Evaluation of the feasibility of the FAST-M maternal sepsis intervention in Pakistan: a protocol

Maternal Sepsis and associated factors: A multi-central study from two tertiary care hospitals of South Punjab, Pakistan

Objective

To determine the risk factors and outcomes of maternal sepsis.

Methods

This case-control study was performed at the departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Nishtar Hospital, Multan, and Ghazi Khan Hospital, Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan, from June 2023 to May 2024. Cases were comprised of females aged 18-45 years diagnosed with maternal sepsis, and admitted during the study period. Controls were randomly selected females reporting during the study period and undergoing delivery. Sepsis was labeled on the basis of positive blood culture report. Crude and adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval were reported regarding various risk factors of maternal sepsis as well as maternal and fetal outcomes taking p<0.05 as significant. Mortality was noted from the onset of labor until seven days postpartum.

Results

In a total of 74 women (37 in each group), the mean age and, gestational age were 30.64±5.12 years, and 36.19±1.84 weeks, respectively. Multivariate binary logistic regression showed that gestational age below 37 weeks (AOR: 5.22; 95% CI: 1.35-19.67; p=0.015), unbooked cases (AOR: 5.34; 95% CI: 1.19-24.2; p=0.029), and anemia (AOR: 8.13; 95% CI: 1.05-63.10; p=0.045) were significant predictors of maternal sepsis. E. coli was the most common etiological agent among cases, affecting 14 (37.8%) cases. Mortality was significantly high among females with maternal sepsis versus those without maternal sepsis (32.4% vs. 2.7%, p=0.008).

Conclusion

Gestational age below 37 weeks, lack of antenatal booking, and anemia were found to be significant predictors of maternal sepsis. E. coli was the most common pathogen identified. High mortality rate in maternal sepsis highlights the need for early identification, effective management, and close monitoring to reduce maternal mortality from sepsis.

Maternal sepsis and factors associated with poor maternal outcomes in a tertiary hospital in Tigray, Ethiopia: a retrospective chart review

BACKGROUND

Maternal sepsis is the third leading cause of maternal death in the world. Women in resource-limited countries shoulder most of the burdens related to sepsis. Despite the growing risk associated with maternal sepsis, there are limited studies that have tried to assess the impact of maternal sepsis in resource-limited countries. The current study determined the outcomes of maternal sepsis and factors associated with having poor maternal outcomes.

METHODS

A facility-based retrospective cross-sectional study design was employed to assess the clinical presentation, maternal outcomes, and factors associated with maternal sepsis. The study was conducted in Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Tigray, Ethiopia, from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2021. Sociodemographic characteristics, clinical characteristics and outcomes of women with maternal sepsis were analyzed using a descriptive statistic. The association between dependent and independent variables was determined using multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

Among 27,350 live births, 298 mothers developed sepsis, giving a rate of 109 maternal sepsis for every 10,000 live births. There were 22 maternal deaths, giving rise to a case fatality rate of 7.4% and a maternal mortality ratio of 75 per 100,000 live births. Admission to the intensive care unit and use of mechanical ventilator were observed in 23.5% and 14.1% of the study participants, respectively. A fourth (24.2%) of the mothers were complicated with septic shock. Overall, 24.2% of women with maternal sepsis had severe maternal outcomes (SMO). Prolonged hospital stay, having parity of two and above, having the lung as the focus of infection, switchof antibiotics, and developing septic shock were significantly associated with SMO.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed that maternal sepsis continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality in resource-limited settings; with a significant number of women experiencing death, intensive care unit admission, and intubation attributable to sepsis. The unavailability of recommended diagnostic modalities and management options has led to the grave outcomes observed in this study. To ward off the effects of infection during pregnancy, labor and postpartum period and to prevent progression to sepsis and septic shock in low-income countries, we recommend that concerted and meticulous efforts should be applied to build the diagnostic capacity of health facilities, to have effective infection prevention and control practice, and to avail recommended diagnostic and management options.

Evaluation of the FAST-M maternal sepsis intervention in Pakistan: A qualitative exploratory study

INTRODUCTION

The World Health Organization and partners developed and evaluated a maternity-specific sepsis care bundle called 'FAST-M' for low-resource settings. However, this bundle has not yet been studied in Asia. Our study sought to evaluate the perceptions of healthcare providers about the implementation of the FAST-M intervention in Pakistan.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was conducted at a public sector hospital in Hyderabad. We conducted three focus group discussions with healthcare providers including doctors, nurses, and healthcare administrators (n = 22) who implemented the FAST-M intervention. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used as a guiding framework for data collection and analysis. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach and deductive methods.

RESULTS

Five overarching themes emerged: (I) FAST-M intervention and its significance including HCPs believing in the advantages of using the intervention to improve clinical practices; (II) Influence of outer and inner settings including non-availability of resources in the facility for sepsis care; (III) HCPs perceptions about sustainability, which were positive (IV) Integration into the clinical setting including HCPs views on the existing gaps, for example, shortage of HCPs and communication gaps, and their recommendations to improve these; and (V) Outcomes of the intervention including improved clinical processes and outcomes using the FAST-M intervention. Significant improvement in patient monitoring and FAST-M bundle completion within an hour of diagnosis of sepsis was reported by the HCPs.

CONCLUSIONS

The healthcare providers' views were positive about the intervention, its outcomes, and long-term sustainability. The qualitative data provided findings on the acceptability of the overall implementation processes to support subsequent scaling up of the intervention.

Adapting the FAST-M maternal sepsis intervention for implementation in Pakistan: a qualitative exploratory study

OBJECTIVE

A maternal sepsis management bundle for resource-limited settings was developed through a synthesis of evidence and international consensus. This bundle, called 'FAST-M' consists of: Fluids, Antibiotics, Source control, assessment of the need to Transport/Transfer to a higher level of care and ongoing Monitoring (of the mother and neonate). The study aimed to adapt the FAST-M intervention including the bundle care tools for early identification and management of maternal sepsis in a low-resource setting of Pakistan and identify potential facilitators and barriers to its implementation.

SETTING

The study was conducted at the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, which is a tertiary referral public sector hospital in Hyderabad.

DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS

A qualitative exploratory study comprising key informant interviews and a focus group discussion was conducted with healthcare providers (HCPs) working in the study setting between November 2020 and January 2021, to ascertain the potential facilitators and barriers to the implementation of the FAST-M intervention. Interview guides were developed using the five domains of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research: intervention characteristics, outer setting, inner setting, characteristics of the individuals and process of implementation.

RESULTS

Four overarching themes were identified, the hindering factors for implementation of the FAST-M intervention were: (1) Challenges in existing system such as a shortage of resources and lack of quality assurance; and (2) Clinical practice variation that includes lack of sepsis guidelines and documentation; the facilitating factors identified were: (3) HCPs' perceptions about the FAST-M intervention and their positive views about its execution and (4) Development of HCPs readiness for FAST-M implementation that aided in identifying solutions to potential hindering factors at their clinical setting.

CONCLUSION

The study has identified potential gaps and probable solutions to the implementation of the FAST-M intervention, with modifications for adaptation in the local context TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN17105658.