WHO Releases Safe Childbirth Checklist for Global Use
The tool provides standardized care procedures to help reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths worldwide.
Updated on Oct. 15, 2026 in Pregnancy
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The World Health Organization introduced the Safe Childbirth Checklist and Implementation Guide to improve care quality at health facilities. This bedside tool aims to address major causes of mortality like hemorrhage and infection across the 130 million births occurring annually.
Why it matters
Most maternal and newborn deaths are preventable, yet poor quality of care at medical facilities remains a significant barrier to survival. By standardizing practices, the WHO aims to lower the global toll of 303,000 maternal deaths and 5.3 million stillbirths or newborn deaths each year.
The checklist tracks 29 distinct best practices across four specific pause points during labor and delivery. Pilot testing in India demonstrated an increase in practice adherence from 10 to 25 of those total recommended steps.
The players
World Health Organization
The United Nations specialized agency is responsible for international public health and setting norms for medical care.
The details
The checklist acts as a synthesized bedside guide for health workers, specifically targeting critical moments upon admission, before pushing, within one hour after birth, and before discharge. It directly addresses complications including obstructed labor, preeclampsia, and asphyxia.
Timeline
Groups from 29 countries participated in the checklist collaboration from 2012 to 2015.
The BetterBirth randomized controlled trial in India is scheduled for completion in 2017.
Global Sustainable Development Goals aim to reduce preventable deaths from 2016 to 2030.
Culture Shift
This initiative represents a shift toward standardized, evidence-based care protocols in diverse global healthcare settings. It builds on the BetterBirth randomized controlled trial, setting a new expectation for systematic checklists in maternity wards worldwide.
The introduction of this checklist changes the standard operating procedure for labor and delivery staff, directly influencing the care quality patients receive. Expectant parents can benefit from the systematic tracking of health practices designed to catch complications early.
The takeaway
Standardized checklists are proving effective at closing the gap between recommended medical practices and actual hospital performance. Health facilities can implement these four-stage pause points to ensure consistent, life-saving care during the critical hours surrounding birth.
What happens next
The World Health Organization is currently developing French and Spanish editions of the checklist and implementation guide to support broader global adoption.
Further reading
For more information on clinical guidelines, explore the Pregnancy section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Who.
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