Perinatal Interventions Program (PIP)
In partnership with PATH, a global non-profit organization working to break longstanding cycles of poor health, GAPPS developed a Perinatal Interventions Program (PIP) to aid providers in assisting mothers and newborns before, during and after birth. Each PIP is composed of step-by-step guidelines to help healthcare providers quickly diagnose women at risk for preterm birth, as well as use targeted interventions for preterm infants. The program is intended for use in both home births and those occurring in care facilities.
The developed guidelines focused on
- Recognizing and managing women in preterm labor
- Decision trees for managing delivery of a preterm infant
- Immediate care management for preterm newborns during the first few hours of life
- Caring for preterm newborns (birth through the first week, with special emphasis on the first 24 hours)
The PIP employs low-cost adaptations of evidence-based existing and new technologies. Each decision tree includes behavior-related materials to increase awareness and understanding of existing effective solutions and healthcare practices. The program also strives to inform providers and mothers about harmful interventions in an effort to improve maternal and infant health.
After an initial design phase, the PIP pilot materials are being tested with stakeholders in Africa for feedback on how to improve the program for use in the field. It is next slated to be surveyed with potential users in Bangladesh.
What's positive about this collaboration is that GAPPS brings the clinical expertise and PATH brings the commercialization and technology experience."