Washington, D.C. - The Premier healthcare alliance has announced a 21-month national collaborative designed to achieve the consistent delivery of evidence-based care with the goal of eliminating preventable birth-related injuries and deaths.

The Premier Perinatal Safety Initiative is comprised of 16 of the country's leading hospitals, representing 12 states, in which approximately 115,000 babies will be delivered over the course of the collaborative. The initiative seeks to significantly lower the incidence of certain infrequent though serious injuries that could result in birth asphyxia or permanent neurologic disability.

"Infants in the United States experience close to three birth injuries for every 1,000 births, many of which are preventable, and the U.S. ranks near the bottom of industrialized nations in infant mortality," said Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., co-founder and co-chair, Congressional Caucus on Infant Health and Safety. "We are hopeful that this study will help identify best practices and help share them across all hospitals so as to reduce harm to infants and mothers."
Leveraging knowledge gained from similar initiatives, including a Premier/Institute for Healthcare Improvement collaboration, the participating hospitals aim to improve their culture of safety, increase teamwork and improve communications among team members. The initiative will also evaluate cost savings through supply chain improvements and the reduction of adverse events. As part of the initiative, Premier has established an advisory committee to garner guidance in undertaking the program and to ensure transparency.

"I applaud this effort's goal to eliminate preventable birth injuries by implementing evidence-based guidance for providing the highest quality perinatal care," said Congresswoman Lois Capps, D-Calif., co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Infant Health and Safety. "Even one birth injury creates significant emotional trauma and costs everyone involved."

Evidence-based "care bundles"
Currently, there are five recurring clinical issues that are commonly cited as being responsible for the majority of perinatal harm and associated costs and obstetrical professional liability. These issues include failure to recognize an infant in distress; failure to initiate a timely cesarean birth; failure to properly resuscitate a depressed baby; inappropriate use of labor-inducing drugs; and inappropriate use of vacuum or forceps.

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