Controlling Pre-eclampsia and Eclampsia in Pregnancy
Carlotta Meusa
Grand Canyon University
Introduction to Nursing Research
Dr. M. Terese Verklan
February 23rd, 2014 2
Controlling Pre-eclampsia and Eclampsia in Pregnancy
Pre-eclampsia also known as toxemia is hypertension associated with protein in the urine and is prevalent in 7 out of 100 pregnant women. Severe form of pre-eclampsia sometimes develop resulting in seizures or convulsions; this is known as eclampsia.
The blood vessels constrict during pre-eclampsia thus reducing the amount of oxygen and nutrients delivered to the fetus and can lead to low birth weight. If it is untreated, it may result in liver, lungs, and kidneys failure. It appears during the second or third trimester of pregnancy, and is more prevalent in first pregnancies, multiple births, teenagers, and women over 35.
Background
Approximately 50,000 maternal deaths occur annually due to eclampsia, with the highest percentage being in third world countries. This study discusses the use of a Criteria-based audits (CBA) to improve quality of care among eclampsia patients admitted at a University teaching hospital in Dar es Salaam Tanzania. The incidence of eclampsia is high (about 6%) with the majority of cases arriving after episodes of convulsions. The quality of health care versus maternal mortality rates average and below average income countries is diverse, whenever, the need arises to achieve the Millennium development goal (MDG) in spite of having less than desirable finances and the infrastructure. Numerous policies have been found for shrinking maternal and perinatal mortality; for example, through high quality antenatal care, delivery performed by trained health professionals and facility of both basic and comprehensive emergency obstetrical care. These
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Controlling Pre-eclampsia and Eclampsia in Pregnancy