"It's a priority": a qualitative analysis of the implementation of a maternal equity safety bundle in Massachusetts

Black-White inequities in severe maternal morbidity in the United States are extreme and growing. Maternal safety bundles (MSBs) have been associated with closing racial equity gaps in maternal health in some states. The objective of this study was to explore clinician perspective and experiences of implementing an Equity maternal safety bundle across five hospitals in Massachusetts to address inequities in perinatal care and birth outcomes.

Focus group discussions and interviews were conducted in Fall 2022 and Fall 2023 (before and after Equity MSB implementation) among obstetric nurses, resident physicians, and attending physicians. Discussions were facilitated using a semi-structured guide developed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Transcripts were independently coded by two analysts using NVivo 14. A codebook was developed using CFIR for deductive coding. We added inductive codes as appropriate. We calculated Cohen's kappa coefficients to assess interrater reliability. Themes were generated through an iterative process and compared across study time points.

Fifteen clinicians participated at each time point with similar distributions across race, ethnicity, gender, and profession. Seven themes emerged from these interviews: 1) the importance of leadership support to prioritize equity, 2) a culture of equity as a facilitator for implementation, 3) the need for improved processes for self-reported race, ethnicity, and language data collection, stratification, and dissemination, 4) staff, time, and funding as necessary resources, 5) the need for an early focus on staff education, 6) existing siloes between physicians and nurses and exclusion of trainees as barriers to implementation, and 7) differences between an Equity-MSB and other MSBs.

Leadership prioritization of equity and a culture of equity emerged as facilitators to successful implementation of elements of the Equity MSB. Challenges identified included resistance to change among colleagues, limited resources, and clinician siloes. When compared to previously implemented MSBs, participants found that leadership made this work a priority. As future hospital teams embark on implementing equity-focused action, these known facilitators and barriers should be considered and addressed during the pre- and early-implementation phases.