Rates of both maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity continue to rise. Racial and ethnic disparities exist, and Black non-Hispanic birthing people have rates of pregnancy related mortality that are three times higher than those who are non-Hispanic white. In order to improve outcomes and eliminate disparities perinatal professionals must develop evidenced based and well-designed quality improvement initiatives which address the equitable provision of care and that are targeted at the unique quality and safety issues identified at their site.
The Maryland Patient Safety Center, under their direction of their Director of Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality, offers a yearlong Perinatal Quality and Safety fellowship. The Fellowship will help participating individuals design, implement, evaluate, and disseminate a perinatal quality improvement project aimed at improving outcomes and reducing disparities at their site.
Over the course of a year, participating individuals will attend monthly group meetings and/or individual support sessions which support them in developing and implementing a perinatal quality improvement project on their unit and fostering a quality infrastructure on their unit designed to continue to sustain for improvement after the fellowship is complete and identify opportunities for improvement in the future.
"The Perinatal Quality & Safety Fellowship from the Maryland Patient Safety Center provided an enriching opportunity to increase my knowledge in quality and safety principles and use them in real-world situations. Learning from experts helped with overcoming unforeseen challenges and has created a positive ripple effect throughout the perinatal/neonatal space. The monthly sessions gave the right size bites of the quality & safety apple which helped keep me on track and offered time to network and learn from colleagues across the state. This fellowship has not only supported my career growth but also furthered collaboration between the fellows. 10/10 highly recommend!" -Laura
"I loved being a part of the MPSC fellowship! I found it very educational and helpful to learn more about how to run a quality improvement project. The monthly educational sessions, one-on-ones with Adriane, and the ability to collaborate with others were of great benefit. I plan to continue to use all that I have learned to sustain my QI project and work on other projects at my organization. I would recommend this opportunity to anyone interested in quality improvement and patient safety." -Kara