Hypertension, diabetes are common factors for maternal mortality

May 11, 2011 News

Two common factors which suggest that a woman will have problems during her pregnancy are high blood pressure and diabetes. These factors, according to Canada-based physician, Dr Joe Jagdeo, are especially found among Guyanese women.
As such, he noted that there is a dire need for nurses, in whose care such women are entrusted, to pay keen attention.
“You can predict which women are going to get into problems during pregnancy…This is not only true in Guyana, but the risk factors are found the world over. High blood pressure and diabetes are the two big common factors for maternal mortality even though there are others.”
Among the other factors that could be deemed of concern during pregnancy is that of multiple gestations (such as twins or triplets) and prematurity. However, Dr Jagdeo cautioned that diabetes and high blood pressure have together remained high on the list in Guyana.
“A lot of women who are pregnant have these conditions and if they can be monitored and treated effectively during pregnancy we can help to put a dent in maternal morbidity and mortality.”
In this regard, the Guyana Burn and Health Care Charitable Foundation Inc. of Canada, in collaboration with the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), have put measures in place to have nurses suitably trained. The training is being facilitated by certified Neonatal Resuscitation Provider, Nurse Vernie Ally, who is a member of the Foundation.
According to Dr Jagdeo, as an experienced obstetric nurse, Canada-based Nurse Ally has been helping to train local obstetric nurses in terms of what to look for, how to predict whether a labouring woman is going to get into trouble and how to determine whether to let a labouring woman continue to deliver or have her be considered by the doctor for a caesarean section.
“Again it is all in the training…making the nurses more aware of their role is what is necessary. It is not just an individual programme, but we are hoping those who are being trained will be able to train others,” said President of the Foundation Mr Harry Harakh.
The training programme comes as part of the GPHC’s activities to mark nurses’ week and is so designed that its content will be implemented over a period of one year. Though it is being facilitated through the Canadian-based Foundation, the programme is one that was recommended by the Guyana Nurses Association (GNA) and was approved by the management of the public hospital. The nurses that are participating in the sessions were tasked with undertaking prerequisite sessions last November which were facilitated by Nurse Ally.
Once the programme is completed the nurses are expected to be furnished with the knowledge of basic skills needed to improve the way nursing care is currently provided.
Last year, too, similar sessions were provided by the Charitable Foundation to the local nurses and according to Mr Harakh, “I make it a point of inquiry and testing to see if things are being implemented and if it is useful.”
Accordingly, he disclosed that Nurse Ally was last November tasked with visiting nurses within the wards to ascertain whether they were confidently utilising their new skills. However it was observed that some equipment such as baby monitors, which the Foundation had donated, was not being used.
“The hospital never had any neonatal monitors before…and we had brought over six functioning monitors. This equipment has kick counters, where a nurse could monitor how many kicks a baby makes. When Nurse Ally came last November they were not being used and I can imagine that the first step for someone to say I am going to use this might seem risky.”
However, Mr Harakh noted that before Nurse Ally completed her follow-up with the nurses last year, they were able to monitor multiple babies at the same time and their efficiencies have improved. In addition, the report is that the nurses are comforted with their own capabilities to make early detections of possible problems, a development which is likely to see high standards of caring emanating from public health institutions. In essence, Mr Harakh is convinced that “there is a difference and not just a process” that is being realised.

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Hypertension, diabetes are common factors for maternal mortality

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