Novel Toolkit Could Improve Detection, Management of Iron Deficiency in Pregnancy

Implementation of a new quality improvement toolkit has shown to enhance early detection and treatment of iron deficiency in pregnancy, reveals a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal PLOS Medicine.

IRON Deficiency in Pregnancy with Maternal IrOn OptiMization (IRON MOM) is a paper-based toolkit that includes clinical pathways and educational resources to guide clinicians and expectant mothers through diagnosis and management of iron deficiency.

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‘Novel quality improvement toolkit, called IRON MOM, can enhance screening and management of iron deficiency during pregnancy. ’
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The research compares rates of ferritin testing in the obstetric clinics at Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital before and after the implementation of the IRON MOM toolkit. Ferritin is a blood cell protein that contains iron and ferritin tests can help obstetricians understand how much iron is being stored in the body.

If not treated, iron deficiency can cause serious health consequences, including anemia, early labor, low birth weight, and long-term developmental issues in the child.

"Screening for iron deficiency in pregnancy is recommended by health agencies, but with low awareness of its implications and competing priorities in busy obstetric clinics, it doesn't happen as often as it should," said Dr. Michelle Sholzberg, co-lead author, a hematologist at St. Michael's and a scientist at the hospital's Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute.

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Anemia is the commonest blood disorder that may occur in pregnancy and is usually due to low iron or folate reserves of the body and this is reflected as anemia.

"That was the impetus for the development of IRON MOM, which provides guidance and supports for women to feel empowered to speak to their care providers to ensure they're receiving enough iron."

One year after implementation of the IRON MOM toolkit, the team found an almost ten times increase in the average monthly rate of ferritin testing in the obstetric clinics at St. Michael's.

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They also found a significant decrease in the risk of anemia - a condition in which the body lacks sufficient healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to the tissues - and those who required blood transfusions before and after pregnancy to improve their red blood cell count.

"IRON MOM demonstrated that priority setting and simple process changes in patient management could have a large impact on key clinical outcomes," said Dr. Jameel Abdulrehman, co-lead author from the University Health Network.

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The researchers said these results provide support for expanding IRON MOM into other clinics and institutions. Currently, the team is working on an IRON MOM smartphone application that would make the toolkit available to women and clinicians across the country.

"It's widely accepted that many women will develop anemia in pregnancy as the result of iron deficiency," said Dr. Sholzberg. "But this doesn't have to be the case. Treating iron deficiency requires a culture change, and IRON MOM addresses that need."

Source-Eurekalert