Working Together to Improve Patient Care
Care Team members participating in a MOMSim training session.
Bringing Critical Training to Obstetric Teams Across MaineHealth
2023 was another successful year for MOMSim, an initiative aimed at enhancing rural maternal health care through realistic training scenarios. Designed for interprofessional care teams, this program brings obstetric skills practice and high-fidelity simulations to community hospitals, ensuring they stay adept in handling rare, complex obstetric emergencies.
During a MOMSim event, MaineHealth childbirth teams engage in lifelike simulations in their local clinical space, utilizing advanced manikins that mimic the intricacies of obstetric emergencies. Participants practice critical decision-making, teamwork, and communication skills. They also reflect on the hospital system that supports them, discovering potential latent safety threats and creating mitigation strategies to improve patient care.
Advancing the Standard of Obstetric Care
MOMSim empowers obstetric care teams at smaller hospitals, broadening access to costly simulation techniques to train for rare emergencies. This proactive approach helps mitigate risks, reduce maternal mortality rates, and improve childbirth outcomes.
By the end of 2023, we will have visited all MaineHealth birthing hospitals at least once and will have initiated one-year follow-up visits. The follow-up visits serve as an opportunity for refresher training and assessment of mitigation strategies developed during initial training.
Because of the dedication and passion these birthing hospital care teams have demonstrated, and thanks to generous funding from Maine Medical Center’s Rural Maternity and Obstetric Management Services grant ─ care team members will continue to develop and sustain this simulation training program in 2024, ensuring that every expecting mother, regardless of geographical location, receives the highest standard of care during childbirth.
High-quality childbirth services, close to home
The birth of a child is a wonderful, life-changing event and MaineHealth provides nurturing and comfortable childbirth experiences for parents and their babies. Advanced medical expertise and compassionate care are available at all of our birthing centers.
Education Integration with Southern Maine Health Care
As progress is made to integrate academics between MMC and SMHC, one major benefit of this work is the opportunity to expand our GME footprint. This year, approval was given to expand four existing Residency programs and establish a new Vascular Surgery Fellowship program.
These expansions will include 34 new trainees, bringing our learners new and enhanced opportunities to care for patients across MaineHealth. As major components of the frontline workforce who learn from and work alongside hundreds of care team members, growing our residency and fellowship programs directly benefit our patients and communities.
