Mother-friendly hospital: a checklist for assessment.

Safe Mother (1994) PMID 12345458

This is a list of recommendations for obstetric hospitals. Emergency care guidelines are as follows: 1) obstetric emergencies should be given priority; 2) admission should be simple, rapid, and welcoming; 3) facilities for surgery and transfusion should be available 24 hours/day; 4) medications and operative interventions should be used in accordance with established norms and indicators; and 5) all maternal deaths should be audited and reported. Antenatal care guidelines are as follows: 1) prenatal checkups that include tetanus immunization and iron/folate supplementation should be available daily; 2) women should receive information on early recognition of complications; 3) staff should avoid punitive or judgmental attitudes, especially in regard to abortion complications; 4) staff should be welcoming to those accompanying the women; and 5) staff should explain procedures to women and their families. Delivery care guidelines are as follows: 1) husbands, partners, and others should be allowed to stay during labor, if the mother wishes it; 2) strict standards of clean delivery should be maintained; 3) immediate mother/baby contact and breast feeding should be encouraged; 4) care providers should be polite and considerate; 5) staff should explain the process of labor and delivery; 6) staff should listen and respond to women's concerns; 7) flexibility should be used in the choice of labor routine and of birthing position; 8) harmless traditional practices should be respected and encouraged; 9) women should have privacy, if they wish; and 10) unnecessary medical routines/interventions should be avoided (episiotomy, shaving, enemas). Postpartum care guidelines are as follows: 1) babies should be kept in close contact with their mothers (rooming in), and feeding on demand should be encouraged; 2) mothers and families should be advised about nutrition and rest after delivery; 3) appropriate newborn care should be available, including resuscitation; 4) families should be encouraged to visit and to celebrate the baby's birth; and 5) mothers should receive health education and advice when leaving the hospital. Contraceptive services should include counseling for all postpartum and post-abortion cases before their leaving the hospital, family planning information and services available to all mothers throughout their stay, and information and services for men (provided by men, if necessary).