New Maternal Fetal Monitoring System Increases Safety for Mothers & Babies at Brookings Health
Brookings, S.D. – Aug. 10, 2020 – Brookings Health System recently implemented a
new maternal fetal monitoring system that further increases safety for both mothers and
babies during childbirth at New Beginnings Birth Center.
“Our new PeriWatch maternal fetal monitoring software uses artificial intelligence to help
our obstetricians and nurses identify any early warning signs with either mom or baby
during labor and delivery,” said Obstetrics Director Mary Schwaegerl. “This can help us
protect moms and babies during childbirth, prevent caesarean sections and ensure
positive outcomes for families.”
The software uses an algorithm to help care providers interpret fetal heart rate patterns.
It also continuously monitors a mother’s vital signs as well as contractions and labor
progression. By analyzing the data, the maternal fetal monitor software provides an early
warning system to allow for timely medical interventions. It also acts as a clinical
decision support tool for the obstetrics care team, giving consistent, objective and
standardized assessment to enhance care at the bedside.
Brookings Health System’s OB unit, New Beginnings Birth Center, has eight beds
consisting of five labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum (LDRP) suites and three
postpartum recovery rooms. The unit provides full OB services to expectant parents and
enables area residents to deliver their baby close to home with a local physician. As a
Baby-Friendly® Hospital, Brookings Health ensures mothers who deliver at New
Beginnings Birth Center and intend to breastfeed, as well as those who cannot or decide
not to breastfeed, are supported. To learn more about New Beginnings Birth Center,
please visit www.brookingshealth.org/OB .
About Brookings Health System
Brookings Health System, located in Brookings, South Dakota, includes a 49-bed hospital, the
79-bed The Neighborhoods at Brookview nursing home, Brookhaven Estates senior living
apartments, Yorkshire Eye Clinic & Optical, and medical clinics in Arlington, White and Volga,
South Dakota. It is a non-profit, city-owned facility that offers the community a full range of
inpatient, outpatient, emergency and extended care services. Brookings Hospital provides local
access to doctors in Brookings and offers robotic da Vinci surgery and Mako robotic-arm assisted
procedures, making it one of the premier rural community hospitals in South Dakota. For more
information about the services offered at Brookings Health System, please call (605) 696-9000 or
visit us on the Web at brookingshealth.org .
PHOTO: Obstetrics Nurse Lacy Maher, RN, checks the position of the fetal monitoring belts on
expectant mother Chelsey Sundberg. Brookings Health recently implemented new fetal
monitoring software that uses artificial intelligence to help healthcare providers identify early
warning signs during childbirth, increasing the safety for both mother and baby.
