A quality improvement and educational initiative to reduce morbidity associated with massive postpartum hemorrhage

To determine the effect of a quality improvement and educational initiative on blood transfusion rates and patient morbidity from massive postpartum hemorrhage.

A retrospective chart review was performed of massive postpartum hemorrhage (mPPH) at an urban tertiary care center. Inclusion criteria are women with mPPH over 20 weeks gestational age. The primary outcome was the number of packed red blood cell (pRBC) transfusions required. Two time periods were compared-the control period (January 2006-December 2011), and the educational period (January 2012-December 2015) by calculating an incidence rate ratio using Poisson regression.

Among 189 women with mPPH, 107 cases occurred during the control period and 82 during the educational period. In the educational period, there were 13% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2%-23%) fewer pRBC and 16% (95% CI 1%-29%) fewer fresh frozen plasma (FFP) units transfused compared with the control period. There was a decrease of 58 minutes (95% CI -106 to -9.52) of the median time from diagnosis of mPPH to transfusion of FFP.

The quality improvement educational initiative decreased the number of pRBC and FFP transfusions required, and shortened the latency interval to transfusion of FFP.