Cheryl Martin (Host): Here at Capital Health, we strive to ensure that every family feels empowered and informed during every step of the childbirth experience. TeamBirth helps us achieve these goals. Here to explain this approach is Heather Piche, a perinatal safety coordinator and childbirth education coordinator Krista Gervon. This is the Health Headlines podcast series from Capital Health. I'm Cheryl Martin. Heather and Krista, thanks for coming on.

Krista Gervon, CD, CCE: Hi. Thanks for having us.

Heather Piche, MSN, RN, C-ONQS, C-EFM: Thank you.

Cheryl Martin (Host): First. For those who might not be familiar, Heather, what is TeamBirth?

Heather Piche, MSN, RN, C-ONQS, C-EFM: So for anyone who hasn't heard of it, TeamBirth is a process focused on communication, teamwork, and shared decision-making between the patient, the clinical team, and identified support people. It incorporates structured huddles throughout the delivery stay and shared planning tools to help elicit preferences, elevate the voices of everyone on the care team and drive equitable care for all birthing people.

Host: Krista, what are the key principles or goals of the TeamBirth approach?

Krista Gervon, CD, CCE: So as Heather said, TeamBirth is a patient-centered approach to maternity care, and the key principles are really transparent communication, teamwork, and shared decision-making between the entire care team and the patient in order to promote a dignified childbirth experience. And ultimately, our goal with implementing TeamBirth is to ensure that every patient feels supported and respected in their choices and ultimately has a safe delivery.

Host: So Heather, why is TeamBirth so important, and then what potential problems does it help to solve?

Heather Piche, MSN, RN, C-ONQS, C-EFM: TeamBirth is important because at its core it's meant to bring collaboration, respectful care and shared decision-making. We want patients to feel safe and have dignified births and have every member of the care team feel their voice is heard. In any healthcare setting, communication is key. A TeamBirth huddle brings your patient support person, doula, lactation consultant, provider, a nurse, whomever, is important to that care team together at one time to discuss the plan of care and give an opportunity to have anyone ask questions and help identify next steps for that patient.

Host: Krista, give us some examples of how TeamBirth has been implemented at Capital Health.

Krista Gervon, CD, CCE: Sure. So I work more on the outpatient side, so while they're still taking our classes and attending our events. So we utilize our TeamBirth tools such as the Admission Guide, our Labor Support Guide, and the assisted delivery guide on our website so that people are aware of TeamBirth prior to admission.

We also have it available on our new maternity app that, we'll be rolling out in the next few weeks to months. And they're also distributed at our preparing for labor and birth classes. We really want to make an effort to introduce TeamBirth again, like I said, prior to admission, so that patients are aware of what TeamBirth is, and more importantly, to become educated on what their options are during labor and delivery.

These tools also serve as points where a huddle can be requested, as Heather mentioned in her last question. So that will help the patient through their choices, and become comfortable with the care plan or any changes to the care plan. We also use TeamBirth tools, at events, as I said. So at our community baby shower, we let the community know that we really prioritize a patient-centered approach to their care, so that they can feel supported throughout that process.

Host: Heather, anything you wanted to add on that?

Heather Piche, MSN, RN, C-ONQS, C-EFM: Yeah, so on the inpatient side, TeamBirth has been implemented over the past year through a lot of education. We have champions from many disciplines in the hospital. We had lunch events and half birthday events, and really just ongoing encouragement to work to engrain TeamBirth huddles into our culture. Labor and delivery and the mother baby unit had custom whiteboards made for each room that are available in the three languages most preferred by our birthing people. These whiteboards are made to reflect the core components of TeamBirth, identifying the entire care team, which includes the patient, support persons, doulas, clinicians, it incorporates patient preferences, the plan of care for both the birthing person and the baby, and the plan for the next huddle.

Host: Now Heather, is TeamBirth something that's widely used by hospitals around the country?

Heather Piche, MSN, RN, C-ONQS, C-EFM: So TeamBirth is still a relatively new concept. It was piloted in 2018, 2019, so it's not widely used, but it has been expanding, especially in New Jersey.

Host: Now since adopting this approach, do you believe it's had a positive impact on the childbirth experience for patients, families, and their care teams?

Heather Piche, MSN, RN, C-ONQS, C-EFM: We do feel that adopting TeamBirth has had a positive impact on the childbirth experience. We feel, for both the patients, the families, and their care teams. There's been some data collection around patient experience, autonomy and decision-making and staff perception with TeamBirth. We're able to look at these surveys and see where it's making a positive impact and where we can work to improve, but it definitely feels like we are on the right track.

Krista Gervon, CD, CCE: And I'll just mention just as some feedback from our childbirth education classes that I feel like there's still a little bit of uncertainty around the concept, especially for parents expecting their first child. But by accompanying the concepts of TeamBirth with classes like our new Preparing with Confidence, which is a birth preferences preparation class, expectant parents can become more familiar with their options during labor delivery and postpartum. And then when they become a patient, it's not so foreign to them. They'll remember that from the classes. It's sort of a proactive encouragement and empowerment way to help promote open communication between them, and their care team, both prenatally and then during their labor process.

Host: And I'd like both of you to answer this question. Why would you recommend Capital Health as the best place to deliver a baby for parents in the region? Krista.

Krista Gervon, CD, CCE: Well, I can say I know that we have an expansive team of healthcare providers, nurses, international board-certified lactation consultants who prioritize both care for our mothers and babies alike. And I will also say that on the prenatal side for education purposes, our childbirth education instructors are all certified and most of them are also doulas.

So you are getting comprehensive support from the point of early pregnancy throughout the pregnancy and into labor and delivery when you get your care and education through Capital Health.

Cheryl Martin (Host): Heather.

Heather Piche, MSN, RN, C-ONQS, C-EFM: Implementing TeamBirth is just one example of the way the maternal child health staff at Capital are willing to make meaningful change to elevate the standard of care. We do offer comprehensive services for both the birthing person and baby, but we also have an incredible team that cares really deeply about their patients and really takes pride in the care they deliver.

Host: Krista Gervon and Heather Pache, thanks for explaining the TeamBirth approach and it's benefits. Glad you're on today. Thank you.

Krista Gervon, CD, CCE: Thank you so much for having us.

Host: For more information about Capital Health's maternity services, visit capitalhealth.org/maternity. If you found this podcast helpful, please tell other's about it and share it on your social media, and be sure to check out our entire podcast library for other topics of interest to you. Thanks for listening to the Health Headlines podcast series from Capital Health.