5047.0: Wednesday, November 15, 2000 - Board 9

Abstract #15971

Use of the critical pathway approach in the management of (pre)eclampsia

Barbara Kerstiëns, MD, MPH, Quality Assurance Project, 7200 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 600, Bethesda, MD 20814-4811, 301 941 8655, bkerstiens@aedes.be, Akii Agel, MB, ChB, MMed, Jinja Hospital, Uganda, and Nazarius Mbona, MPH, Institute of Public Health, Uganda.

Maternal mortality is perhaps the most important cause of loss of healthy life years in Uganda that can be readily reduced through improved quality of care. In 1997, 32 out of the 3,998 women admitted in the maternity ward of Jinja hospital died. More than half of those deaths were preventable with better management of obstetric complications.

A Case Management Map (CMM) is both a job aid and a medical record. It is based on the principles of critical pathways, outlining the optimal sequencing and timing of interventions by physicians, nurses, and other staff for a particular condition in order to minimize delays and resource utilization and to maximize quality of care. CMMs have been developed and used in hospital settings in developed countries, notably the U.S., but their use is not common in developing countries.

In the maternity ward of Jinja hospital, Uganda, a multidisciplinary team successfully developed a CMM for (pre)eclampsia and incorporated it in routine health care delivery. This paper will outline the sequence of steps used to develop and introduce the CMM on the hospital ward and will detail the improved quality of care and health outcomes for women hospitalized with (pre)eclampsia after the introduction of the CMM on the ward.

Learning Objectives: 1. Develop a case management map for (pre)eclampsia 2. Articulate the proceedure for developing a case management map based on national standards

Keywords: Standards, Maternal Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Quality Assurance Project
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employment

The 128th Annual Meeting of APHA