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POST-BIRTH Warning Signs Initiative

POST-BIRTH women are at risk for potential life-threatening medical complications that can occur after hospital discharge.

In 2020, TIPQC worked with AWHONN to distribute the POST-BIRTH Warning signs to every delivery hospital, maternal outpatient clinics, doulas, and midwives in the state. This also included training for 10 nurses per hospital, on when a patience should seek immediate medical attention, a tool kit and POST-BIRTH patient education in discharge planning. Materials are in over 23 languages.

This training provided provider & patient education regarding the dangerous POST-BIRTH warning signs and needed treatment, thus increasing the number of women who recognize potential life-threatening POST-BIRTH warning signs that can occur after hospital discharge and educating them on when to obtain immediate medical attention. Each participating hospital developed a standard approach to postpartum discharge education provided by nurses during the hospital stay. Online education on maternal morbidity and mortality, how to deliver consistent messages about warning signs, a discharge education checklist, and a handout for all mothers to take home were included in the training.

In 2021 – POST BIRTH Warning Signs Training and materials were purchased for 46 hospitals, and TIPQC printed 82,800 magnets for hospitals to utilize at discharge. Those hospitals included:

Ascension St. Thomas Midtown

Ascension St. Thomas River Park Hospital

Ascension St. Thomas Rutherford

Baptist Memorial Hospital – Tipton

Baptist Memorial Hospital – Union City

Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women

Blount Memorial Hospital

Bristol Regional Medical Center

Choices Memphis

Cumberland Medical Center

Erlanger Health System

Erlanger Medical Center

Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center

Greenville Community Hospital

Hardin Medical Center

Henry County Medical Center

Jackson-Madison County General Hospital

Johnson City Medical Center

LeConte Medical Center

Maury Regional Medical Center

Methodist Healthcare South Hospital

Methodist LeBonheur Germantown

Methodist Medical Center

Morristown-Hamblen Medical Center

Nashville General Hospital

Newport Medical Center

North Knoxville Medical Center

Parkridge Medical Center

Parkwest Medical Center

Regional One Health

Riverview Regional Medical Center

St. Francis Hospital, Bartlett

St. Francis Hospital, Memphis

Sumner Regional Medical Center

Tennova Healthcare – Clarksville

TriStar centennial Women’s and Children’s

TriStar Horizon Medical Center

TriStar Summit Medical Center

University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Vanderbilt Center for Women at NorthCrest

Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital

Vanderbilt Wilson County

West Tennessee Healthcare, Dyersburg Hospital

West Tennessee Healthcare

Williamson Medical Center

In 2022 – TIPQC purchased 65,390 Magnets for hospitals to utilize for patient discharge, including adding the hospital’s logo if requested.

From 2021 to 2023– Hospitals were able to complete the training and received a banner highlighting the patient education for the hospital. 283 AWHONN Post Birth Warning Signs Learning Seats used by 46 hospitals. An additional webinar with AWHONN national experts was held on January 19, 2022. In total, 283 AWHONN Post Birth Warning Signs Learning Seats used by 43 hospitals.  This training was extended for 2023 with the following hospitals completing the training and receiving a hospital banner which also included patient education:

  • Baptist Memorial Hospital – Tipton
  • Baptist Memorial Hospital – Union City
  • Bristol Regional Medical Center
  • Erlanger Medical Center
  • Erlanger Children’s Hospital
  • Hardin Medical Center
  • Jackson-Madison County General Hospital
  • Newport Medical Center
  • Regional One Health
  • Ascension St. Thomas Midtown
  • TriStar Northcrest Medical Center
  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  • West Tennessee Healthcare Volunteer Hospital

In 202337 Hospitals received an additional 58,495 magnets (English, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin)

2024Magnets were purchased and distributed to 71,295 pregnant and postpartum women in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin. 

This is a total of 277,980 magnets distributed to 37 hospitals and over 50 doulas.