a. Was the information shared new to you? Were you aware of the maternal mortality disparities experienced by Black mothers? What was your initial reaction after watching the video and reading the article?
While I have heard that the Black maternal mortality and morbidity rate is higher, I did not know that it played such a prominent role within the hospitals and health care settings. While I knew it existed, I did not expect it to be as prominent as this video showed. My initial reaction to the video and the article was a mix of shock, disappointment, and motivation. I was shocked to see the prevalence in our society especially within hospitals and other healthcare settings. I was disappointed because I was hoping that at this time in life, society would be better with biases. I felt motivated because I want to be a better nurse than what I saw in the video. It motivates me to think about what I say, and how I act around patients to make sure I am providing them with a place they feel safe and heard.
b. How does the provider-patient relationship positively or negatively affect maternal mortality?
The provider- patient relationship can either positively or negatively affect maternal mortality. It can affect it in a positive way if their relationship is good. If the patient is telling the provider something is wrong, or they are having certain symptoms, and the provider listens and takes action accordingly, it can build a positive trusting relationship. This can lead to less maternal mortality because it will allow patients to feel safe enough to speak up if something does not feel right, because they know they will be heard and interventions will be made to fix it. The provider-patient relationship in a negative way if the patient does not trust that the provider will truly listen to their concerns and help them navigate through solutions. It can cause the patient to become fearful of being in the hospital or receiving healthcare in the future. Patients know their bodies best. They are our best source of information. It is crucial to listen to their signs and symptoms and the concerns they are voicing to reduce maternal mortality.
c. What are some reasons for why the Black maternal mortality rate is so high?
Some reasons the Black maternal mortality rate is so high for a couple reasons. The first reason is that Black women are less likely to be insured outside of pregnancy so they start prenatal care later, they do not get as much postpartum care, and they are more likely to have a chronic condition such as obesity or diabetes that makes having a baby more dangerous. Another reason the mortality rate is so high is because a lot of the time, the hospitals they deliver at are of lower quality than the hospitals white women deliver at.
d. How can we prevent mothers from dying? If you were the nurse in these situations, how could you help change the tragic outcome? What would you do differently and why? Identify at least 3 things you would do differently if you were the nurse.
We as nurses are advocates for our patients. If they are telling us something, we need to listen to them and really think about the things they are saying and how it relates to the care we are giving them. If I was a nurse in these situations, I would have listened to my patients and fought for answers to why they were feeling that type of symptom. One of these situations mentioned a woman was sent home with no follow up care even after voicing concerns about hemorrhage. If I was one of the nurses working on this case, I would have made sure the patient had follow up care and would have tried to find the cause of her “feeling of doom”. One of these patients was not given pain medications after screaming in pain, if I was a nurse I would have made actions towards working towards relieving her pain whether it be ice packs, medications, etc. A majority of the patients in this video said they felt unheard, unseen, and terrified. They did not receive any patient education regarding their health care, or any support from the healthcare staff. If I was the nurse in these cases, I would make sure my patients feel important, they are! They need to be able to trust us, being in the hospital is scary, they need us to explain what we are doing and why, they need to feel seen and heard. The more they trust us, the more they will open up and we can gain more information which can lead to a better nursing care plan.
