Organizations Call for Enhanced Collaboration in Labor, Delivery Practices

The AAFP, in collaboration with several other health care professional organizations, is calling for health care providers and administrators to better collaborate in efforts to curb infant mortality rates and improve labor and delivery outcomes in the United States.

The Academy, together with the American Academy of Pediatrics; the American College of Nurse-Midwives; the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; the American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists; the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses; and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, issued a "call to action" on Nov. 30. In a joint news release, the groups said the move was made necessary by "the need to develop an interdisciplinary collaborative approach to patient care to optimize maternal and fetal health outcomes."

In their statement, "Quality Patient Care in Labor and Delivery: A Call to Action," the groups delivered the following list of joint recommendations:

"As representatives of professional societies whose members care for pregnant and laboring women, we agree that patient-centered and safe care of the mother and child enhances quality and is our top priority," said the groups. "Optimal maternal health outcomes can best be achieved in an atmosphere of effective communication, shared decision-making, teamwork and data-driven quality improvement initiatives."