Project 1: Patient-Centered Community & Clinical Approaches to Reduce Racial Disparities at Birth by Preventing Anemia

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The problem of maternal iron deficiency anemia is vastly under-recognized yet it affects approximately 16 percent of pregnancies in the U.S. Rates are three to four times higher among Black people and one and a half to two times higher among Latinx people compared to their white counterparts. This translates to higher rates of postpartum hemorrhage-related severe maternal morbidity. By effectively addressing antenatal iron deficiency anemia and these disparities, we can reduce postpartum hemorrhage-related severe maternal morbidity and maternal deaths related to postpartum hemorrhage.

Aim 1.  Develop an Anemia Prevention Toolkit that aligns evidence-based practice with patient-centered care, incorporating patients’ lived experience, community assets, and clinical/hospital workflows.

Aim 2. Optimize and assess the toolkit’s ability to increase hemoglobin (a measure of anemia) at birth admission at 8 pilot sites, modifying it as needed based on data and feedback from the pilot sites and our community partners.

Measure hemoglobin at birth admission and report it to pilot sites, with rapid, nearly real-time reporting via the CMQCC Maternal Data Center.

Aim 3. Implement and disseminate the modified toolkit across hospitals in California, Oregon, and Washington to reduce postpartum hemorrhage-related severe maternal morbidity.