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Data sharing is one of the most significant barriers between city and state health departments when it comes to reducing infant mortality. States and cities accumulate a great deal of data at various levels on birth outcomes and maternal care, but they don’t always make it readily available to each other. “In some instances, states…
This is one of a series of posts based on the “Engaging Senior Leadership in Your Quality Improvement (QI) Work” webinar. “Follow the Leader” isn’t always a game that should be played during quality improvement (QI) work. In fact, often, QI teams need to be proactive about engaging their leaders, creating a partnership to support…
Despite only being 2 feet long, 1.5 feet wide and less than a foot tall, Finland’s baby boxes have had a dramatic impact on the country’s infant mortality rate. In the 1930s, Finland’s infant mortality rate reached 65 deaths per 1,000 live births, leading to the 1938 introduction of baby boxes—kits that include a mattress, bedding, diapers,…
Rooming-in is an evidence-based practice that promotes keeping healthy newborn babies and their mothers together in post-labor recovery rooms. It reflects a recent change in practice and policy for many hospitals, and is partially based on recommendations in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and the increased movement toward earning Baby-Friendly designation in…
A pregnant woman living in poverty faces stress that often has negative consequences for her and her baby’s health, including infant mortality. Many of the social determinants of health affecting pregnant women require legal aid, but healthcare and the law have historically worked separately. The Delaware team participating in the Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network…
Engaging pilot sites to test out change ideas and collect data is one of the best ways to learn how to make change at a local level. Pilot sites can test ideas and assist with planning and implementing a project “on the ground” with individuals in a project’s target audience. The most effective pilot sites…
With the proliferation of social media sites, 24-hour news stations and niche hobby/topic websites, getting attention for a cause these days is certainly a challenge. The healthcare sphere is not immune to this. Each month there are multiple topics competing in celebration of their national awareness month. Consumer inboxes are besieged with countless email blasts…
It has been more than 50 years since the Surgeon General’s report on the adverse health impacts of smoking. However, maternal smoking during pregnancy remains a persistent problem that healthcare and public health professionals have been unable to eliminate. While there are a number of evidence-based smoking cessation interventions (e.g., quit hotlines, diaper incentives) that can…
Recruitment is open for hospitals in New York State to join the state’s Breastfeeding Quality Improvement in Hospitals (BQIH) Learning Collaborative. If the results of the predecessor cohort of hospitals is any indication, these new recruits are in for some big changes. “The amount of improvement we’ve seen from these first cohort hospitals in a…
A big part of gaining buy-in, enabling change, or effectively explaining progress depends on how we convey the data we’ve been collecting, and the story we tell about it. So while data collection and analysis can be hard, effective data presentation is even harder. As an analyst at NICHQ, I frequently need to turn data…