How Maternity Care is Changing at Home and Abroad with Patient-Centered Care

Patient-Centered Care – Why is it important?

Patient-centered care is one of the hottest terms in health care today. As the industry focuses intently on improving the quality of health care delivery while also reducing costs, patient-centered care has become a well-established philosophy that can be applied across the continuum of care, in any therapeutic area.

Data shows that healthcare delivery can be more effective and patients more compliant when providers engage with patients early and often. Increasing patient engagement can yield improved outcomes, including:

• Reduced readmission rates and costs
• Improved quality of care
• Increased patient satisfaction
• Maximized provider Joy in Practice

Actualizing Patient-Centered Care for Expectant Moms

Healthcare delivery needs to ensure a holistic approach to patient care. What better place to apply this methodology than at the very beginning of life? For parents who are preparing to welcome a child into the world, patient-centered care makes all the difference. Today’s obstetrics options include clinically-related choices like in-utero fetal health testing and fetal monitoring (who doesn’t love the idea of a 3D ultrasound photo to show family and friends?), detailed birth planning (post-partum massage, anyone?), cord blood banking (decisions, decisions), pain management (natural or not?) and more. The options are seemingly endless…

How is patient-centered care being actualized for moms-to-be?

1. Support groups comprised of soon-to-be moms, spouses, partners and caregivers address important topics like nutrition, preparing siblings for baby’s arrival, workplace transition, stress management, breastfeeding and more.
2. Transition support is given for new mothers and fathers when they return home with their baby.
3. Hospitals are overhauling their internal systems to help create an environment of comfort and make the process as peaceful as possible.
4. “Virtual Care Coordinators” are using technology to make the experience more pleasant for moms. Some features of Virtual Care include mobile appointment-making, after hours clinician advice, and remote monitoring through secure chat and messaging systems.
5. Mothers are given the information and tools needed for wellness education, allowing them to self-manage parts of their maternity journey.

GoMo Health Concierge Care® is a system to enhance the patient experience by engaging with and supporting patients virtually. Concierge Care is being used domestically and internationally to change maternity care for the better. Read on for two examples:

ViaCord

ViaCord, a leading provider of newborn cord blood banking services under the parent company PerkinElmer, has launched ViaCord Concierge with GoMo Health, a Personal Concierge™ program with a focus on prenatal support for expectant women.

The ViaCord Concierge program utilizes mobile technology to nurture soon-to-be moms with a custom prenatal program that delivers resources designed to educate and support them week-by-week throughout their pregnancy. Educational messaging sent from ViaCord and the OB/GYN ensures that patients feel at ease and supported through their pregnancy journey.

Aga Khan University Hospitals

Concierge Care is crossing international waters to revolutionize maternity care in Kenya, Africa. A 2012 Kenyan government study showed that negative patient experience is “one of the major reasons that women in Kenya avoid giving birth in hospitals and other birth facilities.” Evidence-based data shows that Kenyan women find it hard to receive education, are facing long waits, crowded labor wards and poor treatment from nurses. At the new Mother and Child Medical Centre in The Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, GoMo Health will play a large part in changing the face of maternity care with the implementation of its first-ever Personal Concierge™ program.

For more information on GoMo Health’s work with Aga Khan, stay tuned to our blog and sign up for our emails!