What Can Maternal Health Learn From the Aviation Industry?

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By: Katherine Semrau, Director of the BetterBirth Program at Ariadne Labs, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and Associate Epidemiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital Division of Global Health Equity

The aviation checklist is designed for critical moments in flying, including before takeoff and before landing. Similarly, the World Health Organization (WHO) Safe Childbirth Checklist addresses four critical moments during childbirth: at admission, just before pushing, within one hour of delivery and at facility discharge. The behaviors on the WHO checklist address the biggest causes of mortality in women and newborns and are thus essential practices arising from evidence-based WHO guidelines…read more

Lessons Learned from Implementing the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist

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By: Kayla McGowan, Project Coordinator, Women and Health Initiative, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

To maintain momentum for maternal newborn health, we must share our successes and failures in improving health outcomes for moms and babies. This month, scientists at Ariadne Labs, a collaboration between Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, hosted a webinar to present their partner’s experience using the World Health Organization (WHO) Safe Childbirth Checklist in Namibia. Participants discussed the development of the checklist, an implementation project, and key takeaways on using the checklist in other settings…read more