BIRTH-Rx: Medication Safety Risk Assessment in Labor & Delivery
INITIATIVE
Labor and delivery units routinely use high-alert medications such as magnesium sulfate and oxytocin, which have a heightened risk of causing significant harm if used in error. Despite their routine use, medication errors involving these agents remain a persistent concern in obstetric care. These errors, ranging from incorrect dosing and infusion rates to misprogrammed pumps, can lead to serious maternal and neonatal complications. The unique clinical environment of labor and delivery, with its rapid pace, urgent decision-making, and dual patient focus, increases the complexity of safe medication administration. Ongoing vigilance, standardized protocols, and a strong safety culture are essential to reducing risk and ensuring the safest possible outcomes for both mothers and babies.
BIRTH-Rx stands for Better Identification and Reduction of Threats to Hospital Medication Safety in Labor and Delivery—a proactive initiative designed to improve medication safety in labor and delivery settings.
Why BIRTH-Rx?
Medication safety in Labor & Delivery is essential to ensuring the well-being of both mothers and newborns. Yet, L&D units face unique and complex challenges. BIRTH-Rx supports hospitals in addressing these risks through a structured medication safety risk assessment tailored for perinatal settings.
This initiative empowers hospitals to identify vulnerabilities in their Labor & Delivery (L&D) medication safety practices, implement safer processes aligned with best practice recommendations, and collaborate with peers to promote shared learning and sustained improvements.
Perinatal Medication Safety Risk Assessment
To address the persistent risks associated with medication use in obstetric care, a comprehensive Perinatal Medication Safety Risk Assessment was developed by experts in pharmacy and perinatal safety. This tool brings together best practices and recommendations from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and others into one cohesive resource.
Designed to help healthcare organizations conduct a thorough evaluation of their medication safety processes in perinatal settings, the assessment streamlines evidence-based guidance into a single, user-friendly document. It supports teams in identifying vulnerabilities, prioritizing improvement efforts, and aligning with nationally recognized safety standards—ultimately strengthening safety culture and reducing the risk of medication errors for mothers and newborns.
Initiative Goals
Through BIRTH-Rx, participating hospitals will:
Conduct standardized medication safety risk assessments in L&D units
Identify and mitigate vulnerabilities in medication processes
Build long-term internal capacity for safety reviews and quality improvement
Share insights and best practices with peers across the region
What Hospitals Participating Receive
A standardized, evidence-based risk assessment tool developed by MPSC
Support for risk mitigation action plan development and implementation
Shared learning and collaboration with participating hospitals across the region
Be Part of the Change
BIRTH-Rx is your opportunity to uncover hidden risks, strengthen your safety culture, and drive lasting improvements in medication safety impacting outcomes for moms and babies. Enrollment is ongoing outside the initial cohort if you are interested in using the Perinatal Proactive Medication Safety Risk Assessment to self assess your organization's perinatal medication safety contact us programs@marylandpatientsafety.org