HomeNews & TopicsEducation and Professional DevelopmentMultidisciplinary collaboration leads to maternity service expansion

Multidisciplinary collaboration leads to maternity service expansion

Published on

Good interprofessional relationships and collaboration have been present since midwifery care was introduced in Temiskaming in 2010. This led to an expansion of services which includes midwifery care in the community and water birth at the hospital for some physician patients. “There’s been a general openness and willingness to learn and grow on the part of all parties,” says midwife Kim Cloutier Holtz.

Cloutier Holtz began practicing in Temiskaming three years ago, but had started building good working relationships with hospital staff long beforehand. While her practice application to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care was being finalized, Cloutier Holtz worked closely with physicians and hospital staff to build a good foundation for the delivery of midwifery services in the community. “They rely on me, and I rely on them. We work together to provide the best patient or client care,” she says.

Clinical nurse manager Joan Brazeau agrees that education has been an essential part of bringing the team together.  “From the beginning, we’ve involved Kim as part of our team. Kim helped with the education of staff and physicians. Through our collaboration, this service is now available to the community.”

Dr. Stacy Ann Desilets, a family physician who provides obstetrical care and works closely with Cloutier Holtz, says she has learned a great deal through the collaborative relationship. “I think it has improved my care in that I’ve learned techniques, non-medical ways of supporting labouring women through watching Kim and discussing cases and working with her.”

The staff at Temiskaming Hospital believe some of the initiatives from this collaborative model, such as water birth, will result in cost benefits to the hospital and better outcomes for patients. They are currently tracking their data to verify if this is happening.

“Especially with water labour and birth,” says Desilets. “Over time, [we anticipate] we’ll see less of a need for other types of analgesia, which would be cost-effective for the hospital and also ideal for reducing the risks for mom and baby.”

Latest articles

The Canadian Consensus Statement on the management of venous leg ulcers

This Consensus Statement was developed with the objective of creating a concise document that...

A pathway to independence for patients with rare disease

Nearly 20 years ago, Audrey Gouskos came through the St. Michael’s Hospital Emergency Department...

Robotic-assisted rehabilitation now available in Fraser Health

Stroke patient Leanne Mork is learning to walk again with the assistance of a...

Helping Canada Design Health Care Facilities for Future Needs

Health care facilities (HCFs) play an important role in communities, providing a safe, secure,...

More like this

Robotic-assisted rehabilitation now available in Fraser Health

Stroke patient Leanne Mork is learning to walk again with the assistance of a...

Improving evidence-based care

Two recent studies from UHN’s Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI) have advanced the...

Helping cancer patients by better detecting frailty

As people grow older, their risk of developing cancer increases. So does their risk...

Housing and hope: How a community resource worker at Providence helps patients thrive after a hospital stay

Most people view their time in the hospital as a brief interruption from home,...

Bariatric Centre of Excellence adds medical stream offering for patients

The Bariatric Centre of Excellence at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) introduced a new...

Child undernutrition may be contributing to global measles outbreaks, researchers find

Amid a global surge in measles cases, new research suggests that undernutrition may be...