SYNERGY OF PRIMARY AND EMERGENCY CARE: ADVANCED AND BASIC LIFE SUPPORT IN OBSTETRICS (ALSO®, BLSO®) PROGRAMS IN INDIA AND ETHIOPIA

• Introduction and Objective Many factors are responsible for maternal mortality in Ethiopia and India, including limited access to skilled birth attendants, chronic diseases, lack of supplies and facilities, and inadequate training of caregivers. The Basic and Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics Courses (BLSO® and ALSO ®) address the lack of adequate training of medical personnel. They are 1-3 day, evidence-based courses that teach management of obstetric emergencies using small group learning and mannequin-based scenarios. Partnership with emergency medical services (EMS) addresses another cause of maternal mortality – timely transport to medical care. The objective of this presentation is to compare and contrast the ALSO and BLSO programs and their relationship with newly-introduced EMS in Ethiopia and India. • Methods Presenters include those responsible for piloting, modifying, advising and/or propagating the ALSO and BLSO programs and EMS services in Ethiopia and India and family medicine residency training in Ethiopia over the past 5 years. Presenters will share observations, quantitative and qualitative course evaluation data, and prospective observational data regarding pregnancy-related calls to the Indian EMS. • Results and Conclusions Primary and emergency care services in Ethiopia and India are growing and have the opportunity for synergy in areas such as obstetric emergency training and services. ALSO and BLSO training programs in conjunction with functional emergency care services can reduce maternal deaths by addressing the second and third delays (delay in reaching care and delay in obtaining high quality care). • Disclaimer - Conflicts of interest: None