Abstract

PIP: Early referral for hospital delivery is important to reduce the risks during pregnancy and labor for 90% of the women in rural areas. Therefore, Tanzania has improved a record card for antenatal screening that would detect labor complications, indicate appropriate action, emphasize preventive treatment for pregnancy complications, and record labor outcome. A patient's obstetric history is obtained and the patient is examined with consideration given to height and limp or polio leg. Patients with raised blood pressure, signs of pre-eclamptic toxemia, or severe anemia are referred to the hospital and if breech, transverse lie, or twins are suspected, the patient is booked for a hospital delivery. Prevention of anemia, malaria, and neonatal tetanus are emphasized. Of 13,410 women screened, a height factor of 146 cm or less accounted for 41.6% of all risk factors, and 81% of all risk factors were detected from the patient's history and height measurement. By using the new antenatal cards there was a higher detection rate of risk cases an when used by different health workers, there was over 95% agreement in findings compared to 68% using the old cards.