Detmold – GRB Gesellschaft für Risiko-Beratung mbH, a subsidiary of the Ecclesia Group and sister company of hevianna Versicherungsdienst GmbH, has developed an audit procedure for the midwife-attended delivery room care model together with the German Midwives Association (DHV). Hospitals can use this to become certified and thus confirm the availability of a care model that benefits mother and child.
Audit procedure ensures uniform standard of care in midwife delivery rooms
Detmold – GRB Gesellschaft für Risiko-Beratung mbH, a subsidiary of the Ecclesia Group and sister company of hevianna Versicherungsdienst GmbH, has developed an audit procedure for the midwife-attended delivery room care model together with the German Midwives Association (DHV). Hospitals can use this to become certified and thus confirm the availability of a care model that benefits mother and child.
German Midwives Association (DHV) issues “HKS+Certificate”.
Detmold – GRB Gesellschaft für Risiko-Beratung mbH, a subsidiary of the Ecclesia Group and sister company of hevianna Versicherungsdienst GmbH, has developed an audit procedure for the midwife-assisted delivery room care model together with the German Midwives Association (DHV). Hospitals can use this to get certified and confirm the availability of a care model in the interest of mother and child.
After passing the audit, the DHV awards the so-called “HKS+ certificate” to the participating hospitals. The midwife delivery room is a midwife-led obstetric care model in a clinical setting in which midwives care for healthy women during pregnancy, during and after childbirth, and in the puerperium. Due to the positive scientific evidence of this care model, more and more hospitals are deciding to expand their obstetric services to include a midwife-led delivery room. They want to raise their obstetric profile, develop the department, retain midwives in the workplace and provide the best possible care for mother and child. Some federal states support this initiative by providing funding.
The design of midwife delivery rooms in hospitals has so far varied greatly. The DHV would like to see a uniform standard of care in midwife delivery rooms. “The DHV's network for midwife delivery rooms has developed criteria for midwife delivery rooms to ensure that wherever you see the words 'midwife delivery room', the services provided there also include the appropriate care for pregnant women and their children,” says Andrea Köbke, member of the DHV's council for salaried employees. The focus here is not only on the design of the care model itself, but also, and in particular, on safety aspects for mother and child. In her view, the implementation of clinical risk management in the midwife delivery room is essential for this. GRB and DHV have developed a joint concept to incorporate this expertise into the audit procedure. “We are experts when it comes to designing patient safety in clinical processes,” says Vera Triphaus, herself a midwife and employee of GRB.
According to Vera Triphaus, combining the care model of the midwife-led birth room with aspects of liability and patient safety in a uniform quality and safety standard as an audit procedure offers hospitals the following advantages: “It enables them to keep an eye on the relevant risk aspects of obstetric care and thus also on central liability issues, while also implementing the care model holistically in the interests of women, children and midwives.” Anyone wishing to obtain the DHV's “HKS+ certificate” must be able to continuously demonstrate that the issue of risk in obstetric care is considered in all processes. “The safe care of mother and child in a midwife-only delivery room, but also in an interdisciplinary delivery room, must be achieved every day anew,” says Vera Triphaus, describing the purpose behind the overall concept. ‘That is why the duration of the ’HKS+Zertifikat' is limited to three years and is regularly evaluated by the external audit firm during this period.”
A cooperation agreement was concluded between the DHV and GRB for the overall concept, which defines the essential aspects for hospitals to participate in the process, but also the contents of the audit criteria. “In addition to GRB, other audit companies can also carry out risk audits of midwife delivery rooms if they can prove to us that they meet the defined criteria,” explains Andrea Köbke. This has laid the foundation for a structured quality and safety audit of midwife-run delivery rooms, which is unique in Germany in this form. Until now, obstetric departments have had access to either general certification procedures or those for specific care (breastfeeding, perinatal center). An audit procedure that focuses on obstetric care provided by midwives and can be applied in any obstetric institution that has implemented the care model is an absolute novelty in the hospital landscape.
About the DHV
The German Midwives Association (DHV) is the largest professional association for midwives in Germany, comprising 16 regional associations with a total of around 22,000 members. It represents the interests of all midwives. The DHV represents employed and freelance midwives, midwifery teachers, midwifery scientists, midwives in early intervention, midwife-led facilities, as well as midwifery students and students. www.hebammenverband.de
If you have any questions, please contact:
Ann-Cathrin Ohm
Corporate Communication Ecclesia Group
Ecclesiastraße 1 - 4
32758 Detmold
Phone: +49 5231 603-8128