IHI has a broad portfolio of work focused on improving maternal, infant, and child health around the world. The content presented on this page primarily reflects IHI’s work in the United States. Maternal mortality in the United States continues to rise, with Black people who birth continuing to experience harm and poor outcomes at significantly higher rates than their white counterparts. IHI, along with other national organizations and partners, are working to turn the tide.

Many years of research and testing have resulted in a set of known best practices to improve care and outcomes for birthing people. However, implementation of best practices and improvements and innovations tested on a small scale take a long time to make their way to the front lines of care. IHI seeks to use quality improvement tools to support states, health systems, and clinicians to reliably implement known best practices, rapidly scale up successful innovations, and improve the delivery of respectful and equitable care for all.

In the US, IHI also works in partnership with the National Network of Perinatal Quality Collaboratives (NNPQC) to support and strengthen state-based Perinatal Quality Collaboratives (PQCs), which lead maternal health improvement efforts across their states and provide vital support and coaching to hospitals.

Tools and resources that IHI and our partners have developed to support maternal and infant health improvement are featured below, along with Insights that describe examples of IHI's work with numerous hospitals that have developed innovative programs and implemented best practices to improve care and reduce harm for birthing people.