by Jenelle Grewell
Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Division of Obstetric Anesthesiology has been designated as a Center of Excellence (COE) by the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP).
The designation is for institutions and programs that demonstrate excellence in obstetric anesthesia care and to set a benchmark of superior care that adheres to evidence-based practices and national and international guidelines for maternal care.
The criteria for the designation cover personnel and staffing; equipment, protocols, and policies; cesarean delivery management; labor analgesia, recommendations and guidelines implementation; and quality assurance and patient follow-up.
“This designation shows the department’s dedication to quality patient care and is also indicative of the Obstetrical Division’s commitment to interdisciplinary practice excellence,” said Warren Sandberg, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Anesthesiology.
Obstetric Anesthesiology Division Chief Jeanette Bauchat, MD, MS, said being designated a COE was a team effort between obstetric anesthesiologists and their multidisciplinary partners on labor and delivery. She said the division looked at where they were meeting criteria and where they could improve.
“Faculty and CRNAs took on a multitude of systems improvement and quality initiatives to ensure a solid application for COE,” she said.
The designation reflects the division’s commitment to staying current on knowledge, skills and best practices and bringing them to VUMC.
“Best practices sometimes get reported, then lost in the literature. This designation is a good way to bridge that gap. It pushes institutions to implement best practices,” Bauchat said.
This designation needs to be renewed every four years. “There are ongoing, continued, and ever-changing practices and national guidelines and we intend to be at the leading edge of those on Vanderbilt’s labor and delivery unit,” Bauchat said.
