Who Recommendations For The Prevention And Treatment Of Postpartum Haemorrhage

Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is a major cause of mortality, morbidity and long term disability related to pregnancy and childbirth. Effective interventions to prevent and treat PPH exist and can largely reduce the burden of this life-threatening condition. Given the availability of new scientific evidence related to the prevention and treatment of 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. Health professionals responsible for developing national and local health policies constitute the main target audience of this document. Obstetricians, midwives, general medical practitioners, health care managers and public health policy-makers, particularly in under-resourced settings are also targeted. This document establishes general principles of PPH care and it is intended to inform the development of clinical protocols and health policies related to PPH.

In 2019, the Executive Guideline Steering Group (GSG) for World Health Organization (WHO) maternal and perinatal health recommendations prioritized the updating of the existing WHO recommendations for intravenous (IV) versus intramuscular (IM) oxytocin for prevention of PPH after vaginal birth in response to the availability of new evidence. The recommendation in this document thus supersedes the previous WHO recommendations for the prevention of PPH as published in the 2012 guideline: WHO recommendations for the prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage.

The goal of the present guideline is to consolidate guidance for effective interventions that are needed to reduce the global burden of maternal infections and its complications around the time of childbirth. This forms part of WHO's efforts towards improving the quality of care for leading causes of maternal death especially those clustered around the time of childbirth in the post-MDG era. Specifically it presents evidence-based recommendations on interventions for preventing and treating genital tract infections during labour childbirth or puerperium with the aim of improving outcomes for both mothers and newborns. The primary audience for this guideline is health professionals who are responsible for developing national and local health protocols and policies as well as managers of maternal and child health programmes and policy-makers in all settings. The guideline will also be useful to those directly providing care to pregnant women including obstetricians midwives nurses and general practitioners. The information in this guideline will be useful for developing job aids and tools for both pre- and inservice training of health workers to enhance their delivery of care to prevent and treat maternal peripartum infections.

In 2019, the Executive Guideline Steering Group (GSG) for World Health Organization (WHO) maternal and perinatal health recommendations prioritized updating of the existing WHO recommendations for advance misoprostol distribution to pregnant women for prevention of PPH (Postpartum haemorrhage) in response to the availability of new evidence. The recommendation in this document thus supersedes the previous WHO recommendation for the prevention of PPH as published in the 2012 guideline, WHO recommendations for the prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage.

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 (postpartum haemorrhage). Health professionals responsible for developing national and local health policies constitute the main target audience of this document. Obstetricians, midwives, general medical practitioners, health care managers and public health policy-makers, particularly in under-resourced settings are also targeted. This document establishes general principles of PPH care and it is intended to inform the development of clinical protocols and health policies related to PPH.

Diagnosis of PPH -- Management of atonic PPH -- Management of retained placenta -- Choice of fluid for replacement or resuscitation -- Health systems and organizational interventions -- PPH care pathways -- Research implications -- Plans for local adaptation of the recommendations -- Plans for supporting implementation of these recommendations -- GRADE tables.

Efforts to prevent and reduce morbidity and mortality due to PPH (Postpartum haemorrhage) can help to address the profound inequities in maternal and perinatal health globally. To achieve this, skilled health personnel, health managers, policy-makers and other stakeholders need up-to-date and evidence-informed recommendations to guide clinical policies and practices. In 2019, the Executive Guideline Steering Group (GSG) for the World Health Organization (WHO) maternal and perinatal health recommendations prioritized updating of the existing WHO recommendation: Umbilical vein injection of oxytocin for the treatment of retained placenta, in response to the availability of new evidence. The recommendation in this document thus supersedes the previous WHO recommendations on "intraumbilical vein injection of oxytocin for treatment of retained placenta" as published in the 2012 guideline, WHO recommendations for the prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage.

Optimizing outcomes for women in labor at the global level requires evidence-based guidance of health workers to improve care through appropriate patient selection and use of effective interventions. In this regard, the World Health Organization (WHO) published recommendations for induction of labor in 2011. The goal of the present guideline is to consolidate the guidance for effective interventions that are needed to reduce the global burden of prolonged labor and its consequences. The primary target audience includes health professionals responsible for developing national and local health protocols and policies, as well as obstetricians, midwives, nurses, general medical practitioners, managers of maternal and child health programs, and public health policy-makers in all settings.