# Implementation of a Maternal Resuscitation Curriculum in a Regionalized Perinatal Health System: Maximizing the Chain of Survival to Reduce Maternal Health Inequities

> **NIH AHRQ R18** · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCH OF MED/DNT · 2023 · $484,908

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Maternal morbidity and mortality rates are increasing in the United States (US), and extreme racial and
geographic disparities persist, despite these outcomes being largely preventable with timely and appropriate
care. Most medical responders are not optimally proficient in caring for patients who experience maternal
medical emergencies, including maternal cardiac arrest. This gap exists among first responders and across
medical specialties, and even for OB-specialists trained in Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support. Leading
organizations in women’s health care and resuscitation have all called for efforts to better prepare healthcare
workers (HCWs) for maternal medical emergencies, and increasingly federal agencies and state legislatures
are incentivizing or requiring hospitals to provide this education and training. Nonetheless, the implementation
of evidence-based education for maternal medical emergencies in health systems across the US is
inconsistent and national credentialing standards do not exist. The study team developed Obstetric Life
SupportTM (OBLSTM), the first of its kind interdisciplinary simulation curriculum to train HCWs across the chain
of survival on preventing, recognizing, and managing maternal medical emergencies. Preliminary data from a
randomized, cross-over trial shows significant improvement in clinical competencies, knowledge, and
confidence for the intervention group compared to the control. However, as this validated simulation training is
only just now available and accessible to providers and healthcare organizations, dissemination and
implementation best practices do not yet exist. The objective of this project is to evaluate a train-the-trainer
approach for implementing OBLSTM in a diversity of hospital and prehospital contexts throughout Arizona. The
study will be conducted in partnership with the Arizona Perinatal Trust, the oldest regionalized perinatal
healthcare system in the US, and Arizona Emergency Medical Services. A Steering Committee composed of
local, regional, and national stakeholders will provide guidance and oversight for all study activities.
Specifically, the study aims to: (1) Identify and train HCWs from hospital and prehospital contexts in Arizona to
be OBLSTM instructors, prioritizing those that serve maternity care deserts and other marginalized communities
at risk of adverse maternal health outcomes; (2) Implement OBLSTM in hospital and prehospital contexts
across the state, with the training being led by local instructors; and (3) Evaluate OBLSTM implementation and
process outcomes. The study design entails a mixed methods approach, informed by the Consolidated
Framework for Implementation Research and the RE-AIM framework. To promote rapid learning, we will
conduct two back-to-back OBLSTM instructor training, implementation, and evaluation cycles, whereby the
second cycle will take into account feedback and lessons learned from the first. The study’s rigorous pr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10831699
- **Project number:** 1R18HS029814-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCH OF MED/DNT
- **Principal Investigator:** Shayna Cunningham
- **Activity code:** R18 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** AHRQ
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $484,908
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-09-30 → 2028-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10831699

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10831699, Implementation of a Maternal Resuscitation Curriculum in a Regionalized Perinatal Health System: Maximizing the Chain of Survival to Reduce Maternal Health Inequities (1R18HS029814-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10831699. Licensed CC0.

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