Can listening to patient voices improve childbirth outcomes in America? | Breakthroughs Can't Wait
Childbirth is one of life’s most important moments — but many people say their voices aren’t heard during their prenatal care and birth.Pointing to scientific literature, Rachel Blankstein Breman, PhD, MPH, RN, FAWHONN, assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, said, “We have recently seen an uptick in people reporting that they don't feel heard and that their preferences and their options aren't necessarily being explained to them by their providers. And so I created CHOICES to measure the patient experience, because I felt that we needed something to objectively measure what people were saying was happening.”CHOICES — CHildbirth Options, Information, and Person-Centered Explanation — is the first patient-reported measure designed to capture what people experience in maternity care. Unlike traditional metrics such as C-section rates or newborn Apgar scores, it centers the patient voice.This research is supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.#ChildBirth #pregnancy #NIHResearch
More from Youtube
- 2:16UMB National Night Out '25
- 1:06Register for an UMB Shuttle Town HallAfter receiving feedback from students about the revitalized UMB shuttle program, the University will hold three town halls to gain more insight from the UMB community on proposed changes to the service coming in August 2026. Students, faculty, and staff are invited to join an upcoming Shuttle Town Hall to receive information, share ideas, ask questions, and help shape a service that best meets the needs of the University community. Town Hall Schedule Oct. 29: In-Person Only 1 to 2 p.m. School of Nursing, Room 130 (auditorium) Nov. 3: In-Person and Virtual 4 to 5 p.m. Francis King Carey School of Law, Room 107 Nov. 10: In-Person Only 1 to 2 p.m. School of Nursing, Room 130 (auditorium)Your input will influence how the new UMB shuttle program takes shape. Visit umaryland.edu/shuttlebus
- 0:52Closing Gaps in Prenatal Heart Care | Breakthroughs Can't WaitUniversity of Maryland School of Medicine student Claire Wegner is working with Dr. Alicia Chaves in Pediatric Cardiology to study prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease — and why some families receive that diagnosis too late.Her early findings reveal that mothers of Latino and Hispanic ethnicity and those who prefer non-English languages are significantly less likely to receive a prenatal diagnosis. Understanding these differences can help improve access to care and save more babies’ lives.Breakthroughs Can’t Wait. At UMB, we’re changing the future today.#BreakthroughsCantWaitUMB #PrenatalCare #MaternalHealth #CongenitalHeartDisease #HealthEquity #MedicalResearch #UMBresearch
- 2:30What if we could identify congenital heart disease in every baby before birth?University of Maryland School of Medicine student Claire Wegner is investigating how congenital heart disease is diagnosed — and how earlier detection could save newborn lives.As a participant in the Program for Research Initiated by Students and Mentors (PRISM), Wegner spent her summer in the Department of Pediatric Cardiology under the mentorship of Alicia Heather Chaves, MD, MAS, where she analyzed data from mothers and infants affected by congenital heart disease.Early diagnosis is critical, Wegner stressed, saying, “It has been shown that infants who are diagnosed prenatally, that they have much better outcomes than those who are diagnosed postnatally.”Learn more at https://www.umaryland.edu/breakthroughs
- 0:42Saving More Babies Before Birth | Breakthroughs Can't Wait“What if we could save more babies by diagnosing congenital heart disease before they’re born?”Medical student Claire Wegner is studying the prenatal course of infants with congenital heart disease to uncover why some conditions are detected early while others are missed.Her findings reveal key differences in maternal demographics that can guide solutions to improve prenatal access and save lives.#BreakthroughsCantWaitUMB #MaternalHealth #PrenatalCare #CongenitalHeartDisease #MedicalResearch #UMBresearch #NINR
- 1:24The Courage to Defend Universities | Danya Qato"The more of us who walk the path of truth, the more we can share in the burden of illuminating that path for others."Danya Mazen Qato, PhD, PharmD, MPH, Associate Professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, reminds us that universities must remain spaces of free inquiry, truth, and courage. From her speech “On the Imperative of Courage” at the 2025 University of Maryland, Baltimore Convocation.#DanyaQato #ImperativeOfCourage #UMBConvocation #HigherEd #AcademicFreedom #SpeakUp #Shorts








