Florida Health University launches ambitious project to minimize pregnancy health risks by identifying, addressing and tracking social determinants of health that can threaten the health of mothers and babies .
This project will create an electronic patient dashboard that can alert you to social needs early in pregnancy to prevent health-threatening stress. Those social determinants include housing and food insecurity, transportation, stress, and financial strain.
Project leader Adetola F. Louis Jacques, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Florida College of Medicine, said the goal is to provide mothers in need with appropriate health care systems and systems to address these stressors. He said it was about providing local resources.
“Completely understanding the individual and their needs is an essential part of care,” says Louis Jacques, faculty member in the UF Health Maternal-Fetal Medicine Program. “This is an opportunity to respectfully engage the community to find solutions. That can be a powerful thing.”
Pregnancy-related deaths continue to decline globally, even though they are increasing in the United States. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. maternal mortality rate in 2021 was 32.9 per 100,000 live births, up from 9.8 per 100,000 in 2000. Some groups have been hit harder, with black women 2.6 times more likely to die during pregnancy. According to the CDC, it is more common in women than white women.
Higher stress levels are associated with preeclampsia, perinatal depression and anxiety disorders, preterm birth, and low birth weight.
This project is funded by the University of California School of Medicine's Quality and Patient Safety Initiative through the Rapid AI Prototyping and Development for Patient Safety (RAPiDS) program. The funded projects aim to galvanize AI solutions to quality improvement challenges.
Deepthi Varma, Ph.D., and John Smulian, MD, MPH, are collaborators with Louis-Jacques who will oversee all aspects of the project. Smulyan is a professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Florida College of Medicine.
Mr. Varma is an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of California College of Public Health and Health Professions and the University School of Medicine.
When pregnant women are contacted by a nurse for prenatal registration, they have already completed a questionnaire about their potential social needs. The project will use AI to analyze that information and other data to assess social risk factors that can impact the health of mothers and babies.
For example, if a mother has food insecurity or transportation issues to an appointment, a doctor can refer her to a social worker or UF Health's Perinatal Social Needs Navigator, a new position. Navigators work with community organizations that can help. With financial support from Alachua County, community health workers will also be hired to provide support and follow-up to patients and ensure their needs are met.
Luhrman L. Pebe, a clinical and geospatial data analyst in the Quality and Patient Safety Initiative at the University of Florida College of Medicine and a member of the project team, said the team is working tirelessly to improve patient health. He said there was. “I think that’s the driving force behind this project,” he said.
Project leaders said the effort greatly benefited from the partnership with UF Health Information Technology and its expertise with the databases essential to the project.
The key is community engagement, Louis-Jacques said. For example, one of the project's goals is to hold community listening sessions in areas with high social needs and poor pregnancy outcomes. This session will lead to a deeper understanding of the family's experience and proposed solutions.
“I think there will be an expectation in the medical community to address the social determinants of health,” she says. “This will ensure that we have systems in place to ensure that patients are tested, that we address these needs, and that we make real change. We will treat patients with respect and dignity. That’s what we’re doing.”
