(Jan. 10, 2025) – This week, the Kansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative launched the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy patient safety bundle. AIM is a national, cross-sector collaborative designed to support best practices that make birth safer, improve maternal health outcomes and save lives. The KPQC's mission is to improve Kansas' maternal and infant health outcomes by assuring quality perinatal care, using data-driven, evidence-based practice and quality improvement processes.
The KPQC utilizes data from the Kansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee to inform the KPQC of patient safety and performance improvement initiatives focused on improving maternal health outcomes. Addressing maternal hypertension is a crucial part of improving health outcomes for both mothers and infants in Kansas. According to 2016-2020 KS Maternal Mortality Review Committee data, cardiovascular conditions and hypertension were the first and second leading causes of pregnancy-related death in Kansas. During that same period, according to Kansas Hospital Discharge Data, approximately one in 161 Kansas women who delivered a baby experienced severe maternal morbidity. Preeclampsia is Kansas's second leading cause of SMM (Hospital Discharge Data 2022). Recognizing that SMM occurs 100 times more frequently than maternal mortality, it is clear intentional interventions to address severe hypertension in pregnancy and the postpartum period are needed. Additionally, there is an increased risk for preterm delivery in Kansas in the presence of maternal hypertensive disorder. In 2022, 10.5 percent of infants were delivered preterm (<37 weeks) in our state.
Recommendations for early initiation of lactation as an evidenced-based intervention are imperative to address optimal health outcomes for these neonates. We encourage all KHA member hospitals, not just birthing hospitals, to participate in this critical patient safety bundle to help improve maternal and infant outcomes in our state. The KPQC initiative is funded with federal grant funding and provides education and resources at no cost to participating hospitals.
For more information, see the KPQC Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy Safety Bundle Fact Sheet. KPQC sent hospitals enrollment information for the initiative this week from KPQC. For questions or to enroll, please contact kari.smith@kansaspqc.org.
--Karen Braman