Document Type

Report

Publication Date

2010

Abstract

This report details an operations research project carried out by the Population Council as part of the Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns. The overall goal of the project was to test the feasibility of administering misoprostol for the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) in a home setting through community‐based healthcare providers, including traditional birth attendants (TBAs), or family members, in two districts of Pakistan. Furthermore, it aimed to identify common side effects of misoprostol and determine the reduction in demand for referral due to PPH after oral ingestion of misoprostol. The results provide a useful addition to the literature on the feasibility of home‐based administration of misoprostol in the region, furthering the case for inclusion of the drug in the protocol for active management of the third stage of labor at the community level. Our study also dispels the notion that TBAs cannot contribute to lowering maternal mortality: by introducing a simple, low‐cost, easy‐to‐use technology, TBAs can play a role in reducing one of the largest single causes of maternal deaths.

DOI

10.31899/rh2.1084

Language

English

Project

Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns (PAIMAN); Assessing the Feasibility of Home Administration of Misoprostol to Prevent Postpartum Hemorrhage

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