The goal of this study is to test a new survey tool designed in 2019 and owned by Dr. Karen A. Scottt, MD, MPH, FACOG, the Patient Reported Experience Measure of OBstetric racism©, also known as the PREM-OB Scale™. The PREM-OB Scale™ is the first and only patient informed quality improvement (QI) measure developed in 2019 for, by, and with Black mothers and birthing people, in equitable and dignified partnerships with Black women-led community-based organizations.  The PREM-OB Scale™ allows for Black mothers and birthing people to share information about their unique patient experiences in hospital settings during labor, birth, and postpartum.  The information gained from the PREM-OB Scale™ will help hospitals, health plans, scientists, funders, and the public better understand how obstetric racism and other forms of neglect and mistreatment affect the ways that hospitals provide care, services, and support to Black mothers and birthing people during labor, birth, and postpartum.

You may be able to join if you:

• identify as Black or African American
• are 18 years of age or older
• gave birth to a live newborn in 2020
• gave birth in a hospital in 2020 in the U.S., with a focus on California and Memphis, TN

• A member of the study team will contact you by phone, e-mail, or text to discuss the study.
• You will be asked to review an information sheet shared via a link, email, or text and to verbally agree to participate in the study.
• You will complete a one-time online about your overall health and wellbeing, pregnancy history, birth type (vaginal or cesarean birth), and hospital experiences during labor, birth, and immediate postpartum.  
• You will also be asked about any COVID19 related experiences impacting your pregnancy from labor to hospital discharge. 
• You will be asked to complete a medical records release form so we can obtain a report of your hospital birthing experiences and COVID19 evaluation.  Medical records are kept confidential. Before we request any medical records, you must sign an Authorization for Release of Health Information which will specify which records will be released. You may still participate in the study if you do not agree to the release of medical records.

Yes! CLICK HERE to review the informed consent form for the SACRED Birth Study.

You will complete a one-time online survey about your hospital experience AFTER you complete the online self-screening, informed consent, contact form, and enrollment survey.

The one-time survey can be completed online (via e-mail or scanning a QR code). 

SACRED Birth researchers will use your information from the the Patient Reported Experience Measure of OBstetric racism©, also known as the PREM-OB Scale™m to improve the actual survey itself for future purposes in many hospitals across the United States in 2021 and beyond.  Your information will be used to develop a list of best practices for hospitals to consider in redesigning the care, services, and support they provide during labor, birth, and immediate postpartum for Black mothers/birthing communities.  Once the study is done using your information, SACRED Birth researchers and community partners may share your information with other researchers and hospital leaders at conferences or in publications.  Sharing the information can help future research studies and hospital teams improve their support of Black mothers and birthing people during pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum. We will not share your name or any other personal information that would let the researchers know who you are. We will not ask you for additional permission to share this de-identified information.

There are three one-time events that will occur during the SACRED Birth Study. After informed consent and study enrollment, you can particpate in one or more of the events based on when you enroll and study needs:

• One-time virtual group interview with up to 4 other Black mothers and birthing people that can last up to 2 hours or less
• One-time virtual individual interview that can last up to 3 hours or less
• One-time survey completion that can last up to 2 hours or less

Some of the survey questions may make you feel uncomfortable or raise unpleasant memories.  You are free to skip any question. You are also encouraged to take breaks if needed.

• At the time of obtaining informed consent and at the time of completing the online interview or survey, the research team will provide you with a list of mental health resources for counties with hospitals with the higher numbers of births by Black birthing people in your state. The research team will also provide a list resources to local and national mental health providers of color and a hotline for immediate mental health support.  

Participation in research may involve a loss of privacy, but information about you will be handled as confidentially as possible. Your name will not be used in any published reports about this study.

There is no direct benefit to you.

Your participation may increase your knowledge and understanding of how racism shows up in the hospital care, services, and support for Black mothers and birthing people during labor, birth, and immediate postpartum. Also, your participation may help in future research and redesign of hospital-based services, care, and support during labor, birth, and postpartum for Black mothers and birthing people.

Benefits to study participants and the public include the opportunity to:

• participate in online and in person events that increase public awareness and participation in the study research and programmatic activities.  
  • The research team hopes that increased public engagement increases trust, transparency, and accountability to the public.  
• to learn about, develop, and use shared language, meaning, and examples of racism during labor, birth, and immediate postpartum in hospital settings, experienced and reported by Black mothers and birthing people.

Benefits to hospitals and health insurance plans include increased capacity to understand, describe, measure, and hopefully modify how racism is experienced by Black mothers and birthing people as a result of specific patient-clinician, patient-system, and community-system interactions and communication during labor, birth, and immediate postpartum, across time, place, and levels of power.

Yes, you will be paid for participation the SACRED Birth Study with an electronic gift card. The amount varies depending on your participation:

• You will be paid $100 for the one-time online group interview.
• You will be paid $150 for the one-time online individual interview.
• You will be paid $100 for the one-time online survey within 7-10 business days of completing the suvey.