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Prenatal diagnosis of critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) has improved over time, and previous studies have identified CCHD subtype and socioeconomic status as factors influencing rates of prenatal diagnosis. Our objective of this single-center study was to compare prenatal diagnosis rates of newborns with CCHD admitted for cardiac intervention from the COVID-19 pandemic period (March 2020 to March 2021) to the pre-pandemic period and identify factors associated with the lack of CCHD prenatal diagnosis. The overall rate of CCHD and rates of the various CCHD diagnoses were calculated and compared with historical data collection periods (2009–2012 and 2013–2016). Compared with the 2009–2012 pre-pandemic period, patients had 2.17 times higher odds of having a prenatal diagnosis of CCHD during the pandemic period controlling for lesion type (aOR = 2.17, 95% CI 1.36–3.48, p = 0.001). Single ventricle lesions (aOR 6.74 [4.64–9.80], p < 0.001) and outflow tract anomalies (aOR 2.20 [1.56–3.12], p < 0.001) had the highest odds of prenatal diagnosis compared with the remaining lesions. Patients with outflow tract anomalies had higher odds for prenatal detection in the pandemic period compared with during the 2009–2012 pre-pandemic period (aOR 2.01 [1.06–3.78], p = 0.031). In conclusion, prenatal detection of CCHD among newborns presenting for cardiac intervention appeared to have improved during the pandemic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Patient-reported outcomes and experiences (PRO) data are an integral component of health care quality measurement and PROs are now being collected by many healthcare systems. However, hospital organizational capacity-building for the collection and sharing of PROs is a complex process. We sought to identify the factors that facilitated capacity-building for PRO data collection in a nascent quality improvement learning collaborative of 16 hospitals that has the goal of improving the childbirth experience. Description: We used standard qualitative case study methodologies based on a conceptual framework that hypothesizes that adequate organizational incentives and capacities allow successful achievement of project milestones in a collaborative setting. The 4 project milestones considered in this study were: (1) Agreements; (2) System Design; (3) System Development and Operations; and (4) Implementation. To evaluate the success of reaching each milestone, critical incidents were logged and tracked to determine the capacities and incentives needed to resolve them. Assessment: The pace of the implementation of PRO data collection through the 4 milestones was uneven across hospitals and largely dependent on limited hospital capacities in the following 8 dimensions: (1) Incentives; (2) Leadership; (3) Policies; (4) Operating systems; (5) Information technology; (6) Legal aspects; (7) Cross-hospital collaboration; and (8) Patient engagement. From this case study, a trajectory for capacity-building in each dimension is discussed. Conclusion: The implementation of PRO data collection in a quality improvement learning collaborative was dependent on multiple organizational capacities for the achievement of project milestones. Significance: Patient-Reported Outcomes (PRO) are measures of a patient's health status. PROs are self-reported and do not require interpretation by the provider. PROs are being collected by many healthcare systems as a patient-centered approach to measuring and reporting healthcare quality. This case study outlines the critical issues involved in collecting PRO data and identifies the factors that facilitate capacity-building for PRO data collection. It provides an example of how the PRO data could be applied to improve patient satisfaction with the childbirth hospital experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The goals of interconception care are to optimize women's health and encourage adequate spacing between pregnancies. Our study calculated trends in interpregnancy interval (IPI) patterns and measured the association of differing intervals with birth outcomes in California. Methods Women with 'non-first birth' deliveries in California hospitals from 2007 to 2009 were identified in a linked birth certificate and patient discharge dataset and divided into three IPI birth categories: <6, 6-17, and 18-50 months. Trends over the study period were tested using the Cochran-Armitage two-sided linear trend test. Chi square tests were used to test the association between IPI and patient characteristics and selected singleton adverse birth outcomes. Results Of 645,529 deliveries identified as non-first births, 5.6 % had an IPI <6 months, 33.1 % had an IPI of 6-17 months, and 61.3 % had an IPI of 18-50 months. The prevalence of IPI <6 months declined over the 3-year period (5.8 % in 2007 to 5.3 % in 2009, trend p value <0.0001).Women with an IPI <6 months had a significantly higher prevalence of early preterm birth (<34 weeks), low birthweight (<2500 g), neonatal complications, neonatal death and severe maternal complications than women with a 6-17 month or 18-50 month IPI (p < 0.005). Comparing those with a 6-17 month vs 18-50 month IPI, there were increased early preterm births and decreased maternal complications, complicated delivery, and stillbirth/intrauterine fetal deaths among those with a shorter IPI. Conclusions for Practice In California, women with an IPI <6 months were at increased risk for several birth outcomes, including composite morbidity measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tracking of elective deliveries (ED) prior to 39 gestational weeks has become a mandatory requirement for all hospitals with ≥1,100 deliveries for accreditation by The Joint Commission (TJC); however, the feasibility and accuracy of monitoring efforts remain problematic for many hospitals. Here, we evaluated the feasibility of three operational approaches to tracking ED. We used mixed methods to evaluate the feasibility of 3 different approaches to tracking ED: (1) using administrative data, (2) using electronic medical record (EMR) data, and (3) using targeted data collection in a county-wide quality improvement (QI) effort. For (1), we analyzed data from the California 2009 linked birth cohort dataset, and calculated hospital rates of ED using TJC technical specifications. For (2), we performed a case study of a project that recruited hospitals to provide EMR data for the TJC measure calculation. For (3), we performed a case study of a project that recruited hospitals to prospectively track elective inductions of labor. For (1), hospital discharge data were insufficient without supplementation from the EMR or birth certificate. For (2), legal and operational issues surrounding data sharing, and non-standardized data elements prohibited hospital participation. For (3), the QI approach successfully established policies and data collection systems yet lacked infrastructure to assure sustainability at a hospital or regional level. In summary, ED tracking required the coordination and support of multiple resources to enable hospitals to satisfactorily report on this measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2003, the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ) published its Quality Indicators for healthcare, and set out methodological criteria for the evaluation of potential candidates. Objectives: Because perinatal infections may result from poor obstetrical practices, we intended to describe the variability of maternal and congenital neonatal infections across different types of hospital ownership (e.g., not for profit, government), and to assess whether rates of these infections meet criteria as quality indicators. Research Design: Population-based cohort study. Subjects: All laboring women without maternal, fetal, or placental complications who delivered in California in 1997, and their neonates, as reported through hospital discharge data. Measures: A Bayesian hierarchical logistic regression model was used to quantify the effects of both “patient-level” risk factors such as parity and prior cesarean history, and “hospital-level” risk factors such as ownership and teaching status. Results: The 308,841 mother–newborn pairs in this low-risk study population delivered at 281 hospitals; 0.39% had uterine infections and 1.3% had neonatal infections. Hospital ownership and teaching status were strongly associated with perinatal infection. Secondly, methods used to estimate and analyze hospital-specific infection rates identified hospitals with exceptionally high rates. Twenty-eight hospitals had neonatal infection rates that ranged from 3% to 28%. Conclusions: The methods presented here were consistent with AHRQ methods and criteria for potential Quality Indicators. They also identified hospitals with exceptionally high rates of infectious morbidity. The relationship between hospital ownership and obstetrical practice patterns, and the feasibility of practice improvement, remain to be studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In collaboration with the California Department of Health Maternal and Child Health Branch, the authors formed a Working Group to identify potential clinical indicators that could be used to inform decision making regarding maternal health care quality. Objective: To develop potential indicators for the assessment of maternal health care quality. Materials and Methods: A Working Group was convened to review information from the published literature and expert opinion. Selection of potential indicators was guided by the following goals: 1) To identify key areas for routine aggregate monitoring; 2) To include perspectives of relevant stakeholders in maternal health care services; 3) To include measures that are comprehensive and reflect a balance between maternal and fetal interests; and 4) To develop measures that would be valid, generalizable, mutable, and feasible. Results: Ninety potential indicators were identified. Each underwent a thorough review based on: its definition, objective, and validity; its contribution to innovation; the cost and timeliness of implementation; its feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness; and its compatibility with ethics, values, and social policy. This process yielded 24 final indicators from the following categories: Health Status and Access (e.g., availability of 24 h inpatient anesthesia); Preconception and Interconception Care (e.g., Pap smear use); Antenatal Care (e.g., hospitalization for uncontrolled diabetes or pyelonephritis); Labor and Delivery Care (e.g., chorioamnionitis or obstetrical hemorrhage), and Postpartum Care (e.g., rate of postpartum visits). Conclusions: These potential indicators, representative of the women's health continuum, can serve as a foundation to structure the development of consensus and methods for maternal health care quality assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Because postpartum hemorrhage may result from factors related to obstetrical practice patterns, we examined the variability of postpartum hemorrhage and related risk factors (obstetrical trauma, chorioamnionitis, and protracted labor) across hospital types and hospitals in California. Methods: Linked birth certificate and hospital discharge data from 507,410 births in California in 1997 were analyzed. Cases were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes. Comparisons were made across hospital types and individual hospitals. Risk adjustments were made using 1) sample restriction to a subset of 324,671 low-risk women, and 2) Bayesian hierarchical logistic regression model to simultaneously quantify the effects of patient-level and hospital-level risk factors. Results: Postpartum hemorrhage complicated 2.4% of live births. The incidence ranged from 1.6% for corporate hospitals to 4.9% for university hospitals in the full sample, and from 1.4% for corporate hospitals to 3.9% for university hospitals in the low-risk sample. Low-risk women who delivered at government, HMO and university hospitals had two- to threefold increased odds (odds ratios 1.98 to 2.71; 95% confidence sets ranged from 1.52 to 4.62) of having postpartum hemorrhage compared to women who delivered at corporate hospitals, irrespective of patient-level characteristics. They also had significantly higher rates of obstetrical trauma and chorioamnionitis. Greater variations were observed across individual hospitals. Conclusion: The incidence of postpartum hemorrhage and related risk factors varied substantially across hospital types and hospitals in California. Further studies using primary data sources are needed to determine whether these variations are related to the processesof care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our goal was to assess whether quantitative fetal fibronectin (qfFN) is associated with spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) after laser surgery for twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). qfFN was collected within 24 hours before and after laser surgery. Aims were: (1) To determine if qfFN changed with operative fetoscopy; and (2) To estimate the number of patients needed to study the predictive value of qfFN for sPTB <28 and <32 weeks. Results are reported as median (range). Among 49 patients, there was no net difference in qfFN levels after laser surgery [0.0 ng/mL (−37 to +400), p = 0.6041]. However, patients with a qfFN increase >10 ng/mL were 19 times more likely to undergo sPTB at <28 weeks (OR = 19.5). We determined that 383 and 160 patients would be needed to achieve adequate statistical power for qfFN to be predictive of sPTB at a GA <28 weeks and <32 weeks, respectively. In conclusion, laser surgery did not alter the qfFN level within the entire cohort, but qfFN may be useful in identifying a subset of patients at increased risk of preterm delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]