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Home News Tennessee Begins State Wide Effort to Change Infant Mortality and Morbidity Rates

Tennessee Begins State Wide Effort to Change Infant Mortality and Morbidity Rates

Published: Thursday, March 26, 2009

On Thursday and Friday, March 5-6, more than 170 physicians, nurses, community advocates, payors, hospital administrators, government leaders, and families from throughout Tennessee met to collaborate on ways to reduce infant mortality and morbidity. This was the second annual statewide meeting of the Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care (TIPQC). According to Dr. Peter Grubb, the medical director of this group, "It is tremendous to see this diverse group of exceptionally talented people from across the state come together to work on improving outcomes for the mothers and babies of Tennessee."

About the Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care
The Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care (TIPQC) funded by a grant from the Governor’s Office of Children’s Care Coordination (GOCCC) was officially launched in October 2008 with a goal of engaging providers across the perinatal spectrum in statewide, evidence-based and data-driven quality improvement projects. Please visit www.TIPQC.org for more information.

Tennessee currently ranks 48th in infant mortality and 45th in the nation for prematurity. The challenges facing Tennessee’s mothers and infants are well known as Tennessee received an “F” on the March of Dimes annual report card, based on the preterm birth rate of 14.7% per 1000 births. Tennessee’s pre-term birth rate is nearly twice the Healthy People 2010 objective of 7.6% and increased by 13% from 1995 to 2005.

After learning about quality improvement methods, each hospital team participated in multiple workshops led by a nationally known quality improvement educator, Dr. Dan Ellsbury of Iowa. Each hospital unit returned home with specific assignments to work on the first state-wide project. Admission temperature will be the first project for the neonatology (NICU) community, and is well under way with most of the groups bringing their baseline data to the meeting and going home with a change package to implement. Nationwide, the majority of very low birth weight babies are cold upon admission to an NICU. The NICU community will also develop, pilot and then implement a 2010 state-wide project to increase the rate of breastfeeding by mothers of NICU babies.

The obstetrical (OB) community had the opportunity to join together for the first time in a state-wide collaborative. The OB side of TIPQC will continue to organize under a committee of leaders throughout the state. They also learned about quality improvement methods and voted on their first state project, which will also focus on a breastfeeding awareness campaign targeted at all pregnant woman. They will pilot and develop their 2010 project to reduce elective deliveries before 39 weeks.

With these quality improvement initiatives under way, Tennessee will lead the nation as one of only a few state collaboratives organized around perinatal quality improvement. According to Paul Miles, MD, Senior Vice President for Maintenance of Certification and Quality with the American Board of Pediatrics, "Tennessee is a leader in developing and initiating perinatal state-wide collaboratives.”