Midwifery Education Modules: Education for Safe Motherhood

Every year, more than 529 000 women and more than 5.7 million babies die before, during, or after childbirth, the majority in developing countries. The WHO is determined to respond to these tragedies and has developed seven Midwifery Education Modules to complement clinical tools and tools for management, planning and training.

The modules are primarily intended for in-service training but can also be used in basic midwifery programs and to update the midwifery skills of other health care professionals. They are not meant to replace midwifery textbooks, but are intended for teaching specific midwifery skills in response to major causes of maternal mortality.

The modules released in 1996 have now been updated in line with recent evidence and the WHO clinical guidelines. Each module can be taught independently of the other modules. All modules are included in a CD-ROM. Teachers can use this CD-ROM as a guide to make their own notes for students.

Content of the modules:

The midwife in the community:
Teaching sessions that deal with the general issue of maternal mortality, the factors which contribute to death and the importance of community participation in helping to make motherhood safer.

Managing postpartum hemorrhage:
Teaching sessions that include the physiology and management of the third stage of labor and postpartum hemorrhage.

Managing prolonged and obstructed labor:
Teaching sessions that explain risk factors and offer guidance on how to use the partograph in monitoring labor and to identify the signs of obstructed labor.

Managing puerperal sepsis:
An explanation of puerperal sepsis is followed by sessions dealing with underlying risk factors, identification and differentiation from other conditions, prevention and management. A session on HIV and AIDS, related to childbearing women, is also included.

Managing eclampsia:
Sessions include information about hypertension, the stages of an eclamptic fit, risk factors, prevention and management.

Managing incomplete abortion:
Sessions cover factors related to abortion and discuss the role of a midwife in abortion care, with particular emphasis on emergency abortion care.

Providing antenatal care:
This module is based on WHO clinical guidelines for integrated pregnancy care and sessions cover routine care during pregnancy including screening tests, preventive measures and counseling, as well as initial management of complications.