Assessment of the risk approach to maternity care in a district hospital in rural Tanzania

Abstract

The impact of the risk approach to maternity care in a district hospital in rural Tanzania has been investigated. Data have been derived from a 1-month study. Of the women who lived within 5 km of a hospital (area I) 98% actually gave birth in hospital. The pattern of complications of this area is assumed to be representative for the pattern of the district as a whole. Only 36/168 (21%) women with high risk pregnancies living further than 5 km from a hospital, came to hospital for delivery. Of the women with low risk pregnancies (in area I) 4/89 (5%) still had a complicated delivery. The risk approach, used to select women with high risk pregnancies should be used more extensively and as unexpected complications at the local center occur, basic facilities to deal with those problems should be made available at this level.