Safe Delivery App: Adaptation and Implementation into Nursing and Midwifery Education in Papua New Guinea

Health outcomes for mothers and babies in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are the poorest in the Asia Pacific Region. Significantly high numbers of mothers die in childbirth and many babies are stillborn or die in the first days after birth. Ensuring adequate health workforce coverage and providing midwives and other healthcare workers access to ongoing education, especially up-to-date clinical knowledge and skills, is critical. Understaffing in PNG health facilities can mean that professional support is limited, and staff often work in isolation without on-the-spot guidance.  

The Safe Delivery App (SDA) is a smartphone application for frontline health workers who care for pregnant women and their newborns. Once downloaded, the SDA can be used offline to access essential, evidence-based, up-to-date clinical guidelines for maternal and newborn care. It features step-by-step video instructions, animated demonstration of procedures, and simple, actionable content accessible even in remote areas with limited connectivity. 

Developed by the Maternity Foundation (Denmark), the SDA was adapted to the Papua New Guinean context by local clinicians in collaboration with the Burnet Institute in 2023.

In 2024, Burnet Institute assisted with the roll-out of the country-specific version of the SDA across Papua New Guinea and put lifesaving information in the hands of frontline health workers, empowering them to provide a safe birth experience for mothers and newborns.