Patient safety in obstetrics

Health Systems Factors Associated With Adverse Events Among Hospitalized Obstetric Clients in a Tertiary Health Care Facility in Ghana

OBJECTIVES

The risk of an adverse event (AE) in obstetric clients receiving care in hospitals is greater than the risk of dying in aviation, road traffic accidents, and breast cancer. There is little understanding of AEs with respect to their causes at hospitals. The study aimed at assessing factors that are associated with the occurrence of AEs among hospitalized obstetric clients in a tertiary hospital in Ghana.

METHOD

This was a case-control study of 650 obstetric clients (equal number in both arms) who were admitted between January 1 and December 31, 2015, at the study site. A retrospective review of the clients' medical records was randomly allocated into both arms of the study. Descriptive and inferential statistics including confirmatory factor analysis were performed. Models were evaluated for goodness-of-fit measures. The reliability and validity of the scale were also tested using Cronbach α coefficient.

RESULTS

The mean gestational age of the clients was 37.4 ± 4.9 weeks. Leadership and governance (inadequate use of protocol and adherence) accounted for the most cause of AEs among obstetric clients. The overall Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin score was also 0.87. The scale also demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach α = 0.995; composite reliability > 0.7) and validity (average variance extraction > 0.50). There was a marginal model fit (root mean square error of approximation, 0.067), and the χ2 test was statistically significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Inadequate use of protocol and adherence is a major cause of preventable AEs identified in this study. There is an urgent need to address this to ensure a reduction in the prevalence of AEs among obstetric clients.