More from Barbara Kwast on the partograph meeting:
The meeting called by Fistula Care and the Maternal Health Task Force (MHTF) at Engender Health on revitalizing the partograph for the management of labor has been an important initiative. Management of labour with the partograph was designated as one of the Essential Elements of Obstetric Care at first referral level in 1991 by WHO in order to prevent prolonged obstructed labour and thereby the tragic consequences of obstetric fistula. Among all the initiatives pertaining to emergency obstetric care, disciplined monitoring and management of labor has not been given the attention that it desperately needs within the safe motherhood initiative, like active management of third stage of labor, management of postpartum hemorrhage and focused antenatal care.
Challenges include implementing partographic management with a protocol through good teaching, sustained supervision and audits and the provision of partographs at national level.
Priority actions for the partograph include providing and distributing up-to-date teaching/learning materials for partograph implementation, such as the yellow manuals that WHO issued in 1993 and update the IMPAC manual with a management protocol and Providing posters for labor wards and clinics and organize implementation workshops with all members of the obstetric care team: obstetricians, surgeons, midwives, health/clinical officers and other SBAs.
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