Perinatal Quality and Equity-Indicators That Address Disparities

Area of Science:

• Perinatal Health
• Health Disparities Research
• Healthcare Informatics

Background:

• Maternal and neonatal disparities, especially those related to race and ethnicity, persist despite ongoing efforts.
• Existing literature suggests data exploration tools, like reporting dashboards, can help address these disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review definitions of perinatal quality and disparity.
• To provide insight into the development of a national race and ethnicity dashboard for maternal and neonatal outcomes.
• To offer recommendations for data science and nursing roles in utilizing disparity data.

Main Methods:

• Development of a quarterly dashboard focusing on key maternal and neonatal metrics stratified by race and ethnicity.
• Establishment of a national benchmark for comparative analysis.
• Creation of a data platform for collaborative review and exploration.

Main Results:

• The dashboard provides hospitals with specific key metric outcomes analyzed through the lens of race and ethnicity.
• It facilitates national comparison and offers a platform for in-depth data exploration.
• The article discusses the selection of critical maternal and neonatal metrics for the dashboard.

Conclusions:

• A national race and ethnicity dashboard can be a valuable tool for identifying and addressing perinatal disparities.
• Strategic planning in data science and active nursing involvement are crucial for metric development and utilization.
• Accelerating the integration of disparity data into daily clinical practice is essential for improving maternal and neonatal outcomes.