AIM Information as of 09/23/2020

South Carolina Birth Outcomes Initiative
Joins the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health

Did you know? The United States has the worst rate of maternal deaths in the developed world, and 60 percent of those deaths are preventable.¹ For every maternal death, 70 mothers nearly die.² In response, the national Alliance on Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) was founded to promote consistent and safe maternity care to significantly reduce maternal morbidity and maternal mortality.³ In partnership with the South Carolina Birth Outcomes Initiative, SC became an AIM state in October, 2019.

What Is AIM? The purpose of AIM is to “equip, empower and embolden every state, perinatal quality collaborative, hospital network/system, birth facility and maternity care provider in the U.S to significantly reduce severe maternal morbidity and maternal mortality through proven implementation of consistent maternity care practices.”⁴ AIM strategies include broad partnership, tools and technical assistance, implementation training, real-time data, building on existing initiatives, and incremental bundle adoption.⁵
AIM maternal safety bundles (action systems) focus on maternal venous thromboembolism prevention, postpartum care basics for maternal safety, maternal opioid use disorder, obstetric hemorrhage, reduction of peripartum racial/ethnic disparities, safe reduction of primary cesarean, severe hypertension in pregnancy, severe maternal morbidity review, and support after a severe maternal event.² Hospitals participating in AIM collect a series of process measures which help the birthing facility monitor its implementation of these bundles. Likewise, severe maternal morbidity (SMM) outcome data is collected for these obstetric patient groups: all birth events, maternal hemorrhage, severe hypertension/preeclampsia, primary cesarean, and venous thromboembolism

2019 Poster Presentation for the American Public Health Association (Philadelphia, PA)
Addressing severe maternal morbidity as a maternal health equity issue in SC.

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¹https://www.propublica.org/article/die-in-childbirth-maternal-death-rate-health-care-system
²https://www.npr.org/series/543928389/lost-mothers
³Funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau, it is a program under the auspices of the Council for Patient Safety in Women’s Health Care (for which the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is a member).
⁴https://www.acog.org/About-ACOG/ACOG-Departments/Patient-Safety-and-Quality-Improvement/What-is-AIM
⁵https://safehealthcareforeverywoman.org/aim-program/

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