Patient Voices Making a Difference in Maternal Newborn Health

When it comes to improving patient experience, some of the best ideas come directly from the patients and families who have experienced our care.

That is the purpose of GBMC’s Maternal Newborn Health Patient Family Advisory Council, or MNH PFAC. The group is chaired by staff members, Jodie Bell and Lanny Dowell, with members Jennifer Carson, Carly Eisenbrandt, Erica Gregory, Katie Luglie, Jennifer Meleady, Madeline Merk, Chelsea Rosengarten, Stacy Vargo and Shannon Wilson-Saunders. Together, they bring their personal experiences with GBMC’s Maternal Newborn Health services to the table and help shape how we care for patients and families. 

The council meets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every other month. During each meeting, the Maternal Newborn Health team brings questions, ideas, and new initiatives to the group for feedback. PFAC members share what they think will work, what could be improved, and how a change may feel from the patient or family's point of view. 

Over the years, their input has led to meaningful improvements. The group has provided feedback on postpartum depression resources, the discharge process, safe sleep education, NICU parent comfort bags, traumatic birth debriefing, parent sleep rooms, and more. Members have also helped shape education around breastmilk storage, medications, discharge phone calls and infant fall prevention. 

More recently, PFAC members reviewed the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) Respectful Maternity Care toolkit and shared examples from their own experiences of communication that made them feel supported, as well as situations where communication could have been better. Those conversations were used to create “right way, wrong way” skits for Maternal Newborn Health leaders, with plans to record them for bedside staff education. 

The group also reviewed books designed to support vaginal birth and helped determine when patients would be most likely to use the information during pregnancy. That conversation led to additional discussion around pain management during labor, including nitrous oxide, which GBMC plans to implement in September. 

PFAC members have also shared their thoughts about bedside nursing handoffs at shift change, prenatal office visits and what helps patients build trust with their providers. 

One ongoing example of their impact is the improvements of the Yaggy Atrium. PFAC members raised concerns about the space as the first touch point for patients and families. They are playing a role in the design process by selecting the colors, fabrics, and feel. 

For Jodie Bell, one of the reasons the group works so well is that members see their feedback turn into action. “PFAC is honestly my favorite meeting. Our members tell us this is one of the groups they’re part of where things actually get done, and I think that’s why it’s been so successful. They can see the results of their work, so they know their opinions really matter. Their voices carry weight, and when PFAC says something is important, we listen.” 

That sense of partnership is what makes the group so valuable. Members know their voices matter, and the Maternal Newborn Health team knows their perspective helps make care better. For GBMC, the MNH PFAC is more than a meeting. It is a group of patients and families helping shape a better experience for the families who come after them.