Surgical Safety Checklist Use and Post-Caesarean Sepsis in the Lake Zone of Tanzania: Results from Safe Surgery 2020

Background Maternal sepsis accounts for significant morbidity and mortality in lower income countries, and caesarean delivery, while often necessary, augments the risk of maternal sepsis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Safe Surgery 2020 surgical safety checklist (SSC) implementation on post-caesarean sepsis in Tanzania. Methods We conducted a study in 20 facilities in Tanzania’s Lake Zone as part of the Safe Surgery 2020 intervention. We prospectively collected data on SSC adherence and maternal sepsis outcomes from 1341 caesarian deliveries. The primary outcome measure was maternal sepsis rate. The primary predictor was SSC adherence. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate independent associations between SSC adherence and maternal sepsis. Results Higher SSC adherence was associated with lower rates of maternal sepsis (<25% adherence: 5.0%; >75% adherence: 0.7%). Wound class and facility type were significantly associated with development of maternal sepsis (Wound class: Clean-Contaminated 3.7%, Contaminated/Dirty 20%, P = 0.018) (Facility Type: Health Centre 5.9%, District Hospital 4.5%, Regional Referral Hospital 1.7%, P = 0.018). In multivariable analysis, after controlling for wound class and facility type, higher SSC adherence was associated with lower rates of maternal sepsis, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.17 per percentage point increase in SSC adherence (95% CI: 0.04, 0.79; P = 0.024). Conclusions Adherence to the SSC may reduce maternal morbidity during caesarean delivery, reinforcing the assumption that surgical quality interventions improve maternal outcomes. Future studies should continue to explore additional synergies between surgical and maternal quality improvement.