Postpartum Hemorrhage Management Educational Quality Improvement Initiative

Objective: To develop a multidisciplinary educational program to increase management and preparedness relating to postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Design: In-person didactic lecture consisting of ten hemorrhage-related components in combination with a pre-test and post-test. Setting/Local Program: The project was conducted at a newly built mother-baby unit in a suburban, community hospital. Roughly 1,500 deliveries occur each year in which 12 were classified as PPH. Due to the unfamiliarity with the new obstetric population at this institution, a need was identified to implement education which consisted of improving PPH readiness, response, and recognition. Participants: The 39 participants, including an assistant partner, surgical technicians, and registered nurses with varying levels of education in the hospital’s perioperative and mother-baby unit, completed the educational PPH program. Intervention/Measurements: The program included a didactic lecture incorporating ten aspects of PPH management led by trained student registered nurse anesthetists. A prerequisite to the didactic portion was a pretest, which was then followed by a post-test. Results: The post-test indicated a 30% increase in scores compared to the pre-test and p < .01. The participants expressed an increase in knowledge and confidence related to caring for PPH management after the completion of the program. Conclusion: The multidisciplinary program which included didactic lecture and testing of knowledge retention improved the team’s confidence and knowledge of PPH management recognition, response, and readiness.