Last fall IntraHealth International Program Officer Marsha Hamilton visited the Fistula Care Center in Ethiopia and noticed a tattered and confusing poster that the staff was using to diagnose obstetric fistula. Obstetric fistula is a hole that forms between a woman’s rectum and vagina or between her bladder and vagina as a result of complicated or prolonged childbirth without appropriate obstetric care. Without treatment, obstetric fistula can lead to incontinence, severe infections and ulcerations of the vaginal tract, and paralysis caused by nerve damage. However, women who undergo corrective surgery are often able to resume a normal life and regain full bodily function.

Knowing the importance of appropriately diagnosing obstetric fistula and referring women to a surgery clinic, Hamilton snapped a photo of the poster and shared it with her Fistula Care team, who subsequently developed an updated, more effective job aid for fistula diagnosis. These two new job aids: a poster for health facility walls and a handout that health workers can bring with them on community visits are now available. Both lead the health workers through a set of yes or no questions, and provide an appropriate diagnosis and treatment for each answer.

The job aids will be distributed in Ethiopia through Fistula Care, an IntraHealth-supported program led by EngenderHealth and funded by USAID. Electronic versions of the job aids are available in IntraHealth’s Resources section.