Maternal death rates are extremely high. According to World Health Organization (WHO, 2016a), about 830 women die due to complications associated with pregnancy or child delivery every day, and over 90 percent of the fatal incidents occur in the underdeveloped countries. The statistical data indicates at the correlations between the level of technologic and medical advancement and adverse health outcomes. It also means that most of the maternal death cases can be prevented.
The causes of maternal mortality are well known nowadays. The research findings make it clear that the risks are especially high during a few days after the delivery and are related to nursing complications such as severe postpartum bleeding, infections, preeclampsia, and eclampsia, etc. (WHO, 2016a). The majority of these complications can be avoided or intervened with the help of competent clinical staff, as well as essential medicines and equipment. Therefore, the primary preventive measures should address the issue of access to high-quality care by pregnant women from diverse social-economic backgrounds.
The presence of qualified health practitioners during delivery are the major prerequisites for the favorable pregnancy outcomes. Nursing education and hospital staffing play an important role in this situation. Governmental and institutional authorities should increase the quality of education and provide sufficient opportunities for professional development of nurses. Overall, it is possible to say that to increase the availability of medical service for women and newborns, the holistic and nation-wide approach is needed.
However, the significant improvement can be achieved at the regional, organizational, and individual levels as well. Hospitals should train their staff and enhance care and staffing models to prevent medical errors and increase service reliability. Nurses should be available during every birth process, be able to recognize the signs of complications at once and respond to them accordingly. For example, a woman can die because of postpartum bleeding in two hours in case the medical aid is not rendered to her, but the injection of oxytocin can help to avoid lethal outcome (WHO, 2016a). Infections can also be prevented if all safety and hygiene measures are considered.
Another effective strategy for the prevention of maternal deaths in the prenatal assessment and care. “Antenatal screening for pre-eclampsia is an essential part of good ANC” (WHO, 2016, p. 40). Additionally, antenatal assessment allows revealing anemia, asymptomatic bacteriuria, and intimate partner violence (IPV). IPV may be a cause of injuries, depression and anxiety, substance abuse, and self-harm that can negatively affect the health of both mother and the fetus (WHO, 2016, p. 40). The identification of IPV cases is an essential preventive measure especially in the countries associated with significant social and legal inequality between males and females. Women may not tell care providers about abuse at home because of fear or shame, but asking about violence in an appropriate context and if the relevant symptoms are found may be an initial stage in the prevention of negative pregnancy experience and maternal death (WHO, 2014). Therefore, nurses need to know the symptoms of domestic violence along with other standards of antenatal screening.
Identification of IPV can also help to prevent unwanted pregnancies (WHO, 2014). The reduction of unwanted and early pregnancies incidence is important for decreasing the rates of maternal deaths (WHO, 2016a). Adolescent and adult women should thus have access to modern contraception methods and safe abortion and post-abortion service as allowed by the law. It is essential to raise women’s awareness of healthy lifestyles and contraceptives to foster positive behavioral changes. It can also be helpful to provide them with information about available sources of social support if needed.
References
World Health Organization. (2014). Health care for women subjected to intimate partner violence or sexual violence. Web.
World Health Organization. (2016a). World health statistics: Monitoring health for the SDGs. Web.
World Health Organization. (2016b). WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience. Web.