Conceptual Framework for Implementing the Saudi Childbirth Initiative

There are many efforts internationally to achieve safe and respectful Mother-Baby–Family maternity care. This article is the first to provide a conceptual framework for implementing the Saudi Childbirth Initiative (SCI) in all health institutions in Saudi Arabia. It introduces the 10 Steps of the SCI to strategically achieve a safe and respectful Mother-Baby–Family maternity care in order to improve maternal and infant outcome and implement evidence-based maternity care in Saudi Arabia. The SCI is developed upon previous initiatives and integrates and supports much of the current work being carried out by many organizations. The aim of the SCI's 10 Steps is to improve care throughout the childbearing continuum, to save lives, prevent illness and harm from the overuse of obstetric technologies, and promote health for mothers and babies and to provide clear guidelines for providing optimal maternity care. Safe and respectful Mother-Baby–Family Maternity Care is measurable and for each of the 10 Steps, there is an associated assessment tool to ensure these guidelines are being established by health institutions. SCI envisions that successful implementation of the 10 Steps can be measured and monitored using the a combination of statistical information and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure maternal mortality and morbidity outcomes (currently in development) using local assessors.