Sexual and reproductive health

Need to go beyond “essential interventions” for reducing maternal mortality

Kazakhstan - A doctor uses a traditional stethoscope to examine a pregnant woman.
UNICEF/G. Pirozzi
Kazakhstan - A doctor uses a traditional stethoscope to examine a pregnant woman.

A large WHO multicountry survey examined data from more than 300 000 women attending 357 health care facilities in 29 countries. This study found a poor correlation between coverage of ‘essential interventions’ (e.g. uterotonics for preventing postpartum haemorrhage; magnesium sulfate for eclampsia) and maternal mortality in health facilities. This study suggests that to achieve a substantial reduction in maternal mortality, a comprehensive approach to emergency care, and overall improvements in the quality of maternal health care will be needed.

Optimizing health worker roles for maternal and newborn health

Pre-natal care. Rajasthan, India
UN/Viviane Moos

The World Health Organization’s recommendations on optimizing the roles of health workers aim to help address critical health workforce shortages that slow down progress towards the health-related Millennium Development Goals. A more rational distribution of tasks and responsibilities among cadres of health workers can significantly improve both access and cost-effectiveness – for example by training and enabling ‘mid-level’ and ‘lay’ health workers to perform specific interventions otherwise provided only by cadres with longer (and sometimes more specialized) training.

Launch of the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist collaboration

Image of the Safe Childbirth Checklist

WHO invites any health-care, research or academic institution, nongovernmental organization or other agency, especially in low- and middle-income countries, to join the collaborative field-testing exercise in order to help WHO ensure the viability and practical use of the Checklist in multiple settings, and to identify barriers and successes in its use.

WHO issues new guidance for the prevention and management of postpartum haemorrhage

Mother and her newborn at a clinic in Kenya
WHO/Fort A
Mother and her newborn at a clinic in Kenya.

25 September 2012 - Given the availability of new scientific evidence related to the prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), this document updates previous WHO recommendations and adds new recommendations for the prevention and treatment of PPH. The primary goal of this guideline is to provide a foundation for the implementation of interventions shown to have been effective in reducing the burden of PPH.

Innovation

Assisted vaginal delivery device winner in “Saving Lives at Birth” challenge

A mobile phone, checklist solution to empower women and save lives

Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health

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UN Secretary-General's call to action to accelerate progress towards health-related Millennium Development Goals.

Research and epidemiology

Publications

Clinical guidance, evidence, monitoring and evaluation, policy issues.

Eliminating congenital syphilis

Approximately 50% of women with untreated syphilis will transmit the infection to their unborn child, resulting in profound adverse outcomes (i.e. stillbirth, neonatal death, prematurity, low birth weight, or congenitally infected infant), including an estimated 440 000 perinatal deaths each year.

Videos on newborn care

Ten new training videos have been added to the Reproductive Health Libray (RHL). These videos have been provided by the Global Health Media Project and are based on standards of care described in: Care of the Newborn Reference Manual, Save the Children, 2004; Managing Newborn Problems, WHO, 2003; and Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses Chart Booklet, WHO, 2011.

Video: Ensuring access to quality care during pregnancy