Montevideo, 23 April, 2024. The CLAP MUSA Network connects healthcare centers where women experiencing a miscarriage are attended in Latin America and the Caribbean.
These centers use the SIP Plus (a web version of the Perinatal Information System) to record patient information. This allows them to obtain quality data on the epidemiological situation, analyze it, and make decisions according to the existing needs in each context.
One of the institutions that is part of the network is the “Hospital Escuela” in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, which is the main reference hospital at the national level.
Dr. Carolina Bustillo, head of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at the hospital, mentioned that "one of the main advantages of being part of the network is having the assistance of an international organization that is always working on improving the quality of care... especially in the area of sexual and reproductive health."
Bustillo highlighted the support provided by the Latin American Center for Perinatology - Women's and Reproductive Health (CLP/WR) and emphasized the support for improving the quality of the recorded data. "It is one of the best ways to keep a record of quality data, that is standardized and well-programmed" she said about the use of SIP Plus.
Every month, the institutions that are part of the network receive reports from an external audit that evaluates the quality and completeness of the data with improvement recommendations. In addition, monthly meetings are held to address these issues and others that may be of interest to the centers.
As part of a regional strategy to guarantee sexual and reproductive health rights and, in particular, to prevent repeat adolescent pregnancies, CLP/WR promotes Immediate Post Obstetric Event Contraception (AIPEO, for its acronym in Spanish). Along this line, coordinated work is done with network centers in training workshops for healthcare professionals and in the creation of simulation centers. Bustillo also referred to this point and emphasized the relevance of strengthening local capacities through the use of simulators donated by CLP/WR to certain reference centers that are part of the network.
These actions are carried out thanks to the support of Global Affairs Canada, through the Improved Health of Women and Adolescent Girls in Situations of in Vulnerability project.
Watch the video about the CLAP MUSA Network and SIP Plus at the “Hospital Escuela” in Tegucigalpa:
More about the CLAP MUSA Network
The CLAP MUSA Network was created in 2015 with the aim of improving the quality of care for women experiencing miscarriage and reducing maternal morbidity and mortality.
There are currently 16 active centers in: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Panama, and Peru. However, there are other centers that are joining the network or that, for various reasons, are not active at the moment, but still belong to the network.
Dr. Rodolfo Gómez Ponce de León, regional advisor on Sexual and Reproductive Health of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), emphasized that the CLAP MUSA Network is the only network with these characteristics in the world.
Furthermore, in addition to the various benefits of remaining in the network that are mentioned above, he highlighted that "another advantage of remaining in the network is the possibility of participating in research, either on our own or with other centers. We provide all methodological support. There are several academic publications that have emerged from the network and are already reference points both regionally and beyond."
To learn more about the CLAP MUSA Network or to join it, contact the coordinator, Dr. Verónica Fiol at the email fiolver@paho.org
