mPINC Surveys Show Texas Hospitals Need Improvement
The CDC’s mPINC survey scores U.S. birth facilities for seven maternity care practice dimensions. Survey results indicate that most birth facilities fall short in providing evidence-based maternity care that is fully supportive of breastfeeding. Texas’s 2009 composite quality practice score was 62 out of 100, placing it in the third quartile of all states.
This chart shows how Texas performed as compared to the national average and to the highest ranked state according to each of the seven subscales. The survey’s performance results indicate the average facility score by state. Texas ranks lower than the national average in all measures except staff training.
Click here to see the 2009 mPINC Survey-How Texas Compares (pdf download)
The CDC recommends that Texas birth facilities integrate maternity care into related hospital-wide Quality Improvement efforts. In addition, the CDC encourages statewide utilization of the Joint Commission’s Perinatal Care Core Measure Set, which includes exclusive breastfeeding at discharge in hospital data collection.
Was your hospital one of the nearly 200 Texas birthing facilities that participated in the 2007 and 2009 CDC mPINC surveys?
If so, you should have received benchmark reports from the CDC summarizing your hospital’s self-appraised performance in seven dimensions of maternity care related to breastfeeding support. These confidential reports were mailed to the following staff:
- Survey Respondent
- Hospital Administrator/CEO
- Quality Improvement Director
- Obstetrics Medical Director
- Pediatrics Medical Director
- Mother Baby Nurse Manager
Texas Women Report on their Maternity Care Experiences
The Texas WIC Infant Feeding Practices Survey conducted in 2011 found that Texas women participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) have lower prevalence of breastfeeding than the general population. The survey examined hospital and work factors associated with a mother reporting she did not breastfeed as long as she wanted to.
The prevalence of breastfeeding initiation for the sample population was 81.5 percent. Almost half of respondents (48.2 percent) who breastfed said they did not breastfeed for as long as they wanted. Hispanics were most likely, and whites were least likely to meet their personal breastfeeding goals.
Maternity Care Experiences
Although the majority of respondents who initiated breastfeeding reported experiencing certain practices known to be supportive of breastfeeding, more than half said they did not experience evidence-based care practices such as breastfeeding in the first hour postpartum, breastfeeding exclusively during the hospital stay, avoiding the use of pacifiers, and avoiding the marketing of infant formula.
Click here to see Texas WIC Infant Feeding Practices Survey Results 2011 (pdf download)
