Women Wellness and Rehabilitation Center (WWRC) at Hamad Medical Corporation has set up the standards for intensive care labour services in the region by establishing new level 2 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in its labour room to provide continuity of care and safe transition of care for pregnant women who are at high risk of severe morbidity or mortality.
At the new unit, the high-risk pregnant women will be assessed and followed by the same team right from their induction time to delivery and throughout their immediate post-partum care.
The ICU labour room initiative represents one of the goals in WWRC’s new strategic plan to develop current service standards in order to enhance the management of high-risk obstetric patients. A multidisciplinary team of obstetricians, anaesthetists, intensivists, and nurses will engage timely to provide high level of care for this category of patients.
“We are aiming to improve outcomes and experience of critically ill pregnant women in labour by establishing a level 2 ICU units in the labour room and it is our expectations that this labour ICU services will enable the high-risk patients who are eligible for normal delivery to be closely monitored and supervised. This initiative is expected to set the standards for similar services in the region and an example to be followed by leading tertiary maternity centres in the world. The vision of WWRC is to deliver the safest, most effective, and most compassionate care to our patients,” said, Dr Hilal Amin al-Rifai, WWRC’s chief executive officer and medical director
According to him, creating an ICU unit in labour ward will help in providing continuity of care and safe transition of care for patients as all the team members will be physically present in the labour ward and it will improve patient safety through minimising transfer of critically ill patients across units and provide care through specialised critical care nurse.
“Other important advantages of creating this new units are early recognition and prompt treatment of deteriorating patients; easier accessibility to operating theatre in case of emergency; easier accessibility to level 3 ICU in Ambulatory Care Center through connecting doors should need arises; better patient and family experience; staff satisfaction using blended care, midwives and critical care nurses; staff feels better supported; eliminate waste, as time needed in shifting among units in addition to endorsement times will be reduced; cost reduction and better outcomes. Moreover, need for level 3 ICU can be decreased; and improve patient’s experience through continuity of care and decreasing number of transfers,” Dr al-Rifai added.
