Dr. Kristen Lee Moriarty Awarded Grant for Trauma-Informed Perinatal CareDr. Kristen Lee Moriarty Awarded Grant for Trauma-Informed Perinatal Care The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has recognized Dr. Kristen Lee Moriarty, a maternal fetal medicine fellow at UConn Health, with the Back to the Bedside Initiative grant. Moriarty’s project, “Bringing Residents, Fellows and Nurses Back to the Bedside to Support a Mother’s Road to Recovery: Interdisciplinary Trauma-Informed Care Curriculum for Perinatal Care,” received funding from the ACGME. Back to Bedside empowers residents and fellows to develop transformative projects that promote work fulfillment and enhance patient engagement. Moriarty’s research aims to improve the recognition and management of pregnancy-related trauma. Approximately one-third of women experience some form of trauma during pregnancy. This number is growing, despite evidence of its detrimental impact on patient outcomes. Pregnant women with a history of trauma may face higher levels of pregnancy-related trauma, worsening anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms. Moriarty highlights the challenges of recognizing pregnancy-related trauma in the complex field of obstetrics and gynecology. Even minor disruptions during pregnancy can result in trauma. Trainees in OB/GYN and labor and delivery, including residents, fellows, and nurses, often struggle to identify pregnancy-related trauma and have also experienced elevated levels of burnout due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which impacts the doctor-patient relationship. Moriarty’s project aims to develop a screening tool for patients and implement a trauma-informed curriculum for training nurses, fellows, and nurses to enhance the recognition and management of pregnancy-related trauma. The program will integrate trauma-informed care principles into perinatal care, with participants attending educational sessions, simulations, and mindfulness-based activities. Moriarty’s research has received a $15,000 grant from the Back to Bedside Initiative, which supports resident- and peer-led projects focused on patient engagement and improving the learning environment. Moriarty’s findings will contribute to improved patient care and well-being for women during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has recognized Dr. Kristen Lee Moriarty, maternal fetal medicine fellow at UConn Health, awarded the Back to the Bedside Initiative grant. Moriarty received funding for her project entitled “Bringing Residents, Fellows and Nurses Back to the Bedside to Support a Mother’s Road to Recovery: Interdisciplinary Trauma-Informed Care Curriculum for Perinatal Care.”
Back to Bedside is designed to empower residents and fellows to develop transformative projects that promote meaning and enjoyment in work and allow them to engage on a deeper level with what is at the heart of medicine: their patients. With support from the ACGME, Back to Bedside provides a competitive funding opportunity for resident-led and/or peer-led teams to innovate. The initiative also aims to create a learning partnership of resident/peer-led research teams.
According to Moriarty, a third of women experience some form of trauma during their pregnancy and this number is increasing, despite literature clarifying its detrimental impact on patient outcomes. Pregnant women with a history of trauma and adverse childhood experiences may have higher levels of pregnancy-related trauma, which can worsen anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms.
“The keys to recognizing impending pregnancy-related trauma are difficult to navigate within the high-risk field of obstetrics and gynecology, where birthing mothers are confronted with one of the most viscerally personal experiences of their lives. Even the smallest disruption to a normal pregnancy, such as an unexpected diagnosis of gestational hypertension or being told to deliver earlier than expected, can have a dramatic impact on a patient’s experience and result in pregnancy-related trauma. Obstetrics/gynecology and labor and delivery trainees, including residents, fellows, and nurses, not only struggle with recognizing pregnancy-related trauma, but have also experienced higher levels of burnout in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has an impact has on the doctor-patient relationship,” says Moriarty.
The goal of the project is to improve the recognition and management of pregnancy-related trauma while embodying a culture of mindfulness among OB/GYN residents, fellows, and nurses in training by developing a screening tool for our patients and then conducting a one-day trauma feed. informed curriculum for nurses, fellows, and nurses in training that will improve the recognition of pregnancy-related trauma at the bedside. The training program will integrate the principles of trauma-informed care into perinatal care. Participants will take part in educational sessions, simulation and mindfulness-based activities, all aimed at improving recognition and coping with pregnancy-related trauma.
Back to Bedside is a unique initiative designed to directly support resident- and peer-led projects that impact patient engagement and the learning environment in powerful, meaningful ways. Moriarty will receive $15,000 from the grant for her research.
Read more in the ACGME announcement.
