Development of a Maternal Health Toolkit for Emergency Department Education in Illinois

Most pregnancy-related deaths in Illinois are preventable. Many of those who died in recent years had at least one emergency department (ED) visit during pregnancy or the postpartum period. This suggests that with the proper training and education, EDs can play an important role in reducing maternal mortality.

A Task Force of 33 interdisciplinary stakeholders from across Illinois met monthly over 1 year to gather and develop educational content focused on obstetric emergency medicine and produce the Maternal Health Emergency Department Toolkit (Toolkit) training. A survey and listening session collected stakeholders' feedback about factors that supported Toolkit development, barriers, and recommendations for similar projects.

The Task Force members adapted existing tools and developed novel resources to fill the gaps in maternal health education for the ED setting. The Toolkit consists of five educational modules including didactic information, case-based learning, and resources for additional reading and local implementation. The modules focus on ED recommendations from the Illinois Maternal Mortality Review Committees, triage and management of emergencies in perinatal patients, screening and treatment of mental health and substance use conditions, addressing trauma, performing resuscitation during pregnancy, and conducting safe and coordinated discharge of perinatal patients from the ED. Task Force members described the inclusion of experts with interdisciplinary knowledge, working in small groups, and grounding the educational content in maternal health data as factors contributing to the project's success. They identified scheduling conflicts as a challenge and recommended future projects like this one include more ED providers and staff members.

Through promoting cross-disciplinary engagement, education, and collaboration with obstetrics and other service lines, the Toolkit can help fill the gaps in maternal ED education to decrease maternal mortality and morbidity in Illinois.