 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Henia Dakkak, MD, MPH, Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, Columbia University - School of Public Health - Heilbrunn Center for Population and Family Health, 122 East 42nd Street, 12 Floor, New York, NY 10168, 212-551-3113, hdakkak@womenscommission.org
BACKGROUND:Reproductive Health for Refugees Consortium with partner organizations are implementing a project with funding from the Averting Maternal Death and Disability (AMDD) program – School of Public Health at Columbia University in 11 sites of refugee and internally displaced person (IDP) settings of (Bosnia, Kenya, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Liberia, Tanzania, Thailand, Pakistan and Uganda) in order to improve emergency obstetric care and avert maternal death RESULTS: Through site visits, interviews and monitoring of staff working in delivery rooms to the proposed (refugee/IDP) sites in the project it was evident that there is a need to improve service delivery in basic emergency obstetric care by: 1. Introducing anti-convulsant drugs to improve treatment of eclampsia 2. Introducing uterotonic/oxytoxic drugs to prevent postpartum bleeding 3. Introducing Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA) kits to reduce post- abortion complication
CONCLUSIONS:Implementing three evidence-based interventions in basic emergency obstetric care and staff training at the level of refugee and IDP camps had resulted in better outcomes. Interventions included the use of magnesium sulphate in treatment of eclampsia, use of uterotonic drugs for active management of third stage of labor in order to prevent postpartum bleeding and the use of MVA kits to manage post-abortion complications. Improving basic emergency obstetric by introducing evidence-based interventions in the form of introducing drugs and procedures with appropriate training, regular monitoring and technical support of health staff is cost effective and will have an impact in reducing maternal death by at least 40% among war-affected populations.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Evidence Based Practice, Maternal Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: International Non-Governmental Organizations
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Grants