A total of 56 volunteers participated in the 2014 NPLD-GHI. Our health care team members were from most of major medical centers in the US, including Northwestern University, Harvard Medical School (BID, MGH), the Ohio State University, University of Texas at Dallas, Tufts University, Johns Hopkins University, Washington University at St. Louis, Stanford University, the Oregon State University, the State University of New York at Stony Brook, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, and Duke University. In addition, student volunteers came from Hangzhou Dianzi University, Peking University Health Science Center, Taian Medical University, the State University of New York at Stony Brook School of Medicine, Cornell University, University of Virginia, Washington University at St. Louis, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Illinois Math and Science Academy.
Two historical records have been made this year. The neuraxial labor analgesia rate rose from 0 to 70% over a six month period in Weixian People’s Hospital. Annual birth rate in Shijiazhuang Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital doubled from 9000 to more than 18000 since May 2010, contributing 60% of the total local childbirths from 30%, and resulting in an annual more than 400,000,000 RMB earnings (from 100,000,000 RMB) after their obstetric anesthesia service started. Both of their services resulted in an increase in patients’ satisfactions and attraction to local parturients with negative growth childbirth rates in their neighbor hospitals. Nevertheless, similar phenomena with less degree have been occurring in other three NPLD-GHI sites as well.
The second project, “Advanced Obstetric Anesthesia Project,” has been launched since March 2014 on the five previous sites in Liuzhou, Shenzhen, Wenzhou, Nanjing, and Hangzhou, where obstetric anesthesia services have been initiated 24/7, neuraxial labor analgesia rate has reached 50% or more, and hospital administration-obstetrician-anesthesiologist-nurse/midwives have been collaborating. This project extends obstetric anesthesia services to the full scope from labor analgesia alone emphasizing patient safety and decrease in cesarean delivery rate.
In summary, by now, the NPLD-GHI has been collaborating with a total of 19 hospitals in China, and close to 300 person visits have contributed to this peripartum medical education program since 2008. It is believed that the NPLD-GHI will impact local maternal related mortality, neonatal mortality, and even average life spans.