Improving maternal health and safety through adherence to postpartum hemorrhage protocol in Latin America

Access and use of oxytocin for postpartum haemorrhage prevention: a pre-post study targeting the poorest in six Mesoamerican countries

OBJECTIVES

Haemorrhage remains the leading cause of maternal mortality in Central America. The Salud Mesoamérica Initiative aims to reduce such mortality via performance indicators. Our objective was to assess the availability and administration of oxytocin, before and after applying Salud Mesoamérica Initiative interventions in the poorest health facilities across Central America.

DESIGN

Pre-post study.

SETTING

166 basic-level and comprehensive-level health facilities in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama.

PARTICIPANTS

A random sample of medical records for uncomplicated full-term deliveries (n=2470) per International Classification of Diseases coding at baseline (July 2011 to August 2013) and at first-phase follow-up (January 2014 to October 2014).

INTERVENTIONS

A year of intervention implementation prior to first-phase follow-up data collection focused on improving access to oxytocin by strengthening supply chains, procurement, storage practices and pharmacy inventory monitoring, using a results-based financing model.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Oxytocin availability (primary outcome) and administration (secondary outcome) for postpartum haemorrhage prevention.

RESULTS

Availability of oxytocin increased from 82.9% to 97.6%. Oxytocin administration increased from 83.6% to 88.4%. Significant improvements were seen for availability of oxytocin (adjusted OR (aOR)=8.41, 95% CI 1.50 to 47.30). Administration of oxytocin was found to be significantly higher in Honduras (aOR=2.96; 95% CI 1.00 to 8.76) in reference to Guatemala at follow-up.

CONCLUSION

After interventions to increase health facility supplies, the study showed a significant improvement in availability but not administration of oxytocin in poor communities within Mesoamerica. Efforts are needed to improve the use of oxytocin.

Afghan migrants face more suboptimal care than natives: a maternal near-miss audit study at university hospitals in Tehran, Iran

BACKGROUND

Women from low-income settings have higher risk of maternal near miss (MNM) and suboptimal care than natives in high-income countries. Iran is the second largest host country for Afghan refugees in the world. Our aim was to investigate whether care quality for MNM differed between Iranians and Afghans and identify potential preventable attributes of MNM.

METHODS

An MNM audit study was conducted from 2012 to 2014 at three university hospitals in Tehran. Auditors evaluated the quality of care by reviewing the hospital records of 76 MNM cases (54 Iranians, 22 Afghans) and considering additional input from interviews with patients and professionals. Main outcomes were frequency of suboptimal care and the preventable attributes of MNM. Crude and adjusted odds ratios with confidence intervals for the independent predictors were examined.

RESULTS

Afghan MNM faced suboptimal care more frequently than Iranians after adjusting for educational level, family income, and insurance status. Above two-thirds (71%, 54/76) of MNM cases were potentially avoidable. Preventable factors were mostly provider-related (85%, 46/54), but patient- (31%, 17/54) and health system-related factors (26%, 14/54) were also important. Delayed recognition, misdiagnosis, inappropriate care plan, delays in care-seeking, and costly care services were the main potentially preventable attributes of MNM.

CONCLUSIONS

Afghan mothers faced inequality in obstetric care. Suboptimal care was provided in a majority of preventable near-miss events. Improving obstetric practice and targeting migrants' specific needs during pregnancy may avert near-miss outcomes.

Processos organizacionais na Estratégia Saúde da Família: uma análise pelos enfermeiros

Resumo Objetivo Analisar os processos organizativos das equipes de Saúde da Família após implantação do Plano Diretor da Atenção Primária à Saúde. Métodos Este estudo transversal foi realizado na cidade de Unaí , no estado de Minas Gerais , Brasil. Um questionário do tipo Likert foi utilizado para coleta de dados e o teste de Kruskal-Wallis foi aplicado para análise, com um nível de significância de 5%. Resultados Foram identificados melhores resultados para as dimensões saúde da criança, mulher, contrato de gestão e sistemas de informação. Nas dimensões princípios da Atenção Primária à Saúde, diagnóstico, programação local, acolhimento e classificação de risco, abordagem familiar, relacionamento com a comunidade, redes de atenção à saúde, monitoramento, prontuário saúde da família e apoio diagnóstico, os resultados foram insatisfatórios. Nas dimensões princípios da Atenção Primária à Saúde, programação local, monitoramento, saúde da mulher e criança houve diferença estatística. Conclusão Há necessidade de maiores investimentos na organização das equipes, principalmente com relação aos processos organizativos ligados à gestão.

Clinician attendance and delivery practices at hospital-based vaginal deliveries in Western Kenya

OBJECTIVE

To characterize delivery practices and factors associated with respectful, evidence-based care at a referral hospital in Western Kenya.

METHODS

An exploratory observational study used a standardized birth-observation form to record information on patient characteristics and healthcare practitioner behaviors during uncomplicated vaginal deliveries between June 30, 2014 and July 17, 2014. All deliveries were monitored for whether healthcare staff performed six specific evidence-based practices (three maternal and three neonatal practices).

RESULTS

In total, 75 vaginal deliveries were observed. In 48 (64%) deliveries, nursing students were the only practitioners present. The mean number of evidence-based practices performed at each delivery was 3.58. The number of evidence-based practices performed by junior practitioners was higher when a nurse educator was assessing their performance (4.47 vs 3.36, P<0.001). Lower mean respectful-care scores were recorded when delivery teams comprised three or more practitioners (1.38; 95% confidence interval 0.93-1.84 vs 2.74; 95% confidence interval 2.16-3.31, P=0.002).

CONCLUSION

The present study found low rates of evidence-based practice and respectful maternity care; this could serve as a deterrent for women seeking care at the study facility. These findings emphasize the need for a comprehensive approach in increasing the quality of patient care to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes.