Saint Agnes Hospital has opened patient participation in a new study to evaluate best practices intended to ensure mothers and their newborns are safe during the delivery process.

03/02/2011

The Excellence in Obstetrics project is designed to determine whether and how birth complications can be reduced or eliminated altogether.

The project is made possible by a $2.9 million grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) awarded to Ascension Health, the nation’s largest Catholic and nonprofit healthcare system, of which Saint Agnes Hospital is a member. Ascension Health will also supply funding, and Saint Agnes Hospital is one of only five facilities in the country participating in the Ascension Health project.

“We are encouraging all mothers-to-be who come to Saint Agnes Hospital to participate in this ground-breaking study. We believe the Excellence in Obstetrics project will help protect mothers and their babies by improving safety in the birthing process,” said Raymond Cox, M.D., Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “The things we learn from this project will help hospitals around the country learn how to best improve care for mothers and newborns.”

The project involves the review and analysis of information from medical records. With the patient’s permission, Saint Agnes Hospital will collect information from patients’ medical charts about delivery. This will be used to learn how Saint Agnes Hospital can make it safer when women have babies. The information could also be used to change the way the hospital takes care of patients during labor and delivery.

Mothers who participate in the study will not be subject to any additional medical tests or treatment outside of the routine birth process. Participation is entirely voluntary, and the names of patients and their babies will be kept confidential in accordance with federal and state privacy laws. Patients will not be treated any differently if they choose not to participate in the project.

“This project is a great way for moms to help each other and future infants without having to do anything more than let us review and examine their medical chart,” said Dr. Cox. “We want to make sure as many patients as possible are aware of the good they can do.”

For more information about participation in the study, mothers and their families can visit: www.stagnes.org.

The other four Ascension Health Ministries that will participate in the study are: Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast (Miramar Beach, Fla.), St. Vincent’s Birmingham (Birmingham, Ala.), St. John Hospital and Medical Center (Detroit, Mich.), and Columbia St. Mary’s (Milwaukee, Wis.).