Capital Health recently announced its launch of TeamBirth, a national, evidence-based model designed to enhance team communication and shared decision making.
Announced at Capital Health’s biannual community baby shower in Trenton, TeamBirth works to ensure that every patient feels heard and informed during their birthing experience and receives the same quality treatment. At its core, TeamBirth is a communication model that brings patients, their support people, and their care team together in huddles at regular intervals. During these huddles, the team discusses changes in the patient’s status, addresses questions or concerns, and discusses care plans. TeamBirth is being implemented at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell in partnership with the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute and Ariadne Labs.
“The goal of TeamBirth is to encourage shared decision-making between patients and their health care team,” said Alexandra Nelson, director of the Maternal and Infant Service Line at Capital Health. “This approach connects expectant mothers and their support people with clinicians, nurses, lactation consultants—everyone who is part of the care team—to establish consistent lines of communication. Through these important connections, patients can express their personal preferences so clinicians can get their growing families off to the safest start possible while elevating the patient’s voice.”
During TeamBirth huddles, patients participate in planning and managing care for themselves and their baby, from admission through discharge. TeamBirth is proven to enhance the focus on patient-centered, respectful, and equitable care for all. Health care systems that have already implemented TeamBirth have reported positive impacts on patient satisfaction, clinician satisfaction, and success in addressing health inequities.
Capital Health’s Community Baby Shower, where the launch was announced, is a free community event for women who are pregnant or recently delivered (infants up to three months old) and their support person. Staff from Capital Health offer blood pressure screenings, CPR instruction, giveaways, and information tables from Capital Health Maternity Services, Childbirth Education, and Pediatric Emergency Services. Other Trenton-based community organizations also attend to share information, with lunch provided by the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen food truck along with additional food distributed by Capital Health’s Mobile Food Pantry with Arm in Arm.
Maternity Services at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell makes up the most complete maternity facility in the area. From routine deliveries to high-risk needs, staff at the Josephine Plumeri Birthing Center at Capital Health Medical Center - Hopewell provide a full range of prenatal, obstetrical, postpartum, and neonatal care options so newborns have the greatest chance for a healthy start. The designated Regional Perinatal Center provides neonatal care, including Mercer County's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for at-risk births. To learn more, visit capitalhealth.org/maternity.