Project Description
The doctoral capstone aims to to promote self-advocacy during early matrescence and educate African American obstetric patients living in low socioeconomic communities in Indiana on maternal mortality, common complications associated with pregnancy and postpartum, management of symptoms and secondary complications, prenatal and postpartum healthcare, and local and virtual resources.
Topic Area
Education | Advocacy
Area of Practice
Maternal Health
Target Population
Women who are in the lower socioeconomic range
Primary Site
Huntington University
Secondary Sites
Lugar Center for Rural Health's All Babies Initiative
Delivered an educational maternal health presentation to adolescent mothers and a capstone overview presentation to health professionals about the Black Maternal Health Literacy Toolkit, research found, and occupational therapy's role in maternal health.
Union Hospital
Observed an occupational therapist on the mother-infant unit provide education and OT services to women early in their postpartum period.
Project Planning
To determine the need, I compiled evidence-based literature from public domains and completed 6 informal interviews with Indiana birthworkers in varying professions. Professional titles included registered nurse, nurse midwife, doula, lactation specialist, and occupational therapist. The literature and interviews helped identify gaps in maternity care and important topics to address in the toolkit.
Literature Review
A 2023 Indiana study conducted by Clark et al. identified 6 themes: Lack of Continuous, Quality Health Care Coverage, Racism and Implicit Bias, Trauma and Lack of Mental Health Services, Lack of Instrumental and Emotional Support Systems, Insufficient Knowledge and Ability to Self-Advocate, and Lack of Data Transparency and Reliability.
"Underserved women, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, are at higher risk of maternal complications due to limited access to quality healthcare services" (Adamo, 2023).
"In 2020, the maternal mortality ratio for Black Hoosier women was 208 per 100,000 live births, compared to 108 for white women and 71 for Latinx women" (Arun et al., 2022).
"Within the United States, Indiana has the third highest maternal mortality rate among all reporting states at 44 deaths per 100,000 live births as of 2022" (Arun et al., 2022).
In 2022, Renbarger et al. conducted a qualitative study in Indiana that found three main themes that described participants’ perspectives of maternal mortality: Women Are Not Worried About Mortality Until They Experience Pregnancy Complications, Women Have Limited Information on Maternal Mortality, and Women Often Feel Dismissed During Maternity Care.
Mission Statement
To promote self-advocacy by providing educational materials on maternal health to African American women who are living in federally identified low socioeconomic communities.
Vision Statement
A community without barriers where women receive quality maternal healthcare regardless of socioeconomic class, age, race, and ethnicity.
Project Leader
Future Directions
My doctoral capstone project increased my knowledge in maternal health and resources available in Indiana to the birthing population. I aim to continue to advocate for all pregnant women, especially women in low socioeconomic communities to acquire affordable, quality maternity care. By designing resources and advocating for occupational therapy's role in maternal health, I aim to ensure women are equip with the education and self-advocacy tools to receive adequate services and care.
For any future correspondence, my contact information is as follows: email: johnsontessah@gmail.com
References
Adamo, S. I. (2023). Predicting maternal complication among underserved women based on the Demographic Composition. International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, 10(10), 146-155.
Arun, N., Sharma, V., & Thuranira, E. (2022). Maternal mortality in indiana (2022) contributing factors and policy recommendations. Indiana University Public Policy Institute. https://policyinstitute.iu.edu/doc/maternal-mortality-brief.pdf
Clark, A. E., Macey, E., Irby, A., Stone, C., Pell Abernathy, M., & Turman, J. E. (2023). Diverse perspectives to support a human rights approach to reduce indiana’s maternal mortality rate. Humanity & Society, 47(1), 69–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/01605976221109785
Renbarger, K. M., Place, J. M., Twibell, R., Trainor, K., & McIntire, E. (2022). Perspectives of maternal mortality among women who live in indiana. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2022.09.006