Maryland Patient Safety Center

If interested in learning more please contact: Support@marylandpatientsafety.org

Reducing First Time C-Sections

The Maryland Patient Safety Center is began a two year collaborative in July 2015 to reduce first time Cesarean sections (C-Sections). The rate of c-sections in the state of Maryland at the time was about 34%, slightly higher than the national average. While a c-section is appropriate in some medically necessary situations, it does increase risks to the mother and the infant. Women who have a c-section are 90% more likely to have a c-section with subsequent pregnancies. Research has shown that decreasing the rate of the first c-section can have a significant impact on decreasing the overall c-section rate.

In order to address this issue, the Maryland Patient Safety Center partnered with the Alliance for Innovation in Maternal Health (AIM) to implement “Reducing Primary Cesarean Sections: Supporting Intended Vaginal Births”. The goals for the first year were

  • Obtain baseline data for the state/participating hospitals
  • Recruit collaborative participants
  • Select and implement a change package for collaborative participants

Check out the publication in The Green Journal!