The digital partograph, a tool for monitoring labor progression to identify and prevent complications, has been introduced at Leku General Hospital. Dr. Hana Sisay, a staff member at the hospital, is excited about the benefits of the digital partograph. She says the digital partograph not only helps to monitor a woman’s labor progression, but also accurately records essential data that allows accurate and timely decisions to be made, improving maternal and fetal health outcomes. Dr. Hana mentions that the digital partograph has empowered health care professionals to promptly intervene, address complications, and optimize maternal well-being.

Tamrat Talamo, a midwife, says: “One of the advantages of the digital partograph is that it eliminates the need for physical copies, contributing to resource conservation. This streamlined approach reduces paper usage and administrative burdens, allowing health care providers to promptly document labor progress at bedsides and capture real-time data. This increased efficiency leads to improved patient care and informed decision-making.

The digital format also enables senior health care professionals to evaluate critical information objectively, without any preconceived biases. By minimizing the risk of data entry errors, it enhances the accuracy and reliability of recorded parameters. However, a challenge in using the partograph is power fluctuation. During power outages, the completion of digital forms may be delayed, causing temporary setbacks for decisions relying on real-time data until power is restored.

DHA has scaled up the digital partograph in 10health facilities throughout the country, helping health care providers like Dr. Hana and Tamirat to make quality decisions that contribute to the goal of reducing maternal and newborn mortality in Ethiopia.