Maryland Perinatal Debriefing
INITIATIVE
Supporting nurses and providers. Strengthening safety. Driving improvement.
Why This Work Matters
Healthcare providers are often the “second victims” of traumatic childbirth events. Exposure to severe maternal or neonatal outcomes can cause emotional distress, burnout, and long-term occupational stress. While leaders can’t prevent every traumatic event, they can build supportive environments that prioritize:
Psychological safety
Access to emotional support
Standardized, effective debriefing practices
A culture of trust and well-being helps retain staff, improve morale, and strengthen patient safety outcomes across perinatal units.
The Gap We
Aim to Close
Despite the critical importance of post-event debriefing, many clinicians:
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Lack formal training in leading debriefs
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Have no standardized workflows to connect teams with mental health support
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Miss opportunities to learn from adverse events and improve future care
The Maryland Perinatal Debriefing Initiative, funded through MDMOM, was created to fill this gap by equipping perinatal leaders with tools, education, and structured support for their teams.
Our Goals
To provide perinatal nurses and provider leaders across Maryland with the skills, resources, and standardized workflows they need to:
Lead meaningful debriefings after severe maternal or neonatal events
Build psychological safety and resilience on their units
Identify opportunities for quality and safety improvements
Normalize emotional support as a core part of patient safety culture
Objectives
Participating organizations will:
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Assess the current state of perinatal debriefing on their units
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Receive education on best practices for effective, supportive debriefings
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Create a tailored resource list for staff emotional support
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Develop tools for a comprehensive debriefing program
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Implement standardized workflows to ensure lessons learned lead to action
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Promote resilience and reduce burnout and compassion fatigue
Funding & Support
This initiative is part of the Maryland Maternal Health Innovation Program (MDMOM), funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
We’re proud to share the MDMOM Provider Support Bundle—created to help providers implement debriefs, access emotional support resources, and drive improvements in quality and safety.
