Good clinical practices as a fundamental element in management of extremely severe maternal mortality

Abstract

Introduction: Surveillance of extreme maternal morbidity supplements the evaluation and improvement of the quality of health services.
Objective: To evaluate the good clinical practices as a fundamental element in the management of the extremely severe maternal morbidity.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in women with extremely severe maternal morbidity in ¨Mariana Grajales¨ university gynecological and obstetric hospital in Villa Clara province from 2012 to 2015. A final sample of 93 women was chosen from 577 patients by using a non-probabilistic method. Filed documents and individual and hospital clinical records were all checked.
Results: Eighty patients were classified as obstetric risk in the primary health care level; re-assessment appointments with the physician occurred at 14.1 weeks as average; the initial supplementary tests were performed in 82 women, the control of blood pressure and weight, and of the uterus height occurred in 88 and 90 women, respectively. At the secondary care, the color code was applied to 92 patients; the obstetric risk was detected in 91 whereas 85 women were diagnosed on admission to the hospital. The puerperium care and the follow-up protocols were used by the institutional commission in all cases.
Conclusions: Deficiencies were detected in the process of care to extremely severe maternal morbidity. In this period, early detection, care to puerperium (immediate and mediate) and follow up by the institutional extremely severe maternal morbidity commission.