MHA Keystone: OB focuses on eliminating preventable harm to mothers giving birth and their newborn babies in Michigan hospitals. The collaborative integrates evidence-based clinical and science-of-safety interventions that, together, support a culture of safety to prevent harmful outcomes. Strategies are incorporated to prevent fetal and maternal harm due to complications of labor induction and management of the second stage of labor. The collaborative aims to reduce the number of birth injuries from the current estimate of three injuries for every 1,000 births in the United States, and aligns with Gov. Rick Snyder’s “dashboard” priority to reduce infant mortality.

The interventions for MHA Keystone: OB include a CUSP for improving patient safety through attitudes and practices, implementing best practices and timely interventions for elective induction of labor and elective cesarean birth, coordinating a safe progression of labor, and appropriate responses to fetal distress.

MHA Keystone: OB interventions resulted in a 51 percent improvement in five-minute Apgar scores indicating the health of newborns. Participating hospitals also reduced elective inductions before 39 weeks from roughly 2.9 percent to 1.7 percent and reduced elective cesarean sections before 39 weeks from nearly 17.5 percent to 11.5 percent from March 2010 to March 2011.

In December 2010, more than 200 participants attended the MHA Keystone: OB workshop that highlighted strategies and tools to improve clinical care provided in labor and delivery units and the cultural setting in which it occurs.