Assessing Feasibility, Usability and Acceptability of Cesarean Safety Checklist in India
Making the World’s Most Common Surgery Safer
Cesarean section (C-section) is the most common surgery in the world, with more than 30 million performed every year. While medically necessary in many cases, C-sections are associated with a higher risk of death than vaginal births, a risk that is particularly large in low-resource settings where women face maternal death rates up to 50 times higher than in high-income countries.
To change that, EngenderHealth, in partnership with Ariadne Labs, is developing and testing an innovative Cesarean Safety Checklist (CSC)—a practical tool designed to improve surgical teamwork, strengthen quality of care, and save the lives of mothers and newborns.
From Setback to New Support
The checklist was originally developed under the MOMENTUM Safe Surgery in Family Planning and Obstetrics program. Just weeks before its planned pilot in India, the project was abruptly terminated as part of the broader dismantling of USAID funding.
Thanks to renewed support from an anonymous donor which learned about this effort through Project Resource Optimization (PRO)—a trusted initiative hosted by the Center for Global Development—EngenderHealth and Ariadne Labs are now able to continue this life-saving work.
Testing and Refining the Checklist
EngenderHealth and Ariadne Labs are piloting the Cesarean Safety Checklist in two medical college hospitals in Karnataka and Jharkhand, India. The study will test the checklist’s feasibility, usability, and acceptability among healthcare teams. Based on feedback from users, the partners will refine the tool and develop a practical implementation package to guide adaptation in different facility contexts and geographic settings.
A Model for Global Impact
By improving teamwork, communication, and adherence to life-saving practices during surgery, this project aims to make C-sections safer for mothers and newborns. If proven effective, the Cesarean Safety Checklist could be scaled nationwide in India and serve as a global model for safe cesarean delivery—transforming how childbirth is managed around the world.
