Search Results: MCHLine

Annotation: These clinical preventive service recommendations provide guidance on topics ranging from preeclampsia to neural tube defects that can help support evidence-based decisions.

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Keywords: Guidelines, Maternity and infant care, Newborns, Perinatal care, Postpartum care, Prenatal care

Annotation: This booklet describes for parents the safety criteria they should look for when choosing furniture, equipment, and toys for infants. Detailed drawings and texts provide information on how to judge the safety of cribs, gates, high chairs, playpens, toys, walkers, carriers, carrier seats, changing tables, diaper pails, hook-on chairs, pacifiers, strollers, and carriages. Tips for the safe use of such items and for general household safety are also included, as is a checklist of safety features for each item.

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Keywords: Guidelines, Infant equipment, Infants, Injury prevention, Product safety, Safety, Toys

Annotation: This project aimed to reduce the incidence of poor health characteristics among low-income, culturally diverse populations by promoting the involvement of primary care physicians (pediatricians) in early screening and intervention. Project goals included increasing the level of preventive health care for underserved children, reducing the severity of psychosocial problems, increasing physicians' sense of involvement as part of a team in providing services to project children and their families, and demonstrating a practical process for accomplishing these goals which can be replicated across the nation. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Keywords: American Academy of Pediatrics, Child Abuse and Neglect Preventive, Continuing Education, Developmentally Delayed/Disabled, EPSDT, Hawaiians, Health Care, Health Supervision Guidelines, High risk children, Low income groups, Medicaid, Primary Care, Psychological Problems, Well Child Care

Annotation: This publication, which is written in both English and Spanish on facing pages, is designed to help groups reach across differences that might otherwise obscure talents, perspectives, and contributions of people who have much to offer in making our communities safer and healthier. The publication includes an overview of the Cultural Competency Sub-Committee of the Partnership for the Public's Health (PPH), the subcommittee's guiding principles, PPH's language policy, information on providing translation and interpretation services, guidelines for working with interpretation and translation agencies, guidelines for facilitators working in multi-lingual settings using simultaneous interpretation, and guidelines for selecting interpretation equipment.

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Keywords: Culturally competent services, Guidelines, Language, Spanish language materials, Translation

Annotation: This guide describes, step-by-step, how to make funeral arrangements for an infant who has died. It explains where to begin; describes the choices of cremation or burial, and discusses the various ways that grieving parents can make arrangements that will have special meaning to the family while also allowing others the opportunity to say goodbye. The guide includes lined pages where families are invited to write down their plans for the funeral.

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Keywords: Bereavement, Family support services, Funerals, Grief, Guidelines, Infant death

Annotation: This clinical checklist, presented in both video and text formats by a nurse practitioner, provides tips and guidance for healthcare teams and maternal and child health (MCH) professionals speaking with new parents about sex and intimacy after delivery. The resource explains how providers can improve the traditional six-week postpartum visit by addressing their own biases and using the recommended "B" assessment (covering Brain, Breasts, Belly, and Bottom) to gather necessary historical and mental health information. The checklist advocates for redefining the statement "you can resume sex" to be more inclusive and person-centered, discussing non-penetrative intimacy, and referring patients to experts like pelvic floor physical therapists. This Clinical Tool addresses important postpartum recovery topics including Mental Health/Hormones and Family Planning/Contraception, and also lists external resources for sexual wellness.

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Keywords: Contraception, Family planning, Guidelines, Postpartum care, Resources for professionals, Sexual behavior, Sexuality

Annotation: This checklist is designed to help new mothers prepare for postpartum check-ups during the 12 weeks following childbirth. It provides checkboxes for women to identify specific concerns they want to discuss with their obstetrician-gynecologist, covering areas such as managing high blood pressure or diabetes, substance use cessation, breastfeeding challenges, and concerns about returning to work or school while maintaining milk supply. The checklist also addresses postpartum mental health by including questions about anxiety, sadness, sleep difficulties, and thoughts of self-harm or harming the baby. The resource serves as a communication tool to help ensure comprehensive postpartum care discussions between patients and their health care providers.

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Keywords: Guidelines, Maternal health, Patient education, Physician patient relations, Postpartum care

Annotation: This document provides guidance from the Indiana Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative (IPQIC) on standardizing discharge planning and referrals to ongoing services and support for postpartum patients with substance use disorders. It outlines recommended hospital procedures, including urine drug screening, monitoring for withdrawal symptoms, offering medication-assisted treatment, and providing referrals to treatment programs and resources. The document emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive discharge plan that includes outpatient follow-up with pediatric, substance use, and primary care providers, as well as newborn safe sleep education and contraception planning. Additional resources are provided for further information and referrals.

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Keywords: Guidelines, Indiana, Perinatal care, Postpartum care, Quality improvement, Standards, State initiatives

Annotation: This document provides guidelines for healthcare providers on drafting work accommodation notes for pregnant and postpartum patients to help them receive necessary adjustments and keep their jobs. It explains the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations for limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions. The guidelines detail five key components of an effective work note: (1) stating that the patient has a limitation due to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related condition requiring accommodation; (2) identifying the specific limitation; (3) affirming the patient can continue working with an accommodation, if true; (4) describing the recommended adjustment; and (5) providing an expected duration. The document includes a sample work note and an extensive appendix listing common pregnancy-related conditions and responsive accommodations. It also provides contact information for WorkLife Law's free legal helpline for guidance on work accommodation

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Keywords: Guidelines, Legislation, Postpartum care, Prenatal care, Working mothers, Workplace safety

Annotation: These recommendations from the American Heart Association provide a framework for enhancing postpartum systems of care to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. The document outlines strategies for standardizing clinical education, defining the postpartum period as one year, and evaluating cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes. It emphasizes the importance of patient-centered holistic care through collaboration with midwives and doulas and advocates for 12 months of comprehensive health coverage for all postpartum people. Discussion also covers identifying social determinants of health and improving data collection through a national database for quality performance

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Keywords: Guidelines, Health care systems, Maternal morbidity, Maternal mortality, Postpartum care, Prevention

Annotation: This consensus statement presents information resulting from an expert workgroup meeting held in 2011 convened by the Health Resources and Services Administration in collaboration with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Dental Association. It contains guidance for prenatal care health professionals and oral health professionals, pharmacological considerations for pregnant women, and guidance for health professionals to share with pregnant women. The 2026 revised edition includes updates on dental amalgams, aspirin to prevent preeclampsia, and nitrous oxide.

• 2026 Edition
• Website

Keywords: Guidelines, Interdisciplinary approach, Meetings, Oral health, Oral health care, Pregnant women

Annotation: This paper provides information on pain management, including opioid use, for pregnant women during dental procedures. Pharmacological considerations, including indications, contraindications, and special considerations for pharmacological agents are presented. Neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome is discussed, and guidelines for prescribing opioids are presented. Also included is information about prescription drug monitoring programs and managing acute dental pain, as well as recommendations for discharging women with prescriptions. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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Keywords: Drug addiction, Guidelines, Narcotics, Neonatal abstinence syndrome, Oral health, Pain relieving drugs, Pregnant women, Prescription drugs

Annotation: This support plan provides a fill-in guide and template for new parents and birthing people to write down how they wish to be cared for once the baby arrives, helping to alleviate some stress post-delivery. The template includes sections for important postpartum topics such as visitors, meals, errands, child and pet care, supplies, and communication preferences, designed to encourage expecting parents to think about emergency contacts and caring for their physical, emotional, and mental recovery. Intended for audiences including new parents/moms, caregivers, community workers, and care teams, the resource offers specific Care Team Tips and an implementation tips sheet for clinics to use and distribute during prenatal, delivery discharge, and postpartum visits. This printable tool is available in English and Spanish (Español), and includes a link to a brief training resource for family members on recognizing urgent maternal health warning signs.

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Keywords: Guidelines, Material health, Planning, Postpartum care, Social support, Spanish language materials

Annotation: This checklist is designed for new parents/birthing people, as well as care teams, community workers, Maternal and Child Health (MCH) professionals, and researchers, to support patient-centered care during the postpartum visit. The 4th Trimester Project team tested and adapted this tool, which the birthing person fills out and shares with clinic staff so the provider can prioritize the information and topics the mother wants to cover and learn about. This important touchpoint gives new parents a chance to think about their top questions and access important information and resources for support. The tool includes Care Team Tips with suggestions for clinics on how to introduce and use the checklist in practice, and it is available in English and Spanish (Español).

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Keywords: Guidelines, Patient education, Postpartum care, Spanish language materials

Annotation: This animated video reel series provides urgent postpartum recovery red flags for audiences including new parents/moms, caregivers, MCH professionals, and care teams. The series, which was developed by the 4th Trimester Project team of researchers, clinicians, and mothers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, details specific symptoms that require immediately calling 911 for urgent medical emergencies—such as difficulty breathing, severe headache/vision changes, high blood pressure greater than 160/110, and mental health crises—and lists warning signs that require an urgent call to a provider, including heavy bleeding, clots larger than an egg, or a fever of 100.4 F or more. In addition to recovery information like pain management, the resource includes a brief training for family members on recognizing warning signs. The video reels are available in Spanish (Español).

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Keywords: Emergencies, Guidelines, Postpartum care, Spanish language materials

Annotation: This workbook provides guidance on addressing fatal injuries, particularly intimate partner violence (IPV), homicide, suicide, and motor vehicle collisions (MVCs), as significant contributors to maternal mortality. It summarizes the evidence on the heightened risks of homicide and suicide for pregnant and postpartum women, with disparities among adolescents, Black women, and those with mental health conditions or IPV history. Environmental factors like poverty, lack of support, and firearm access also play a role. The workbook presents concerning data from Missouri's Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review on injury-related deaths, finding that homicides and suicides, often involving firearms and IPV, accounted for a significant portion of pregnancy-related mortality. Younger women, Black women, Medicaid participants, and those in metropolitan areas were disproportionately impacted. MVCs were a leading cause of deaths not directly related to pregnancy. Key recommendations are provided for healthcare providers and community organizations to improve screening, intervention, support, and prevention efforts around mental health, IPV, and vehicle safety to reduce maternal injury deaths. Resources and references are included for further training and implementation.

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Keywords: Data, Guidelines, Injury prevention, Maternal mortality, Missouri, Risk factors, State initiatives

Annotation: This workbook provides guidance for implementing evidence-based practices to improve care for pregnant and postpartum individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD). It summarizes the evidence on the significant risks of CVD in pregnancy, which can exacerbate pre-existing conditions or lead to new disorders due to the hemodynamic changes of pregnancy. The workbook presents data from Missouri's Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review, finding that CVD accounted for 30% of pregnancy-related deaths from 2017-2021, with most deemed preventable and Black women disproportionately impacted. To address this crisis, the AIM Cardiac Conditions in Obstetric Care patient safety bundle components are provided, with detailed strategies for implementing universal cardiac risk screening, rapid response protocols, cardio-obstetric teams, care coordination, patient education, and equity-focused data monitoring. Emphasis is placed on early recognition, diagnosis, and treatment to prevent complications and death. Resources and references are included for further training and implementation.

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Keywords: Cardiovascular diseases, Evidence-based medicine, Guidelines, Maternal morbidity, Maternal mortality, Missouri, Obstetrical complications, Perinatal care, Postpartum care, Prevention, Quality improvement, Resources for professionals, State initiatives

Annotation: This presentation for healthcare professionals summarizes the 2025 AHA/ACC blood pressure guidelines tailored for pregnant and postpartum persons. It identifies cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of maternal mortality and provides evidence-based recommendations for the classification and management of hypertensive disorders such as preeclampsia. The document details clinical workflows and algorithms for urgent blood pressure control alongside lifestyle modifications to reduce long-term cardiovascular risk. Additional topics include strategies for transitional care during the "fourth trimester" and guidance for non-obstetric providers on recognizing maternal health complications in emergency and clinic settings,,.

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• Slide Deck

Keywords: Cardiovascular diseases, Guidelines, Hyptertension, Perinatal care, Postpartum care

Annotation: This course for oral health professionals provides information on the safety and importance of receiving oral health care before and during pregnancy. It includes background information on oral health before and during pregnancy, discusses how to help ensure that oral health care is safe before and during pregnancy; provides guidelines and best practices for providing oral health care before and during pregnancy, and discusses implementation.

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Keywords: Best practices, Guidelines, Health care delivery, Oral health, Perinatal care, Pregnant women, Prevention

Annotation: These guidelines offer recommendations for providing perinatal care to pregnant women. They discuss social determinants of health and present recommendations in the following categories: first prenatal visit, each subsequent prenatal visit, second and third trimesters, and 36–42 weeks. Information about the guidelines is included.

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Keywords: First pregnancy trimester, Guidelines, Office visits, Oral health, Perinatal care, Pregnant women, Second pregnancy trimester, Third pregnancy trimester