The Cause Of Maternal Death Worldwide

The ANMC states that midwives should promote safe and effective practice. This competency standard involves: Applying knowledge, skills and attitudes to enable woman centred care, provide or support midwifery continuity of care and manage the midwifery care of women and their babies. Midwives providing continuity of care are able to provide safe and effective practice. They know there patients well from the woman’s blood test results to the woman’s birth plan. The midwife can provide safe and effective practice because she knows the woman best. Midwifery Continuity of care is associated with a reduction in the rate of a number of interventions, without compromising safety of care (Spiby &

For any mother the birth of a newborn child can be a challenging experience. As nurses it is part of our job to ensure their experience is positive. We can help do this by providing the information they will need to affective care for their newborn. This information includes topics such as, breastfeeding, jaundice, when to call your doctor and even how to put your baby to sleep. When the parents have an understanding of these topics before discharge it can largely reduce their natural anxiety accompanied with the transition to parenthood. Health teaching for new parents is seen as such an important aspect of care on post-partum floors it is actually a necessary component that needs to be covered before the hospital can discharge the

Under the Core measures, Sepsis is one of the problem-focused trigger for systemic infection and if untreated which can lead to death. In United States, it is the 11th leading cause of death and consumes the large amount of costs about $20.3 billion in 2011 (Jones et al.,2016). According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 1.5 million people diagnosed with sepsis, and at least 250,000 patients die from that yearly (CDC, 2017). The evidence-based research revealed with results of certain pre existing conditions, pathophysiological studies, preventive measures and sepsis bundle for treating and preventing sepsis to save the life of the patients.

The progress of my project to develop a nurse driven sepsis screening tool and an algorithm for implementation on the intensive care unit (ICU) for early identification and prompt treatment of septic patients has progressed remarkably well. I have been productive in gathering current guidelines for sepsis with the aid of my preceptor who is a critical care nurse practitioner on the ICU. With his help, I have been able to assemble key pieces of research to create a sepsis screening tool, and a treatment algorithm with sepsis resuscitation bundles. Extensive research has been conducted to integrate evidence-based practice in my project. I have also spent time with the unit educator, critical care intensivists, and my colleagues in brainstorming and collecting ideas about my project.

The evolution of this project cultivated from the need of improvement for patients suffering from sepsis at MacNeal Hospital. Sepsis is a potentially fatal host response to infection that occurs as a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (Schub & Schub, 2013). I felt it was very important to re-evaluate what I can do as a nurse to improve the expected outcomes of sepsis patients and decrease their length of hospitalization. If a patient is admitted with severe sepsis, it places the patient at a higher level of risk than if he/she was admitted with an acute myocardial infarction or acute stroke (Robson & Daniels, 2013). I became interested in sepsis as my project when I became informed that MacNeal had started a Patients With Sepsis Orders Daily Reports, I decided I could enhance and develop an educational tool to help the case managers, emergency room nurses, and staff nurses with early recognition of sepsis and decreasing the length of stay. Angus and Van der Poll (2013) stated that the United States reported 2% of patients that were admitted to the hospital suffered from severe sepsis.

Maternal mortality represents more than the loss of lives for individual women, as it also reflects the larger value and prioritization of women 's health and threatens the health and survival of families, young children, and even the communities in which they live (Royston and Armstrong, 1989). Maternal mortality is unacceptably high (WHO, 2015b). Globally, approximately 830 women die every day from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications (ibid.). The causes of maternal mortality are predominately preventable and can be classified into three fundamental causes: (1) medical - consisting of direct medical problems and pre-existent/coexistent medical problems that are aggravated by pregnancy, (2) underlying - social and legal conditions, and (3) health systems laws and policies that address availability, accessibility, and quality of reproductive health services (PHP et al, 2011).

Also, for reasons that are still being investigated in public health, poorer pregnant women are much more likely to be diagnosed with labor-inducing bacterial infections such as bacterial vaginosis or chorioamnionitis (inflammation of the fetal membrane) (Allsworth & Peipert, 2007; Dammann, Leviton, & Allred, 2000). In a study sample of over 3,700 women who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis was higher in pregnant women who were living at (34%) or below (37%) the federal poverty level compared to those who were living above it (24%) (Allsworth & Peipert, 2007). Additionally, pregnant women in lower SES communities have been found to suffer from more chronic healthcare care conditions such as hypertension and diabetes which are highly associated with preterm birth and small gestational size (Nagahawatte & Goldenberg,

The APN leader interviewed for this paper is a Board Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP), Chery Arnett works in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for Memorial Hospital of Carbondale. She began as a registered nurse in 1981, then in 2001earned her CNP title. She manages and cares for the ill neonate, collaborates with Neonatologist and Pediatricians to improve overall health outcomes. She provides support and assists ventilation, assists with deliveries both “normal” and high risk infants, provides care for the healthy newborns, also providing guidance to parents for caring for the “neonate” or healthy newborns. She is also responsible for assessments, orders, treatment plans, medications, and discharge of the infant. CNP’s provide initial, ongoing and comprehensive care, including managing patients with acute and chronic illness and diseases for both premature infants and term infants.

et al., 2008). Sepsis is a frequent cause of admission to intensive care units (ICUs) and it

This community resource utilizes nurses in several different methods in order to help women with postpartum. In this program, nurses are members of the profession because they assess and evaluate the patient needs and communicate with the medical team the care needed to be implemented in order to provide the patient with the proper resources, to promote a successful and positive postpartum experience. As well as working with members of the health care profession to assist the patient for an optimal outcome for the mother and baby.

I believe it’s important to the Science of Nursing because early recognition will prevent organ dysfunction which can lead to death. In some cases, the SSC recommended Early Goal Directed Therapy (EGDT) based on patient presentation, vital sign and lab studies. The EGDT bundles consist of early Intravenous Fluid (IV) resuscitation and IV broad spectrum antibiotics should be given within three hours of serum lactate. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), it’s documented from 1999-2014, a total of 2,470,666 deaths were associated with sepsis (CDC, 2016). After reading the CDC fact sheet, my conclusion is that most of the sepsis cases that the EGDT bundle was not initiated on time (six hour compliance) due to early recognition of signs and symptoms presented upon arrival and the lack of communication between team members which delayed EGDT greater than six hour window. From the studies that I have read, the Surviving Sepsis Campaign

Education interventions are very significant in the understanding of different stages of sepsis such as septic shock, uncomplicated sepsis, and severe sepsis. The progression of this disease varies from one person to another, and it can occur to some people through the three stages. Therefore, having a clear understanding of all the three phases that sepsis exists can help in the diagnosis of the diseases effectively. Additionally, education will provide an avenue and strategy of providing optimal care to the patient, and that will contribute to managing their condition. Sometimes the patients may not respond to the treatment administered, and as a result, they can develop multiple organ diseases. Hence, education will provide all the required knowledge to understand and know the various dynamic of the diseases and how it progress in a patient.

In 2013, 289 000 women died during pregnancy and childbirth and it was estimated that everyday 800 women all over the world died from childbirth or childbirth-related problems (World Health Organization, 2014). Often, maternal mortality is found to occur more often in developing countries than developed countries. Maternal mortality refers women who died from the situation like during pregnancy, termination of pregnancy within 42 days, regardless of duration and place of pregnancy, from aggravation caused by the pregnancy or pregnancy management (Nwagha et al, 2010). Maternal mortality may be resulted from direct or indirect cause. Direct causes are from obstetric complications of pregnancy, labour, and puerperium, and interventions whereas indirect causes are from the worsening of current conditions by pregnancy or delivery (Givewell, 2009). This paper aims to examine the causes for maternal mortality in both developed and developing countries and will end with a proposal for government to ensure women are given reproductive health rights.

Nevertheless, this suggestion - that death is a departure with no possibility of coming back - is challenged when Owen says:

According to London et al. (2014), stillbirth is defined as the “death of a fetus or infant from the time of conception through the end of the newborn period 28 days after birth” (p. 481). In 2011, in the country of Taiwan, there were a total of 2,321 stillborn births and it was reported that 60% of the women who experienced this loss suffered from severe postpartum depression within 4 years (Tseng, Chen, & Wang, 2014, p. 219). Although it is known that the mothers of these infants suffer with traumatic stress, follow-ups after stillbirths are rare and there is no community support groups available. There is not much information available on the experience of Taiwanese women who experience a stillbirth nor is there information about the steps taken by these women to recover from their loss. Thus, this study seeks to understand the experiences of these Taiwanese women who have experienced the loss of an infant and how they cope within their society (Tseng et al., 2014, p. 219).