News WHO Partograph Reduces Complications of Labor and Childbirth

Around 40 000 women die each year and many more are left with painful injuries as a result of obstructed or prolonged labor during childbirth. In addition, if obstructed labor is not dealt with promptly, the baby may either die or suffer asphyxia and the risk of brain damage. However, a ?5-month study carried out by the World Health Organization among more than 35 000 women indicates that much of this suffering and loss of life can be prevented by using an inexpensive, simple chart called a Partograph. The study-the results of which were published in the medical journal Lancef (4 June 1994;334:1399-1404)showed that the Partograph successfully distinguished labors requiring interventions from those that did not, which permitted appropriate management and reduced unnecessary interventions and their complications. The Partograph is a simple chart to record the progress of labor and other essential fetal and maternal observations. The progress of a woman’s labor, in particular the rate of dilation (or progressive opening) of the cervix and the pattern of contractions, is monitored and recorded