To extend the reach and impact of the PSML initiative, AHRQ has already launched two additional projects under the PSML umbrella.
The first project, the Safety Program for Perinatal Care, is working with labor and delivery units at 50 participating hospitals to implement perinatal safety interventions that were fielded and tested in two of the PSML demonstration projects. The interventions include safely managing labor-inducing medications and shoulder dystocia (when delivering the baby is difficult because the shoulder is lodged behind the mother’s pubic bone). These and other interventions are bundled in evidence-based clinical tools and resources. Together with interdisciplinary team training and in-situ simulation, the Safety Program for Perinatal Care creates a comprehensive unit-based approach for labor and delivery. Physicians, nurses, and other clinicians at the 50 participating hospitals are receiving training and technical assistance from experts, and the intention is for the 50 hospitals to participate in data collection activities that measure changes in organizational safety culture and clinical safety outcomes.
In the second project, a comprehensive disclosure and resolution program (Communication and Optimal Resolution [CANDOR]) resource toolkit is being developed and implemented in 14 participating hospitals. Informed by several of the PSML demonstration projects (including UIC, NY, and UW), each hospital can customize the toolkit based on its needs in several core areas, including: adverse event reporting, process improvement, communication and disclosure, care for the caregiver, and resolution. An intra-project evaluation is assessing the usability of the tools, as well as each hospital’s ability to implement the CANDOR process.
