity Engagement Project supports maternity units across the UK to improve the outcomes for twin and other multiple pregnancies. 92% (35 out of 36) maternity units who took part in the charity’s programme improved their adherence to NICE Guideline 137 (NG137) and NICE Quality Standard 46 (QS46). Adherence to these is shown to improve outcomes for multiple birth pregnancies. To find out more, please to go: https://buff.ly/49Pw3tQ

The #maternitycare system in the U.S. is failing to deliver the kind of accessible, high-quality, affordable care that mothers and babies need, and one of the many unfortunate results of that is an unacceptably high level of maternal mortality and morbidity. A growing number of rural communities no longer have maternity care at all. A major reason for these problems is the inadequate payments and problematic payment systems used by health insurance plans (both commercial insurance plans and Medicaid plans) to pay for prenatal care, childbirth, and postpartum care services. Kudos to the Purchaser Business Group on Health (PBGH) for demanding that payers make the changes in payment systems that are needed to ensure that every mother in every community can get the kind of high-quality maternity care they want and need. Employers pay for half of the births in the country through their employee insurance plans, and they also pay for a large portion of the other half of births through their taxes, so they have a right to expect that health plans will spend those dollars more effectively than they do today. The new Comprehensive Maternity Care Common Purchasing Agreement (https://lnkd.in/e2PhCcSk) developed by PBGH describes in detail the elements needed for an effective maternity care payment system. Every employer, large and small, in every community in the country should refuse to do business with any health insurance company that fails to implement these standards. Every state Medicaid program should also implement the standards directly and/or through their contracted managed care organizations. Commendations to Elizabeth Mitchell, Lisa Woods, Nancy Jester, Melissa Real, CCP, PHR, Randa Deaton, and Logan Waterman, MPH for their leadership and effort to bring this to fruition.