William (Bill) Gilbert, MD
In order to create change and improve patient care, Dr. Gilbert recognized that a committee with diverse specialties would create the most effective improvement programs. The “Quality of care on Labor and Delivery” committee comprised of OB/GYNs, anesthesiologists, RN staff, hospital administration, and pediatric staff was created to address issues that impacted quality of care in a multi-disciplinary approach.
Over the course of 2 years many new programs have been developed by the committee to improve patient outcomes and safety. One example being the OB Rapid response team, developed over several months for emergency consultation when any member of the health care team felt that a mother or fetus was in danger. In addition they developed a process to improve provider communication, so that patient handoffs and MD-RN communication was adequate for patient safety. The Quality of Care on L&D committee continues to be a forum for discussion of problems that arise, providing everyone involved an opportunity to be heard, understood, and a common ground found. With the new teams and communication tools in place, the number of adverse staff interactions on different issues have decreased or disappeared. Continual education is necessary as new providers come on board, but the improvement process is on going.
