Clean Cut, a Program to Improve the Safety of C-Section

Thomas Weiser of the Lifebox Foundation in the U.S. will implement their surgical infection prevention program, Clean Cut, in ten maternity hospitals in Ethiopia to reduce infections and other complications of C-sections, which account for around 15% of maternal deaths. To improve the safety of surgery, they developed Clean Cut, which uses training and improved management practices to promote compliance with six key safety standards including sterility of instruments and surgical sites, gowns and gloves, and appropriate use of antibiotics. They will adapt their program to C-sections and perform a stepped-wedge study at 10 hospitals over 24 months involving recruiting and training a dedicated improvement team and developing tailored process plans to implement the program. They will evaluate its effect on compliance with the safety standards and on patient outcomes. Note: This grant is funded by the UBS Optimus Foundation.