Results from the National Perinatal Patient Safety Program in Sweden: the challenge of evaluation.

INTRODUCTION: We studied the effects of the national Perinatal Patient Safety Program in Sweden, addressing local improvement measures, changes in the proportion of low Apgar score and the number of settled injury claims due to asphyxia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Final reports on achieved improvements from all Swedish obstetric units were analyzed and categories of the improvement measures taken in perinatal risk areas were established. Data on all term newborns during 2006-12 were obtained from the Medical Birth Registry. Incidence of 5-min Apgar score <7 was analyzed before, during and after the intervention. The odds ratio for low Apgar score in period ÍII vs. period I was calculated. Patient injury claims from The Swedish National Patient Insurance Company (LÖF) were analyzed. RESULTS: Numerous local improvement initiatives were reported. The incidence of 5-min Apgar score <7 on a national level remained unchanged during the study periods. The units with the highest rate of Apgar score <7 showed a significant decrease in Apgar score of 4-6 after the intervention, whereas units with the lowest rate of Apgar score <7 showed a significant increase in Apgar score <7 after the intervention. A decline in settled claims due to substandard care was observed (7.5%, 2012-14; p for trend 0.049). CONCLUSION: The national incidence of low Apgar score remained unchanged but a reduction of settled claims of severely asphyxiated neonates was observed. The study highlights the need for robust designs when evaluating large-scale initiatives for improving patient safety at delivery, along with the difficulties in performing them.

Diagnosis and management of postpartum hemorrhage and intrapartum asphyxia in a quality improvement initiative using nurse-mentoring and simulation in Bihar, India.

BACKGROUND: In the state of Bihar, India a multi-faceted quality improvement nurse-mentoring program was implemented to improve provider skills in normal and complicated deliveries. The objective of this analysis was to examine changes in diagnosis and management of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) of the mother and intrapartum asphyxia of the infant in primary care facilities in Bihar, during the program. METHODS: During the program, mentor pairs visited each facility for one week, covering four facilities over a four-week period and returned for subsequent week-long visits once every month for seven to nine consecutive months. Between- and within-facility comparisons were made using a quasi-experimental and a longitudinal design over time, respectively, to measure change due to the intervention. The proportions of PPH and intrapartum asphyxia among all births as well as the proportions of PPH and intrapartum asphyxia cases that were effectively managed were examined. Zero-inflated negative binomial models and marginal structural methodology were used to assess change in diagnosis and management of complications after accounting for clustering of deliveries within facilities as well as time varying confounding. RESULTS: This analysis included 55,938 deliveries from 320 facilities. About 2% of all deliveries, were complicated with PPH and 3% with intrapartum asphyxia. Between-facility comparisons across phases demonstrated diagnosis was always higher in the final week of intervention (PPH: 2.5-5.4%, intrapartum asphyxia: 4.2-5.6%) relative to the first week (PPH: 1.2-2.1%, intrapartum asphyxia: 0.7-3.3%). Within-facility comparisons showed PPH diagnosis increased from week 1 through 5 (from 1.6% to 4.4%), after which it decreased through week 7 (3.1%). A similar trend was observed for intrapartum asphyxia. For both outcomes, the proportion of diagnosed cases where selected evidence-based practices were used for management either remained stable or increased over time. CONCLUSIONS: The nurse-mentoring program appears to have built providers' capacity to identify PPH and intrapartum asphyxia cases but diagnosis levels are still not on par with levels observed in Southeast Asia and globally.

Successfully reducing newborn asphyxia in the labour unit in a large academic medical centre: a quality improvement project using statistical process control.

BACKGROUND: A safe delivery is part of a good start in life, and a continuous focus on preventing harm during delivery is crucial, even in settings with a good safety record. In January 2013, the labour unit at Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, undertook a quality improvement (QI) project to prevent asphyxia and reduced the percentage of newborns with asphyxia by 48%. METHODS: The change theory consisted of two primary elements: (1) the clinical content, including three clinical bundles of evidence-based care, a 'delivery bundle', an 'oxytocin bundle' and a 'vacuum extraction bundle'; (2) an implementation theory, including improving skills in interpretation of cardiotocography, use of QI methods and participation in a national learning network. The Model for Improvement and Deming's system of profound knowledge were used as a methodological framework. Data on compliance with the care bundles and the number of deliveries between newborns with asphyxia (Apgar <7 after 5 min or pH <7) were analysed using statistical process control. RESULTS: Compliance with all three clinical care bundles improved to 95% or more, and the percentages of newborns with pH <7 and Apgar <7 after 5 min were reduced by 48% and 31%, respectively. In general, the QI approach strengthened multidisciplinary teamwork, systematised workflow and structured communication around the deliveries. Changes included making a standard memo in the medical record, the use of a bedside whiteboard, bedside handovers, shared decisions with a peer when using an oxytocin infusion and the use of a checklist before vacuum extractions. CONCLUSION: This QI project illustrates how aspects of patient safety, such as the prevention of asphyxia, can be improved using QI methods to more reliably implement best practice, even in high-performing systems.

[Maternal and foetal prognostic in excised women delivery]. / Pronostic maternel et foetal au cours de l'accouchement chez la femme excisée.

INTRODUCTION: The female circumcision constitutes by their frequency and complications a real problem of public health. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Our study aims at comparing the maternal land fetal complications of the spontaneous vaginal delivery in the excised women and non-excised. We led a comparative survey case witness implying 227 excised pregnant women at the maternity in CHU YO of Ouagadougou. RESULTS: The prevalence of the excision from January 1st to July 31, 2006 was 72.86%. The distribution of female genital mutilations in this population is the following: type I=27.75%, type II=69.61%, type III=2.64%. The middle age was 25 years and 79.30% of women were aged less than 30 years. Islam appeared like a factor of exposure to the practice of the excision with 67.40% of women excised that practise it against 41.90% at the non-excised group (P<0,0001). The maternal complications were dominated by the duration of fetal expulsion prolonged and perineal tears. The duration of fetal expulsion was superior to 30 minutes for 34.56% of excised woman childbirths 9 times more frequently than women non-excised (P=0.001). The frequency of perineal tears was 10.13% in the group of women excised against 5.73% in the group of the non-excised (P=0.008). These perineal lesions were more frequent with the primiparae and women excised at the 2nd and 3rd degree. The neobirth asphyxia affected 4.4% of newborns from mother excised against 0.2% in the non-excised group (RR=5.18; P=0.006). In the group of excised them the rate of mortinatality was 22.03 for 1000 births, against 8.81 for 1000 births in the group of the non-excised (P=0.22). CONCLUSION: The prevention of these complications with the excised woman rests on the episiotomy and the instrumental extraction in the FGM of type III.

Neonatal-perinatal medicine in a transitional period in China.

With an annual birth rate of 12‰, or 16 millions, of all population (1.34 billions), and an implementation of universal healthcare policy for all rural residents in recent years, China is undergoing a dramatic and profound transition in perinatal and neonatal healthcare as a part of the global campaign for reduction in mortality of children under 5 years old. This review describes recent development in neonatal-perinatal medicine, with special emphasis on general neonatal-perinatal care, respiratory and intensive care, neurological and infectious diseases, for a comprehensive view of the trend and challenge in relation with problems and solutions of the field.