TeamBirth-SWE Improving Safety, Communication, and Patient Involvement During Childbirth

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the TeamBirth-SWE care process to improve safety and person-centered care during childbirth. This project aims to enhance teamwork and communication between care providers, women, and their partners to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. The study focuses on reducing adverse events during labor and delivery by addressing communication failures and promoting shared decision-making. The intervention has been adapted and piloted in Sweden and is now being studied in a large-scale project to assess its effectiveness and impact on patient experiences and safety climate. The intervention involves the entire care team conducting regular huddles with the birthing woman and her partner, using a shared planning board visible in the birthing room. This board displays team members names, the womans preferences, the care plan, and the timing of the next huddle to support transparent communication and collaboration. The study uses an interrupted time series design to evaluate outcomes before and after the implementation of TeamBirth-SWE across multiple labor wards in Sweden, with data collected from 2020 to 2028. The project includes three work packages focusing on patient safety, patient-reported experiences, and interprofessional collaboration. Participants will be women aged 15 years or older with spontaneous or induced labor after 22 weeks of pregnancy, proficient in Swedish or English. Data sources include national pregnancy registers and patient surveys conducted eight weeks after birth. Staff surveys measuring patient safety climate and teamwork will be collected before and up to 24 months after implementation. Researchers will assess outcomes such as rates of births without major interventions or complications, shared decision-making, and patient satisfaction, as well as safety climate and teamwork among healthcare professionals. The study will take place over several years, with ongoing monitoring and analysis of maternal and infant health and care quality.

TeamBirth-SWE - a Care Process to Improve Safe and Person-centered Intrapartum Care