Understanding patient and support person perspectives on care during and after postpartum haemorrhage

Post-partum haemorrhage (PPH) is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity. This potentially life-threatening condition can be mitigated through effective and prompt recognition of severity, and intervention. Causes of PPH include uterine atony, retained tissue, genital tract trauma and clotting disorders. These are widely referred to as the ‘Four T’s’: tone, tissue, trauma and thrombin. Atony (lack of tone) is the most common. Whilst most PPH episodes are minor, requiring little active management; moderate-severe episodes require greater intervention. In providing the care required to manage such situations, teamwork and communication amongst the clinical team is vital. Within maternity care, there is an increasing interest in improving the experiences of patients and the support person. Especially during experiences such as PPH, where the sudden appearance of a clinical team, paired with the emergency environment, can be viewed as chaotic, leading to trauma to the patient and support person. As such, this study aims to understand the experiences of patient and support person to develop strategies for managing such traumas. The study requires qualitative research methodologies and is a collaboration between Monash University, UTS, and Monash Health.