Northwest Health adopts artificial intelligence technology to enhance maternal and fetal safety

Northwest Health adopts artificial intelligence technology to enhance maternal and fetal safety

 The childbirth teams at Northwest Health – Porter and Northwest Health – La Porte are now using an artificial intelligence-based maternal-fetal early warning system called PeriWatch Vigilance to enhance patient safety during labor and delivery. The system continuously monitors maternal vital signs, fetal heart rate, contractions, and labor progression to help clinicians quickly identify any concerning developments for faster intervention.

Northwest Health delivers more than 2,000 babies each year and this new technology is an important resource to support maternal/fetal health and safe deliveries.

Through pattern recognition, the technology can also pinpoint opportunities for overall improvement based on consolidated data from multiple births. As the maternity team reviews trends and identifies areas where improvement is possible, the hospital can use that information to develop protocols that further increase safety and may lead to better outcomes for mothers and babies. 

“By investing in this technology, Northwest Health is making labor and delivery safer for mothers and babies,” said Ashley Dickinson, the Chief Executive Officer of Northwest Health “Our physicians and nurses are highly skilled medical professionals and excellent caregivers and they appreciate the use of technology to support their work, especially when it helps keep our patients safe.”

The maternity areas, referred to as the Birthing & Family Care Centers, at Northwest Health are dedicated to providing expectant mothers and newborns with quality care during this special time, including obstetricians who are available in the hospital 24/7 at Northwest Health - Porter. Their advanced maternity services are provided by obstetricians, labor and delivery specialists, nurses and other caring professionals in a welcoming, comfortable environment. 

To learn more about the maternity services at Northwest Health, visit NWHealthIn.com.