MAHC-Community-Health-Bulletin-Final

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Registered Nurse Anne Handley (above) kicks off the fi nal More OB module with a display for patients and
visitors at the Bracebridge site. Dr. Tina Kappos (at right) provides education to her obstetrical peers during
a skills day in the More OB program.
More OB increases safety and satisfaction, lowers risk
The obstetrical care teams at MAHC have completed a threeyear
journey through the More OB (Managing Obstetrical Risk
Effi ciently) program aimed at providing a safer care environment
for our patients and families and protecting patient safety.
While patient safety has always been a top priority in obstetrics,
the More OB program is designed to standardize professional skills
and training for all health care professionals who provide care in
the birthing units.
It has involved a multidisciplinary team of nurses, physicians
and midwives who support labour and delivery at both sites working
together to develop a team that has shared knowledge, skills
and behaviour that contribute to safe, effective care.
The fi rst module of More OB was launched in 2013 with an emphasis
on learning together as a multidisciplinary team. The focus
of Module 2 in 2014 was working together, with additional focus
on communication skills and emergency drills. The fi nal year of
learning was concentrated on culture change, refl ective learning
and system improvements that foster a safe environment.
During the past and fi nal year of the program, the teams were
introduced to no harm and harm event reviews to fi nd their root
causes. Learning is not about assigning blame, but rather to
understand why certain decisions were made and how organizational
systems affected the event and outcome. This is how the
providers learn from the event, share fi ndings and make improvements
to prevent a similar event from happening.
“The More OB program is focused on improving outcomes and
mitigating and decreasing risks for moms and babies, so there is
a lot of time spent practising how we manage potential emergencies,”
says Dr. Sheena Branigan, Chair of MAHC’s Obstetrics Committee
and More OB participant. “The more we practise our skills
collaboratively, the better providers we can be.”
Participants from both sites worked very hard throughout the
three-year program and earned recognition awards along the way
for their learning achievements.
“MAHC is fortunate to have two great teams who have consistently
demonstrated commitment to the obstetrics units at our
sites, to the More OB program and to improving patient safety,” says
Natalie Bubela, Chief Executive Offi cer.
Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare More OB Core Teams earned recognition awards for participation in the More OB program.
2016 COMMUNITY HEALTH BULLETIN 5