title: The 'Severe Hypertensive Illness in Pregnancy' (SHIP) audit: promoting quality care using a high risk monitoring chart and eclampsia treatment pack.
abstract: We set out to measure the standards of care in a regional cohort of women with severe hypertensive illness of pregnancy and to subsequently improve the quality of care using a series of interventions. This was a multi centre cyclical criterion audit involving 21 maternity units in the West Midlands Region. Prospective data collection involved named co-ordinators in each unit using customised proformas. Intervention comprised feedback of baseline results to each hospital, a monitoring chart and eclampsia treatment pack. The first audit period (n = 183) was for a 4-month period between 1/9/96 and 31/12/96 and the second audit period (n = 111) was during the same 4-month period 1 year later. Although compliance with the audit standards set increased in all but one standard, there is clearly a need to make further improvements in the quality of care administered.
authors.affiliation: North Staffordshire Hospital and Keele University, UK.
authors.forename: K Joanne
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Baldwin
authors.forename: Nicola A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Leighton
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Kilby
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wyldes
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Churchill
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Johanson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004461:Eclampsia / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000592:standards*; D006757:Hospital Units / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008485:Medical Audit; D008499:Medical Records / Q000592:standards; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000592:standards*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index