Fidelity of an Implementation Strategy for a Maternal Early Warning System Protocol at a Tertiary Care Centre

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Maternal Health
• Clinical Implementation Science

Background:

• Maternal Early Warning System (MEWS) protocols are crucial for enhancing acute maternal care.
• Implementation fidelity, the extent to which a strategy is delivered as intended, is vital for the success of evidence-based practices.
• Evaluating the fidelity of MEWS implementation, particularly educational components, is essential for optimizing its impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the implementation fidelity of the Maternal Early Warning System (MEWS) protocol's educational strategy.
• To evaluate adherence, dose, and participant responsiveness to the MEWS implementation activities.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional evaluation was conducted as part of a Quality Improvement initiative.
• A fidelity framework assessed adherence, dose, and participant responsiveness to the implementation strategy.
• Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used to summarize results.

Main Results:

• 20 out of 21 planned educational activities were completed, involving 246 healthcare professionals.
• Post-session surveys indicated that 52.6% felt comfortable escalating care and 43.4% activating a code blue.
• Qualitative feedback highlighted benefits in confidence, safety, communication, teamwork, bias reduction, and patient-centered care.

Conclusions:

• The MEWS implementation strategy demonstrated high fidelity with strong participant engagement.
• The findings suggest the strategy effectively prepared healthcare providers for MEWS protocol adoption.
• The implementation supported patient-centered assessments, professional autonomy, collaboration, and equitable care delivery.