PRONTO International in the United States

Collaborators and Partners: LIFT Simulation Design Lab, ImPACTS

In 2020, PRONTO, LIFT Simulation Design Lab, and ImPACTS began a collaborative effort aimed at reducing maternal mortality by improving care for women and babies in some of the 1085 American counties with no Ob/Gyns, nurse-midwives, or hospital maternity wards, also known as maternity deserts. PRONTO, LIFT Simulation Lab, and ImPACTS’s innovative approach will target Critical Access Hospitals in these maternity deserts by training emergency teams, including emergency department physicians and nurses, EMTs, and paramedics, to manage pregnancy-related complications.

With an alarming number of rural maternity wards closing, emergency department providers and EMS workers in these settings are increasingly tasked with managing obstetric and neonatal emergencies despite limited training and confidence to provide such care. In response, PRONTO, LIFT Simulation Lab, and ImPACTS will build, pilot, and study a simulation and team-training program targeting emergency teams in Critical Access Hospitals to identify and treat obstetric complications promptly, all while providing equitable care to patients of color. PRONTO STAT™ is an interprofessional simulation training that offers a sustainable solution to combat the impact of maternity deserts and implicit bias on rural women’s health. As maternity wards continue to disappear from rural America, PRONTO STAT™ will aim to equip emergency teams with the practice and confidence to identify and manage obstetric emergencies in their communities.