Global health
Changing Policy and Practice
Professor David Lissauer aims to tackle the issue of infections during pregnancy and childbirth.
Infections during pregnancy and childbirth are a major cause of illness and death among women, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Many of these infections could be prevented if health workers were better able to recognise the signs early and provide prompt treatment.
Professor David Lissauer, from the University of Liverpool, developed the Active Prevention and Treatment of Maternal Sepsis (APT-Sepsis) programme to improve the prevention, early detection and treatment of maternal infections. The programme supports healthcare workers to improve care with practical training and simple tools.
The results of a large study in Malawi and Uganda, involving over 430,000 women, showed that hospitals using the APT-Sepsis programme had a 32% lower risk of severe infection, life-threatening complications or death, than usual care.
Professor Lissauer's team will share findings with clinical staff, health leaders, ministries of health and global health organisations. They will organise meetings, share short reports, develop online resources and take part in policy discussions. They are planning to prepare the programme for introduction in Pakistan.
By sharing these results widely, the team aim to support safer maternity care and better outcomes for women and their babies.
More information is available at apt-sepsis.org, where you can learn more about the results, the experience of staff, and download materials.