AMTSL web demonstration announcement
24 April 2006
Severe bleeding after childbirth, also known as postpartum hemorrhage
(PPH), accounts for at least one-quarter of maternal deaths worldwide, and new data from
Africa indicate that more than 33% of maternal deaths are caused by PPH. The ACCESS Program
is leading the effort worldwide to reduce maternal mortality through a combination of
approaches, including promotion of a procedure called active management of the third
stage of labor (AMTSL). This procedure, carried out immediately following the birth of
the baby, has been shown to reduce the incidence of PPH by two-thirds.
Part of this effort has been the recent publication of an
animated
demonstration of active management of the third stage of labor on the ACCESS Web site.
The demonstration, adapted from a CD-ROM originally funded by USAID under the Maternal and
Neonatal Health Program, includes audio narration and:
- Basic information on PPH, the life-threatening
condition that AMTSL prevents;
- A description of the main steps of AMTSL, as
well as the rationale for each; and
- A demonstration of the steps of this simple,
life-saving procedure using illustrations and animated sequences.
Aimed at both clinical and non-clinical audiences, this demonstration is
suitable for use in the pre-service and in-service education of doctors, midwives, and
nurses and as a tool to advocate for the adoption of policies and guidelines on a
national level to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes.
The CD-ROM from which this demonstration is adapted is an integral part
of Preventing Postpartum Hemorrhage: Toolkit for Providers.
This toolkit is designed to provide useful, practical information and materials for health providers
to enable them to prevent postpartum hemorrhage through AMTSL, and advocate for necessary policy
change to assure that AMTSL is available to all pregnant women. (For more information,
visit the Prevention of Postpartum Hemorrhage Initiative
[POPPHI] Web site.)
About ACCESS
The ACCESS Program is the U.S. Agency for International Development’s
global program to improve maternal and newborn health. The ACCESS Program works to expand
coverage, access and use of key maternal and newborn health services across a continuum
of care from the household to the hospital—with the aim of making quality health services
accessible for women and newborns.
Jhpiego implements the program in partnership with Save the
Children, Constella Futures, the Academy for Educational Development, the American
College of Nurse-Midwives and IMA World Health.
|
