DALLAS – April 2026 – A new program known as TeamBirth, launching at UT Southwestern Medical Center’s William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital in May, aims to improve communication among all the members of a patient’s care team – an approach that could improve patient-centered maternity care and boost childbirth outcomes.
“Before, during, and after the birth of a child, communication is key for preserving the safety and dignity of our patients. With TeamBirth, we are lifting up the whole birth team’s voice to ensure that everyone gets heard.”Jamie Morgan, M.D., Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Southwestern
Data from the Joint Commission, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that accredits and certifies health care organizations, shows that failure to communicate between providers and patients accounts for up to 90% of preventable injuries during childbirth.
TeamBirth is a national care initiative developed by Ariadne Labs, a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston and locally funded by the Child Poverty Action Lab in Dallas. It aims to improve these statistics by closing communication gaps and empowering all members of the birth care team to actively participate in shared decision-making.
A core tenet of this model is frequent huddles of all members of the care team at key decision points throughout the hospital stay. Team huddles bring together all medical providers, the patients, and their support network. These meetings happen at admission to the hospital, during changes in the patient’s or child’s condition, during decisions about delivery, or when requested by the patient or a team member. The goal is to ensure a common understanding of the patient’s preferences, clinical status, and next steps in care.
Another key feature of TeamBirth is a planning board placed in all labor and delivery rooms that serves as an ongoing shared reference. The board provides a clear reference for the care team, documenting who is involved in the patient’s care, birth preferences, and the current plan and progress for both patient and baby.
Clements University Hospital already incorporates many of these principles in the approximately 1,700 births that occur there each year, Dr. Morgan said. TeamBirth will build on this foundation by using a standardized implementation framework for all patients receiving maternity care. Medical providers at Clements held TeamBirth training in late March and plan to begin implementing this model for all births starting in May.
(Newswise/HG)