Research and development of OPOL–Maternal Safety System: One Province One Labor Room Maternal Death Prevention System in Health Region 7

Abstract

  The purpose of this research and development study was to examine and develop the OPOL–Maternal Safety System: One Province One Labor Room Maternal Mortality Prevention System in Health Region 7. The study was conducted in four phases: 1) situation and problem analysis, 2) development of the maternal mortality prevention system, 3) implementation of the system to examine its effectiveness, and 4) evaluation, refinement, and confirmation of system quality. Research instruments included data recording forms, focus group discussion guidelines, a system quality assessment form, competency-based practice assessment tools, and a satisfaction questionnaire. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Chi-square test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and content analysis. The results revealed that: 1) the OPOL–Maternal Safety System consisted of three components: (1) input factors comprising five key elements, including policies and development plans, administrative structure, roles and responsibilities of committees, personnel competency, and supportive resources; (2) process components based on the OPOL–Maternal Safety System framework, including provincial standardized maternal care, multidisciplinary team participation, outcome-driven competency development, and a learning and data-driven system; and (3) outcome components defining maternal mortality indicators across three dimensions: structure, process, and outcomes. 2) After system implementation, the maternal mortality rate was significantly lower than before implementation (p<.001 Furthermore, 100% of the personnel followed the established guidelines. The average competency scores were significantly higher than before implementation (p < .001) The mean competency scores of personnel were significantly higher than those before system implementation (p<.001). In addition, the majority of participants rated the system quality at a good level (85.0%), and overall satisfaction was rated at a high level (= 4.35, SD=0.87). In conclusion, the OPOL–Maternal Safety System should be applied as a proactive maternal mortality prevention strategy.