Postpartum Hemorrhage: Improving Patient Outcomes With Improved Communication and Post-Drill Debriefing

Abstract Background: A woman is at risk of dying from postpartum hemorrhage every four minutes. Maternal hemorrhage is found to be the direct cause of maternal mortality, overall accounting for 27% to 75% of maternal deaths worldwide. In the United States, 54% to 93% of maternal mortality could have been prevented. Postpartum hemorrhage remains among the top causes of pregnancy-related deaths worldwide. The purpose of this project is to educate providers of obstetrical care regarding best practices for effective communication during a postpartum hemorrhage by implementing a debriefing educational tool during postpartum hemorrhage mock code drills. Methods: The postpartum hemorrhage team review and debriefing form were implemented during mock postpartum hemorrhage code drills to improve debriefing after critical events. Five educational sessions which lasted ten minutes each along with a pre-survey for recruitment were offered prior to mock postpartum hemorrhage code drills about debriefing. The communication was evaluated after the mock postpartum hemorrhage code drills using the Clinical Teamwork Scale (CTS). Results: Twenty-five nurses participated in the pre-brief survey (n = 25). There were 3 groups of nurses for the 3 mock postpartum hemorrhage code drills, which included 11 nurses (n = 11). The groups rated their performance/teamwork using the itemized tasks after the mock code trainings. Conclusion: Structured debriefing was shown to improve skills and increase knowledge concerning interventions in an emergency. Improved knowledge and confidence with debriefing can lead to improved performance during an actual postpartum hemorrhage. Communication and collaboration during an emergency were shown to improve patient outcomes. Keywords: postpartum hemorrhage, postpartum hemorrhage risk factors, postpartum hemorrhage debriefing, postpartum hemorrhage management, treatment