In a recently published landmark clinical trial, researchers found that detecting bleeding early combined with the WHO-recommended bundle approach to PPH management reduced the risk of severe bleeding by up to 60%. In the trial, which was conducted across nearly 80 facilities in four different African countries, scientists implemented the use of a calibrated drape to objectively measure blood loss.

A loss of 500ml or 300ml plus a vital sign derangement would trigger a bundled response of uterine massage, oxytocin, tranexamic acid, IV fluids and genitourinary tract examination and (if necessary) escalation, all within fifteen minutes. The results showed that the intervention group had a significantly reduced risk of severe bleeding, surgery due to bleeding, and death, as compared to the control group.

The program, Supporting the Introduction of the PPH Bundle in Ethiopia (SinPble-PPH), intends to support the Federal Ministry of Health to develop a strategic convening roadmap, formulate a costed implementation plan, revise the national postpartum hemorrhage management guideline, put in place fertile regulatory ground to accommodate innovative schemes to avail supplies to pave the way for smooth integration of the bundle approach to management of PPH into the national maternal service package. It is a catalytic endeavor to drive forward priority elements of PPH Bundle, the calibrated blood collection drape in particular, introduction and scale pathway to prepare for any potential scale levers to move swiftly for rapid impact down the road.