Introduction
High-risk pregnancy care is an area of great attention because of the potential danger of specific conditions for pregnant women’ and newborns’ health and even lives. Great Western Hospital is a large community institution that operates based on England’s health care system and provides emergency, surgical, pediatric, maternity, outpatient, and community-based services. This work will examine the difficulty of high-risk pregnancy care providing and Great Western Hospital’s approaches to managing this issue.
Evaluation of Issue and Related Difficulties
High-risk pregnancies are classified so because of specific factors that influence them. Such pregnancies include multiple ones and those involving women with a pre-existing condition that complicate the issue and make it more dangerous and potentially harmful (Porter, Stanton, & Takvorian, 2013, p.4). For instance, these factors are obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, mental health conditions, poor previous obstetric outcomes, preeclampsia, growth restriction in utero (Porter et al., 2013, p.4). Moreover, with respect to multiple pregnancies, risks of premature birth and growth retardation during gestation shall be considered (Porter et al., 2013). The additional difficulty is that many pregnant women have more than one risk factor that negatively influences them (Porter et al., 2013). The system of care is intended to manage complicators of pregnancy, provide appropriate care for mothers after birth, monitor aspects of a newborns’ well-being, and lower risks for the health and lives of patients. The outlined factors that make high-risk pregnancies difficult shall be appropriately evaluated and handled to ensure the safety of mothers and their babies.
Evaluation of Solutions, Approaches, Outcomes, and Future Opportunities
The mentioned above risks are considered in Great Western Hospital’s approach for pregnancy care. The outdated high-risk pregnancy care model was replaced with the new one, which includes several interventions and improvements. The basis of the approach is the switch from “opinion-based practices” to “evidence-based” ones (Porter et al., 2013, p. 7). The reorganization of the structure of the hospital’s maternity clinics was conducted to cover all groups of risk factors with 11 specialized clinics instead of 16 consultant-based ones (Porter et al., 2013, p. 7). The system of referencing patients to the most appropriate clinic was established based on the previous practice for identifying high-risk pregnancies.
The process of coordinating the care process was adjusted in the view of changes to ensure the correct conducting of appointments and tests. According to Porter et al. (2013), the system of detailed clinical care pathways was established, and core teams’ work became complemented with “a network of senior physicians from other specialities” (p. 7). It enables the management of all potential related challenges even if they do not concern pregnancy directly. Simultaneously, it also allows referring patients to affiliated specialists without delays what would occur without such an approach. Monthly meetings of the entire high-risk pregnancy care team are conducted to discuss the outcomes and complex cases and identify areas that shall be improved in future. Results of the new model are great satisfaction of patients, cost savings, a 16% reduction in early inductions, and a reduction in the average length of admission by 0.8 days (Porter et al., 2013, p. 9). Therefore, the new model was significantly improved in comparison to the previous one and vital changes were implemented.
Conclusion
High-risk pregnancy care is an area of great concern, as many factors may negatively influence the lives and health of mothers and their newborn children. To successfully manage all the risks, Great Western Hospital was established a new model with improved approaches to care, which include changes in the structure of the hospital, working of a team, and system of referring to specialized clinics. It is possible to conclude that the new attitude significantly improved the quality of care, as the outcomes are positive.
Reference
Porter, M. E., Stanton, E., & Takvorian, S. (2013). Great Western Hospital: High-risk pregnancy care. Harvard Business Review. Web.