Study report: Formative research to inform the development of interventions to improve timely blood access for obstetric patients with postpartum hemorrhage

Summary

The primary objectives of this study were to 1) investigate challenges to obtaining adequate blood for PPH patients at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) and Mulanje District Hospital (MDH), and 2) identify strategies to overcome these challenges. More specifically, we reviewed outcomes of cases for which blood was requested for transfusion for obstetric cases at QECH and MDH; measure the demand and supply of blood for PPH cases at QECH and MDH; and identify the gaps in carrying out the blood transfusion process at QECH and MDH from January to March 2020 (pre-COVID-19, retrospective), May to July 2020 (retrospective) then September to November 2020 (prospective). Additionally, we assessed the impact of COVID-19 on the number of blood units supplied to QECH and MDH from April 2020 to November 2020.