The Idealized Design Model being tested in the Idealized Design of Perinatal Care innovation work represents IHI's theory (our "educated best guess" at this point) about how perinatal care could be the safest and most reliable. Idealized Design enables the system to do better in the future than the best it can do today.

The Idealized Design of Perinatal Care Model is developed to answer the following questions:

1. ”If we were to deliver ideal perinatal care, what would the system of care look like?”
2. “What processes are components of the ideal perinatal care system?”

• Clinical processes (special attention to high risk processes, whether physiological, legal, or psychological)
• Communication and teamwork
• Mother and family preferences

The model is simply a way to show how all the parts and processes of perinatal care would fit together in the best possible world. The accompanying document depicts the model and describes each component.