Preventing Maternal Mortality on a Labor and Delivery Unit

Problem: In the United States, 700 women die from postpartum complications each year. There are several common causes such as postpartum hemorrhage, sepsis, and complications due to hypertension. Maternal postpartum death can be prevented if early signs of complications are recognized promptly by healthcare providers, and more specifically, bedside nurses. Purpose: The purpose of this project was to determine the effect of maternal mortality prevention education on nurses’ knowledge and implementation of maternal mortality prevention education in the postpartum mother. Methods: Registered nurses on a labor and delivery unit were asked to complete a pre-survey and a post-survey that focused on determining how confident nurses were in identifying common postpartum complications as well as their knowledge of facility policies on how often to assess for complications. Maternal fatality prevention knowledge and interventions will be measured pre-education and two weeks following education. Maternal fatality prevention education was provided using an author-developed handout. Pertinent Findings: It is expected that the nurses’ knowledge and implementation on maternal mortality prevention will increase after the educational intervention was implemented. Conclusion: Bedside nurses should have regular education on common postpartum complications to help reduce the occurrences of maternal mortalities