*2.4.5 Maternal and newborn health*

While in most cases having a baby is a positive experience, pregnancy and childbirth can cause suffering, ill health or even death. Every year, women and newborn babies die from complications related to childbirth.

The interventions and approaches that help save the lives of mothers and babies are well documented (**Table 2**). They can work even where resources are poor [26].


#### **Table 2.**

*Quality mother and newborn care features and facilities.*

#### *2.4.6 Hospital laboratories*

Medical laboratory test data is increasingly being utilized. Medical laboratory should provide the doctor and the patient accurate, precise, and reliable results. Medical test malpractice can lead to a medical accident. Hence the need of quality and safety assurance with management of the overall processes required to provide high quality medical laboratory results [27]. Results should be transcribed in a reliable way and all necessary information should be provided for the correct interpretation of results [28]. It needs to be ensured that critical and alarming results are communicated to clinicians immediately.

#### *2.4.7 Transitions in care – handing over*

In health care organizations patients are subjected to multiple transitions in care. This is inevitable as continuous, 24-hour treatment necessitates the division of labor [29]. These transitions, or "handovers," are potential points of failure, thus making preventive

actions of utmost important. Gaps in handover communication between patient care units, and between and among care teams, can cause serious breakdowns in the continuity of care, inappropriate treatment, and potential harm for the patient. Proper handing over of all information and spending time on this is the best preventive solution.

#### *2.4.8 Radiation risks minimization*

Radiological investigation should be ordered after clinical impact assessment by clinicians. These should be individually tailored by the radiologist using the least parameters of exposure. Paediatric patients vulnerability justifies special attention [30].

Radiation therapy acute toxicities can be alleviated by giving gap in the treatment. Chronic toxicities are more serious. Overall clinical outcomes of radiotherapy are optimized when radiotherapy services function along with effective prevention, early detection programs, and quality surgery [30].

#### *2.4.9 Special clinics*

Comprehensive treatment in the outpatient setting, including of patients with complex disorders is possible in Special Clinics. This needs encouragement. This has cost advantages as well as reduces the adverse side-effects of hospital stays [31]. Establishing an asthma clinic has been demonstrated to decrease hospitalizations [32].
