Postpartum Bracelet Alerts Medical Personnel of Health Risks
5/19/2023
JOHNSON, AR – Northwest Health is extending care beyond the hospital to new mothers with a royal blue postpartum bracelet which could be the difference in getting the right care in an emergency.
“Think of it as a medical alert bracelet,” said Christine Brett, director of labor and delivery at Northwest Medical Center – Willow Creek Women’s Hospital (WCWH). “The idea is for patients to wear the bracelet for up to a year postpartum so if they present to an ER and are unable
to convey that they’ve had a baby in the last year, this will alert the ER team to consider postpartum complications and not just traditional complications.”
For example, a seizure could be related to postpartum eclampsia and the treatment the patient receives makes a difference to their health.
“I think people forget that having a baby really changes your medical history,” she said. “There’s a whole slew of things pregnancy and delivery changes.”
Brett said the WCWH team first learned about the bracelet from the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses and it was something they wanted to offer patients at the hospital.
“We wanted to take a more active role in women’s health and do right by the women in our region and state,” she said. “We decided to implement this initiative as a way to help prevent poor outcomes and take care of our patients even when they’ve left the facility.”
The program started near the end of March and each person delivering a baby at WCWH receives a bracelet when they are discharged.
“The bracelet is optional, not required and is included in every plan of care folder,” Brett said. “Every patient gets one and takes it home and we educate our patients on the program while they are here.”
While the team has been busy communicating with local EMTs and emergency services on what the bracelet means, they’ve also been calling ERs to let them know about the program.
“We’re also letting home-delivery midwives know about it in case they want to adapt the program as well,” Brett said.
Some of the postpartum conditions the bracelet can alert emergency medical personnel to include:
- Hemorrhage
- Postpartum depression and/or anxiety
- Postpartum psychosis
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism
- Postpartum eclampsia
For patients that delivered before bracelets were distributed, please visit WCWH to pick one up or call our nurse navigator at (479) 684-3204 for more information about this new program.
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