A New Approach to Teaching Obstetric Anaesthesia in Low-Resource Areas

Maternal mortality is high in many low- and middle-income countries. Unsafe anaesthesia contributes to this, especially for women requiring Caesarean section. Anaesthesia providers with limited skills and poor resources are often faced with complicated obstetric patients. A new course called SAFE-OB teaches a systematic approach to anticipating, preparing for, and dealing with obstetric anaesthetic emergencies. The course has now been taught in many African, Asian, and Latin countries. Initial follow-up suggests improvement in skills and knowledge, and effective translation of these to the workplace. Efforts are made to make the course locally owned and sustainable. We feel that SAFE-OB is an effective method of improving obstetric anaesthesia care.