Safety: the MUHC Birthing Centre and Maternity teams recognized again

The Birthing Centre and Maternity teams at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) have won a Salus Global Recognition Award for the second year in a row, a rare achievement for a tertiary care centre.

They were recognized for their outstanding participation in moreOB, an interprofessional program aimed at improving teamwork, communication and the quality of care for managing obstetrical risks efficiently.

The two teams are led by a multidisciplinary core team, co-chaired by Ruth-Lynn Fortuné, Sophia Kapellas, Dr. Anne-Maude Morency and Dr. Marie-Julie Trahan. Exhibiting great leadership, they worked diligently to invest in communication, demonstrating their ever-present commitment to obstetrical patient care, safety and quality through online and in person simulations and training.

“The teamwork, engagement and continuous desire to improve quality of care have led to the optimization of interdisciplinary practice for routine and emergency obstetrical situations,” says Ruth-Lynn Fortuné, nursing professional development educator in perinatal care at the MUHC. “It is so satisfying to see the work of such great teams be recognized nationally. It propels our energy to achieve even more!”

Success with moreOB looks different for every team, but there are five common factors:

1.    Core team effectiveness and function 
2.    Leadership support and involvement 
3.    Effective, high-quality communication 
4.    Engagement and involvement of all professions 
5.    Transferring learning to practice

Looking to the future

This year, the teams are starting Module 9 of moreOB. They will continue with projects already underway, including cultural safety, simulations and training activities with other units. 
They will also embark on the Optimizing birth outcome initiative, in which they will conduct patient chart audits to determine what could be improved. They will also focus on perinatal bereavement and increase educational activities.

moreOB is owned by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada and the Canadian Medical Protective Association. The program has engaged over 16,000 obstetrical healthcare providers in 300 hospitals in Canada and the United States in the 20 years since it was introduced.