Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Postpartum haemorrhage is one of the causes of the rise in maternal mortality. Midwives’ experiences related
to postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) management remain unexplored, especially in Limpopo. The purpose of the study was
to explore the challenges experienced by midwives in the management of women with PPH.
METHODS: Qualitative research was conducted to explore the challenges experienced by midwives in the management of
women with PPH. Midwives were sampled purposefully. Unstructured interviews were conducted on 18 midwives working
at primary health care facilities. Data were analysed after data saturation.
RESULTS: After data analysis, one theme emerged “challenges experienced by midwives managing women with PPH” and
five subthemes, including: “difficulty experienced resulting in feelings of frustrations and confusion and lack of time and
shortage of human resource inhibits guidelines consultation”.
CONCLUSION: The study findings revealed that midwives experienced difficulty when managing women with postpartum
haemorrhage. For successful implementation of maternal health care guidelines, midwives should be capacitated through
training, supported and supervised in order to execute PPH management with ease.
