Results from the National Perinatal Patient Safety Program in Sweden: the challenge of evaluation.

INTRODUCTION: We studied the effects of the national Perinatal Patient Safety Program in Sweden, addressing local improvement measures, changes in the proportion of low Apgar score and the number of settled injury claims due to asphyxia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Final reports on achieved improvements from all Swedish obstetric units were analyzed and categories of the improvement measures taken in perinatal risk areas were established. Data on all term newborns during 2006-12 were obtained from the Medical Birth Registry. Incidence of 5-min Apgar score <7 was analyzed before, during and after the intervention. The odds ratio for low Apgar score in period ÍII vs. period I was calculated. Patient injury claims from The Swedish National Patient Insurance Company (LÖF) were analyzed. RESULTS: Numerous local improvement initiatives were reported. The incidence of 5-min Apgar score <7 on a national level remained unchanged during the study periods. The units with the highest rate of Apgar score <7 showed a significant decrease in Apgar score of 4-6 after the intervention, whereas units with the lowest rate of Apgar score <7 showed a significant increase in Apgar score <7 after the intervention. A decline in settled claims due to substandard care was observed (7.5%, 2012-14; p for trend 0.049). CONCLUSION: The national incidence of low Apgar score remained unchanged but a reduction of settled claims of severely asphyxiated neonates was observed. The study highlights the need for robust designs when evaluating large-scale initiatives for improving patient safety at delivery, along with the difficulties in performing them.

Single versus pairwise interpretation of cardiotochography, a comparative study from six Swedish delivery units.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate whether interpreting CTG pairwise brings about a higher level of correctly classified CTG recordings in a non-selected population of midwives and physicians. STUDY DESIGN: A comparative study. SETTING: Five delivery units in Stockholm and one delivery unit in Uppsala, with 1589, 3740, 3908, 4539, 6438, and 7331 deliveries in 2011, respectively. SUBJECTS: 536 midwives and physicians classified one randomly selected CTG recording individually followed by a pairwise classification. The pairs consisted of two midwives (119 pairs) or one midwife and one physician (149 pairs), a total of 268 pairs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The proportion of individually correctly classified CTG recordings versus the proportion of pairwise correctly classified CTG recordings. RESULTS: The proportion of individually correctly classified CTG's was 75% and the proportion of pairwise correctly classified CTG's was 80% (difference 5%, p = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS: There was no statistically significant difference when CTG's were classified pairwise compared to individual classifications. The proportion of individually correctly classified CTG's was high (75%). There were differences in the proportion of correctly classified CTG recordings between the delivery units, indicating potential areas of improvement.

Healthcare system intervention for prevention of birth injuries - process evaluation of self-assessment, peer review, feedback and agreement for change.

BACKGROUND: Patient safety is fundamental in high quality healthcare systems but despite an excellent record of perinatal care in Sweden some children still suffer from substandard care and unnecessary birth injuries. Sustainable patient safety improvements assume changes in key actors' mental models, norms and culture as well as in the tools, design and organisation of work. Interventions positively affecting team mental models on safety issues are a first step to enhancing change. Our purpose was to study a national intervention programme for the prevention of birth injuries with the aim to elucidate how the main interventions of self-assessment, peer review, feedback and written agreement for change affected the teams and their mental model of patient safety, and thereby their readiness for change. Knowledge of relevant considerations before implementing this type of patient safety intervention series could thereby be increased. METHODS: Eighty participants in twenty-seven maternity units were interviewed after the first intervention sequence of the programme. A content analysis using a priori coding was performed in order to relate results to the anticipated outcomes of three basic interventions: self-assessment, peer review and written feedback, and agreement for change. RESULTS: The self-assessment procedure was valuable and served as a useful tool for elucidating strengths and weaknesses and identifying areas for improvement for a safer delivery in maternity units. The peer-review intervention was appreciated, despite it being of less value when considering the contribution to explicit outcome effects (i.e. new input to team mental models and new suggestions for actions). The feedback report and the mutual agreement on measures for improvements reached when signing the contract seemed exert positive pressures for change. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are in line with several studies stressing the importance of self-evaluation by encouraging a thorough review of objectives, practices and outcomes for the continuous improvement of an organisation. Even though effects of the peer review were limited, feedback from peers, or other change agents involved, and the support that a clear and well-structured action plan can provide are considered to be two important complements to future self-assessment procedures related to patient safety improvement.