Availability, utilisation and quality of maternal and neonatal health care services in Karamoja region, Uganda: a health facility-based survey

Utilization of Antenatal Care and Skilled Birth Delivery Services in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Scoping Review

Daily, the number of women who die around the world reaches an average of 800; these deaths are a result of obstetric complications in pregnancy and childbirth, and 99% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. This review probes the use of antenatal care (ANC) and skilled birth delivery (SBD) services in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and highlights research gaps using Arksey and O'Malley's methodological approach. The screening of abstracts and full text was carried out by two independent authors who ensured the eligibility of data extraction from the included articles. An exploration of the data was undertaken with descriptive analyses. In total, 350 potentially eligible articles were screened, and 137 studies were included for data extraction and analysis. From the 137 included studies, the majority were from Ethiopia (n = 40, 29.2%), followed by Nigeria (n = 30, 21.9%). Most of the studies were published between 2019 and 2023 (n = 84, 61%). Significant trends and challenges with ANC and SBD services emerged from the studies. It is revealed that there are wide gaps in the utilization of ANC and SBD services. Policy attention, intervention strategies to improve access, resources, rural-urban disparity, and women's literacy are recommended to improve the utilization of ANC and SBD services in SSA countries.

A secondary analysis of the factors associated with women´s adequate utilization of antenatal care services during their last pregnancy in Uganda

BACKGROUND

Adequate antenatal care services (ANC) use is critical to identifying and reducing pregnancy risks. Despite the importance placed on adequate antenatal care service utilization, women in Uganda continue to underutilize antenatal care services. The primary goal of this study is to identify the factors associated with women's adequate utilization of antenatal care services in Uganda.

METHODS

Secondary data from the 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey were used in this study. The study sample consists of 9,416 women aged 15 to 49 who reported giving birth in the five years preceding the survey. The adequate use of antenatal care services is the dependent variable. A woman who used antenatal care services at least four times is considered to have adequately used antenatal care services. We used univariate, bivariate, and multilevel logistic regression modelling to identify the factors associated with adequate utilization of antenatal care services. STATA version 14.2 was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

The prevalence of adequate utilization of antenatal care services in Uganda was found to be 61.4%. Women with secondary or higher education were 32.0% (AOR = 1.32, 95% CI;1.07-1.63), employed women were 26.0% (AOR = 1.26, 95% CI;1.10-1.44), women who received high-quality antenatal care content were 78.0% (AOR = 1.78, 95% CI;1.58-2.02), and women who belong to the rich category of the wealth index bracket were 27.0% (AOR = 1.27, 95% CI;1.09-1.49), more likely to use antenatal care services adequately. Finally, the study discovered that women from less diverse ethnic communities were 15.0% (AOR, 0.85, 95%CI; 0.73-0.99) less likely to use antenatal care services adequately.

CONCLUSION

Women's adequate utilization of antenatal care was influenced by both community and individual-level characteristics. Policymakers must use a multi-sectoral approach to develop policies that address both individual and community-level characteristics.

Perinatal care in Western Uganda: Prevalence and factors associated with appropriate care among women attending three district hospitals

Background

Perinatal mortality remains high globally and remains an important indicator of the quality of a health care system. To reduce this mortality, it is important to provide the recommended care during the perinatal period. We assessed the prevalence and factors associated with appropriate perinatal care (antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum) in Bunyoro region, Uganda. Results from this study provide valuable information on the perinatal care services and highlight areas of improvement for better perinatal outcomes.

Methods

A cross sectional survey was conducted among postpartum mothers attending care at three district hospitals in Bunyoro. Following consent, a questionnaire was administered to capture the participants’ demographics and data on care received was extracted from their antenatal, labour, delivery, and postpartum records using a pre-tested structured tool. The care received by women was assessed against the standard protocol established by World Health Organization (WHO). Poisson regression with robust standard errors was used to assess factors associated with appropriate postpartum care.

Results

A total of 872 mothers receiving care at the participating hospitals between March and June 2020 were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the mothers was 25 years (SD = 5.95). None of the mothers received appropriate antenatal or intrapartum care, and only 3.8% of the participants received appropriate postpartum care. Factors significantly associated with appropriate postpartum care included mothers being >35 years of age (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 11.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.8–51.4) and parity, with low parity (2–3) and multiparous (>3) mothers less likely to receive appropriate care than prime gravidas (aPR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.1–0.9 and aPR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.1–0.8 respectively).

Conclusions

Antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care received by mothers in this region remains below the standard recommended by WHO, and innovative strategies across the continuum of perinatal care need to be devised to prevent mortality among the mothers. The quality of care also needs to be balanced for all mothers irrespective of the age and parity.

What are the essential components of antenatal care? A systematic review of the literature and development of signal functions to guide monitoring and evaluation

BACKGROUND

Antenatal care (ANC) is one of the key care packages required to reduce global maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity.

OBJECTIVES

To identify the essential components of ANC and develop signal functions.

SEARCH STRATEGY

MESH headings for databases including Cinahl, Cochrane, Global Health, Medline, PubMed and Web of Science.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Papers and reports on content of ANC published from 2000 to 2020.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Narrative synthesis of data and development of signal function through 7 consensus-building workshops with 184 stakeholders.

MAIN RESULTS

A total of 221 papers and reports are included from which 28 essential components of ANC were extracted and used to develop 15 signal functions with the equipment, medication and consumables required for implementation of each. Signal functions for the prevention and management of infectious diseases (malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, syphilis and tetanus) can be applied depending on population disease burden. Screening and management of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, anaemia, mental and social health (including intimate partner violence) are recommended universally. Three signal functions address monitoring of fetal growth and wellbeing, and identification and management of obstetric complications. Promotion of health and wellbeing via education and support for nutrition, cessation of substance abuse, uptake of family planning, recognition of danger signs and birth preparedness are included as essential components of ANC.

CONCLUSIONS

New signal functions have been developed which can be used for monitoring and evaluation of content and quality of ANC. Country adaptation and validation is recommended.

Acceptability of family planning in a changing context in Uganda: a realist evaluation at two time points

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to understand, during an intervention which integrated family planning (FP) and immunisation, (1) if and how prevailing contextual factors influenced acceptability and use of modern contraceptive methods (MCMs) in a pastoral community in Uganda, (2) what mechanisms were triggered by these contextual factors (3) if these contextual factors changed between two time points 2 years apart and (4) the impact of contextual changes on mechanisms triggered and acceptability and use outcomes.

DESIGN

Qualitative realist evaluation over two time points.

SETTING

Government health facilities in Moroto District, Karamoja, Uganda.

PARTICIPANTS

69 participants involved in the delivery and uptake of integrated FP and childhood immunisation services.

INTERVENTION

Integrated delivery of FP and childhood immunisation services offered to women accessing immunisation services in health facilities between January 2016 and December 2019.

RESULTS

Four key themes were identified that encompassed context and mechanisms influencing acceptability of MCMs across both time points of the evaluation. These were: (1) fear of side effects of MCMs; (2) preference for natural FP methods; (3) pastoral lifestyles in the community and (4) food insecurity. The context of these themes changed over time leading to the triggering of mechanisms with an overall increase in acceptability of MCMs over time. Key mechanisms of acceptability triggered included: affective attitude, intervention coherence, self-efficacy, perceived effectiveness and opportunity cost, leading to the development of three context-acceptability theories.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, social and cultural norms played a strong role in influencing acceptability of the intervention. The context combined with intervention components were found to trigger several mechanisms that mapped to constructs of diffusion of innovations and acted as catalysts for mechanisms of acceptability. The context in which the intervention was implemented changed leading to the triggering of mechanisms and an increase in the perceived value and acceptability of MCM use.

Determinants of childbirth care quality along the care continuum in limited resource settings: A structural equation modeling analysis of cross-sectional data from Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire

Introduction

Despite the important increase in in-facility births, perinatal mortality rates have remained high and slow to decrease in many developing countries. This situation is attributed to poor childbirth care quality. The reason why women delivering in health facilities do not always receive care of an adequate standard is unclear. We assessed the determinants of childbirth care quality along the care continuum by means of different approaches.

Methods

A health facility-based cross-sectional study with a direct observation of health care workers’ practices while caring for mother–newborn pairs was carried out in Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire. The performance of a set of essential best practices (EBPs) was assessed in each birth event at the admission, prepushing and immediate postpartum stages. A quality score, in the form of the additive sum of EBPs effectively delivered, was computed for each stage. We used negative binomial regression models and a structural equation modeling analysis to assess the determinants of care quality at each stage and the relationships of the quality delivered at the different stages, respectively.

Results

A total of 532 and 627 mother–newborn pairs were evaluated in Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire, respectively. In both countries, delivery care quality varied significantly at all stages between health districts. Predelivery care quality was consistently higher in referral hospitals than in primary health care facilities (incident rate ratio (IRR) = 1.02, p < 0.05, and IRR = 1.10, p < 0.05, respectively, for Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire). Quality at admission was poorer among nurses than among midwives in Burkina Faso (IRR = 0.81, p < 0.001). Quality at the admission and predelivery stages was positively correlated with immediate postpartum care quality (β = 0.48, p < 0.001, and β = 0.29, p < 0.001, respectively).

Conclusion

Quality improvement strategies must target both providers and health facilities, and different inputs are needed depending on the stage in the care continuum.

'When will the doctor be around so that I come by?!' Geo-socio effects on health care supply, access and utilisation: experiences from Kalangala Islands, Uganda

Background

The study set out to give an in-depth intersection of geo, eco-socio exposition of the factors relating to geography, healthcare supply and utilization in an island setting. This analysis is informed by what has emerged to be known as social epidemiology. We provide in-depth explanation of context to health care access, utilization and outcomes. We argue that health care delivery has multiple intersections that are experientially complex, multi-layered and multi-dimensional to the disadvantage of vulnerable population segments of society in the study area.

Methods

We used a cross-sectional qualitative exploratory design. Qualitative methods facilitated an in-depth exploration and understanding of this island dispersed and peripheral setting. Data sources included a review of relevant literature and an ethnographic exploration of the lived experiences of community members while seeking and accessing health care. Data collection methods included in-depth interviews (IDI) from selected respondents, observation, focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KII).

Results

We report based on the health care systems model which posits that, health care activities are diverse but interconnected in a complex way. The identified themes are; the role of geography, access (geographical and financial) to health services, demand and utilization, Supplies, staffing and logistical barriers and a permissive and transient society. When and how to travel for care was beyond a matter of having a health need/ being sick and need arising. A motivated workforce is as critical as health facilities themselves in determining healthcare outcomes.

Conclusion

Geography doesn’t work and affect health outcomes in isolation. Measures that target only individuals will not be adequate to tackle health inequalities because aspects of the collective social group and physical environment may also need to be changed in order to reduce health variations.

Social norms, attitudes and access to modern contraception for adolescent girls in six districts in Uganda

Background

Social norms continue to be entrenched in Uganda. Understanding social norms helps to uncover the underlying drivers that influence attitudes and behavior towards contraceptive access and use. This study therefore seeks to investigate the factors that influence the social norm – access to contraception by adolescent girls – in six districts in Uganda.

Data and methods:

Using data from a community cross-sectional survey in six districts (Amudat, Kaberamaido, Kasese, Moroto, Tororo and Pader) in Uganda, a binary logistic regression model was fitted to examine the variation in individual beliefs and socio-economic and demographic factors on ‘allowing adolescent girls to access contraception in a community’ – we refer to as a social norm.

Results

Results demonstrate that a higher proportion of respondents hold social norms that inhibit adolescent girls from accessing contraception in the community. After controlling for all variables, the likelihood for adolescent girls to be allowed access to contraception in the community was higher among respondents living in Kaberamaido (OR = 2.58; 95 %CI = 1.23–5.39), Kasese (OR = 2.62; 95 %CI = 1.25–5.47), Pader (OR = 4.35; 95 %CI = 2.15–8.79) and Tororo (OR = 9.44; 95 %CI = 4.59–19.37), those aged 30–34 years likely (OR = 1.73; 95 %CI = 1.03–2.91). However, the likelihood for respondents living in Moroto to agree that adolescent girls are allowed to access contraception was lower (OR = 0.27; 95 %CI = 0.11–0.68) compared to respondents living in Amudat. Respondents who were not formally employed (OR = 0.63; 95 %CI = 0.43–0.91), and those who agreed that withdrawal prevents pregnancy (OR = 0.45; 95 %CI = 0.35–0.57) were less likely to agree that adolescent girls are allowed to access contraception in the community. Respondents who agreed that a girl who is sexually active can use contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancy (OR = 1.84; 95 %CI = 1.33–2.53), unmarried women or girls should have access to contraception (OR = 2.15; 95 %CI = 1.61–2.88), married women or girls should have access to contraception (OR = 1.55; 95 %CI = 0.99–2.39) and women know where to obtain contraception for prevention against pregnancy (OR = 2.35; 95 %CI = 1.19–4.65) were more likely to agree that adolescent girls are allowed to access contraception.

Conclusions

The findings underscore the need for context specific ASRH programs that take into account the differences in attitudes and social norms that affect access and use of contraception by adolescents.

Methodological considerations for linking household and healthcare provider data for estimating effective coverage: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To assess existing knowledge related to methodological considerations for linking population-based surveys and health facility data to generate effective coverage estimates. Effective coverage estimates the proportion of individuals in need of an intervention who receive it with sufficient quality to achieve health benefit.

DESIGN

Systematic review of available literature.

DATA SOURCES

Medline, Carolina Population Health Center and Demographic and Health Survey publications and handsearch of related or referenced works of all articles included in full text review. The search included publications from 1 January 2000 to 29 March 2021.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Publications explicitly evaluating (1) the suitability of data, (2) the implications of the design of existing data sources and (3) the impact of choice of method for combining datasets to obtain linked coverage estimates.

RESULTS

Of 3805 papers reviewed, 70 publications addressed relevant issues. Limited data suggest household surveys can be used to identify sources of care, but their validity in estimating intervention need was variable. Methods for collecting provider data and constructing quality indices were diverse and presented limitations. There was little empirical data supporting an association between structural, process and outcome quality. Few studies addressed the influence of the design of common data sources on linking analyses, including imprecise household geographical information system data, provider sampling design and estimate stability. The most consistent evidence suggested under certain conditions, combining data based on geographical proximity or administrative catchment (ecological linking) produced similar estimates to linking based on the specific provider utilised (exact match linking).

CONCLUSIONS

Linking household and healthcare provider data can leverage existing data sources to generate more informative estimates of intervention coverage and care. However, existing evidence on methods for linking data for effective coverage estimation are variable and numerous methodological questions remain. There is need for additional research to develop evidence-based, standardised best practices for these analyses.

The status of emergency obstetric and newborn care in post-conflict eastern DRC: a facility-level cross-sectional study

Background

Pregnancy-related mortality remains persistently higher in post-conflict areas. Part of the blame lies with continued disruption to vital care provision, especially emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC). In such settings, assessment of EmONC is essential for data-driven interventions needed to reduce preventable maternal and neonatal mortality. In the North Kivu Province (NKP), the epicentre of armed conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) between 2006 and 2013, the post-conflict status of EmONC is unknown. We assessed the availability, use, and quality of EmONC in 3 health zones (HZs) of the NKP to contribute to informed policy and programming in improving maternal and newborn health (MNH) in the region.

Method

A cross-sectional survey of all 42 public facilities designated to provide EmONC in 3 purposively selected HZs in the NKP (Goma, Karisimbi, and Rutshuru) was conducted in 2017. Interviews, reviews of maternity ward records, and observations were used to assess the accessibility, use, and quality of EmONC against WHO standards.

Results

Only three referral facilities (two faith-based facilities in Goma and the MSF-supported referral hospital of Rutshuru) met the criteria for comprehensive EmONC. None of the health centres qualified as basic EmONC, nor could they offer EmONC services 24 h, 7 days a week (24/7). The number of functioning EmONC per 500,000 population was 1.5. Assisted vaginal delivery was the least performed signal function, followed by parenteral administration of anticonvulsants, mainly due to policy restrictions and lack of demand. The 3 HZs fell short of WHO standards for the use and quality of EmONC. The met need for EmONC was very low and the direct obstetric case fatality rate exceeded the maximum acceptable level. However, the proportion the proportion of births by caesarean section in EmONC facilities was within acceptable range in the HZs of Goma and Rutshuru. Overall, the intrapartum and very early neonatal death rate was 1.5%.

Conclusion

This study provides grounds for the development of coordinated and evidence-based programming, involving local and external stakeholders, as part of the post-conflict effort to address maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in the NKP. Particular attention to basic EmONC is required, focusing on strengthening human resources, equipment, supply chains, and referral capacity, on the one hand, and on tackling residual insecurity that might hinder 24/7 staff availability, on the other.

An assessment of the knowledge, practices and resources during the delivery of malaria health care services among private health care practitioners: a cross section study in the Mid-Western Region of Uganda

BACKGROUND

Approximately 50 % of the population in Uganda seeks health care from private facilities but there is limited data on the quality of care for malaria in these facilities. This study aimed to document the knowledge, practices and resources during the delivery of malaria care services, among private health practitioners in the Mid-Western region of Uganda, an area of moderate malaria transmission.

METHODS

This was a cross sectional study in which purposive sampling was used to select fifteen private-for-profit facilities from each district. An interviewer-administered questionnaire that contained both quantitative and open-ended questions was used. Information was collected on availability of treatment aides, knowledge on malaria, malaria case management, laboratory practices, malaria drugs stock and data management. We determined the proportion of health workers that adequately provided malaria case management according to national standards.

RESULTS

Of the 135 health facilities staff interviewed, 61.48 % (52.91-69.40) had access to malaria treatment protocols while 48.89 % (40.19-57.63) received malaria training. The majority of facilities, 98.52 % (94.75-99.82) had malaria diagnostic services and the most commonly available anti-malarial drug was artemether-lumefantrine, 85.19 % (78-91), followed by Quinine, 74.81 % (67-82) and intravenous artesunate, 72.59 % (64-80). Only 14.07 % (8.69-21.10) responded adequately to the acceptable cascade of malaria case management practice. Specifically, 33.33 % (25.46-41.96) responded correctly to management of a patient with a fever, 40.00 % (31.67-48.79) responded correctly to the first line treatment for uncomplicated malaria, whereas 85.19 % (78.05-90.71) responded correctly to severe malaria treatment. Only 28.83 % submitted monthly reports, where malaria data was recorded, to the national database.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed sub-optimal malaria case management knowledge and practices at private health facilities with approximately 14 % of health care workers demonstrating correct malaria case management cascade practices. To strengthen the quality of malaria case management, it is recommended that the NMCD distributes current guidelines and tools, coupled with training; continuous mentorship and supportive supervision; provision of adequate stock of essential anti-malarials and RDTs; reinforcing communication and behavior change; and increasing support for data management at private health facilities.

Availability, utilization and quality of emergency obstetric care services in Sousse, Tunisia

Introduction

emergency obstetric care (EmOC) is a high-impact priority intervention strongly recommended for improving maternal health outcomes. The objectives of this study were to assess the availability, utilization, and quality of emergency obstetric care services in the Governorate of Sousse (Tunisia).

Methods

a cross-sectional study was conducted among public health facilities which performed deliveries in Sousse in 2017. Data were collected by consulting clinical records and registers and interviewing staff using WHO EmOC tools. Emergency obstetric care (EmOC) indicators were calculated.

Results

only the University maternity Unit functioned as full comprehensive EmOC facility. No other public facility provided all the 7 Basic EmOC signal functions 3 months prior to the survey. The unperformed signal functions were: administration of parenteral antibiotics, manual removal of placenta and assisted vaginal delivery. The number of EmOC facilities was 0.72 per 500,000 inhabitants. The met need for EmOC was 89.5%. The proportion of caesarean section was 24.2%. The direct obstetric case fatality rate was 0.159% and intrapartum and very early neonatal death rate was 0.65%.

Conclusion

raising maternity facilities to a minimum level of basic EmOC status would be a major contributing step towards maternal mortality reduction.

Emergency Transportation Interventions for Reducing Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

Objective:

To assess the effect of emergency transportation interventions on the outcome of labor and delivery in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methods:

Eleven databases were searched through December 2019: Medline/PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, EBSCO (PsycINFO and CINAHL), SCIELO, LILACS, JSTOR, POPLINE, Google Scholar, the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group’s Specialized Register, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool.

Results:

Nine studies (three in Asia and six in Africa) were included: one cluster randomized controlled trial, three controlled before-and-after (CBA) studies, four uncontrolled before and after studies, and one case-control study. The means of emergency obstetric transportation evaluated by the studies included bicycle (n = 1) or motorcycle ambulances (n = 3), 4-wheel drive vehicles (n = 3), and formal motor-vehicle ambulances (n = 2). Transportation support was offered within multi-component interventions including financial incentives (n = 1), improved communication (n = 7), and community mobilization (n = 2). Two controlled before-and-after studies that implemented interventions including financial support, three-wheeled motorcycles, and use of mobile phones reported reduction of maternal mortality. One cluster-randomized study which involved community mobilization and strengthening of referral, and transportation, and one controlled before-and-after that implemented free-of-charge, 24-hour, 4 × 4 wheel ambulance and a mobile phone showed reductions in stillbirth, perinatal, and neonatal mortality. Six studies reported increases in facility delivery ranging from 12–50%, and one study showed a 19% reduction in home delivery. There was a significant increase of caesarian sections in two studies; use of motorcycle ambulances compared to car ambulance resulted in reduction in referral delay by 2 to 4.5 hours. Only three included studies had low risk of bias on all domains.

Conclusion:

Integrating emergency obstetric transportation with complimentary maternal health interventions may reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes and increase access to skilled obstetric services for women in LMICs. The strength of evidence is limited by the paucity of high-quality studies.

Effects of the Helping Mothers Survive Bleeding after Birth training on near miss morbidity and mortality in Uganda: A cluster-randomized trial

Objective

To assess the effect of Helping Mothers Survive Bleeding after Birth training on postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) near miss and case fatality rates in Uganda.

Methods

Training was evaluated using a cluster‐randomized design between June 2016 and September 2017 in 18 typical rural districts (clusters) in Eastern and Central Uganda of which nine districts were randomly assigned to the intervention. The main outcome was PPH near miss defined using the World Health Organization’s disease and management‐based approach. Interrupted time series analysis was performed to estimate the difference in the change of outcomes.

Results

Outcomes of 58 000 and 95 455 deliveries during the 6‐month baseline and 10‐month endline periods, respectively, were included. A reduction of PPH near misses was observed in the intervention compared to the comparison districts (difference‐in‐difference of slopes 4.19, 95% CI, –7.64 to –0.74); P<0.05). There was an increase in overall reported near miss cases (difference‐in‐difference 1.24, 95% CI, 0.37–2.10; P<0.001) and an increase in PPH case fatality rate (difference‐in‐difference 2.13, 95% CI, 0.14–4.12; P<0.05).

Conclusion

This pragmatic cluster‐randomized trial conducted in typical rural districts of Uganda indicated a reduction of severe PPH cases while case fatality did not improve, suggesting that this basic training needs to be complemented by additional measures for sustained mortality reduction.

Trial registration: PACTR201604001582128.

Bypassing or successful referral? A population-based study of reasons why women travel far for childbirth in Eastern Uganda

Background

Delivery in a facility with a skilled health provider is considered the most important intervention to reduce maternal and early newborn deaths. Providing care close to people’s homes is an important strategy to facilitate equitable access, but many women are known to bypass the closest delivery facility for a higher level one. The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent mothers in rural Uganda bypassed their nearest facility for childbirth care and the determinants for their choice.

Methods

The study used data collected as part of the Expanded Quality Management Using Information power (EQUIP) study in the Mayuge District of Eastern Uganda between 2011 and 2014. In this study, bypassing was defined as delivering in a health facility that was not the nearest childbirth facility to the mother’s home. Multilevel logistic regression was used to model the relationship between bypassing the nearest health facility for childbirth and the different independent factors.

Results

Of all women delivering in a health facility, 45% (499/1115) did not deliver in the nearest facility regardless of the level of care. Further, after excluding women who delivered in health centre II (which is not formally equipped to provide childbirth care) and excluding those who were referred or had a caesarean section (because their reasons for bypassing may be different), 29% (204/717) of women bypassed their nearest facility to give birth in another facility, 50% going to the only hospital of the district. The odds of bypassing increased if a mother belonged to highest wealth quintile compared to the lowest quintile (AOR 2.24, 95% CI: 1.12–4.46) and decreased with increase of readiness of score of the nearest facility for childbirth (AOR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.69–0.99).

Conclusions

The extent of bypassing the nearest childbirth facility in this rural Ugandan setting was 29%, and was associated primarily with the readiness of the nearest facility to provide care as well as the wealth of the household. These results suggest inequalities in bypassing for better quality care that have important implications for improving Uganda’s maternal and newborn health outcomes.

Quality of maternal and newborn care in limited-resource settings: a facility-based cross-sectional study in Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire

OBJECTIVE

To assess and compare the quality of intrapartum and immediate postpartum care across levels of healthcare in Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire using validated process indicators.

DESIGN

Health facility-based cross-sectional study with direct observation of healthcare workers' practices while caring for mother-newborn pairs during intrapartum and immediate postpartum periods.

SETTING

Primary healthcare facilities and their corresponding referral hospitals in the Central-North region in Burkina Faso and the Agneby-Tiassa-Mé region in Côte d'Ivoire.

PARTICIPANTS

Healthcare providers who care for mother-newborn pairs during intrapartum and immediate postpartum periods, the labouring women and their newborns after childbirth.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Adherence to essential best practices (EBPs) at four pause points in each birth event and the overall quality score based on the level of adherence to the set of EBPs observed for a selected pause point.

RESULTS

A total of 532 and 627 labouring women were included in Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire, respectively. Overall, the compliance with EBPs was insufficient at all the four pause points, even though it varied widely from one EBP to another. The adherence was very low with respect to hand hygiene practices: the care provider wore sterile gloves for vaginal examination in only 7.96% cases (95% CI 5.66% to 11.06%) in Burkina Faso and the care provider washed hands before examination in 6.71% cases (95% CI 3.94% to 11.20%) in Côte d'Ivoire. The adherence was very high with respect to thermal management of newborns in both countries (>90%). The overall mean quality scores were consistently higher in referral hospitals in Burkina Faso at all pause points excluding immediate post partum.

CONCLUSIONS

Women delivering in healthcare facilities do not always receive proven EBPs needed to prevent poor childbirth outcomes. There is a need for quality improvement interventions.

Evaluation of emergency obstetric and neonatal care services in Kumba Health District, Southwest region, Cameroon (2011-2014): a before-after study

Background

There is uncertainty regarding the status of emergency obstetric and neonatal care (EmONC) in the Cameroonian context where maternal and neonatal mortality are persistently high. This study sought to evaluate the coverage, functionality and quality of EmONC services in Kumba health district (KHD), the largest health district in Southwest Cameroon..

Methods

A retrospective study of routine EmONC data for the periods 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2012 (when EmONC was being introduced) and 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2014 (when EmONC was fully instituted) was conducted. Coverage, functionality and quality of EmONC services were graded as per United Nations (UN) standards. Data was analysed using Epi-Info version 7 statistical software.

Results

Among the 31 health facilities in KHD, 12 (39%) had been delivering EmONC services. Three (25%) of these were geographically inaccessible Among the 9 facilities that were assessed, 4 facilities (44%) performed designated signal functions, with 2 being comprehensive (CEmONC) and 2 basic (BEmONC). These exceeded the required minimum of 2.8 EmONC facilities/500000, 0.6 CEmONC facilities/500000 and 2.2 BEmONC facilities/500000, with reference to an estimated KHD population of 265,071. The signal functions that were least likely to be performed were neonatal resuscitation, manual evacuation of retained products and use of anticonvulsants. In 2011–2012, the facilities performed 35% of expected deliveries. This dropped to 28% in 2013–2014. Caesarean sections as a proportion of expected deliveries remained very low: 1.5% in 2010–2011 and 3.6% in 2013–2014. In 2011–2012, met needs were 6.8% and increased to 7.3% in 2013–2014. Direct obstetric fatality rates increased from 8 to 11% (p = 0.64). Intrapartum and very early neonatal deaths increased from 4.% to 7 (p = 0.89).

Conclusion

Major gaps were observed in the performance of signal functions as well as the quality and utilization of EmONC. While the results of this study seem to indicate the need to sustainably scale up the utilization of quality EmONC, the interpretations of our findings require consideration of improvements in reporting of mortality data associated with the introduction of EmONC as well as dynamics in country-specific maternal health policies and the potential influence of these policies on EmONC indicators.

Quality of care during childbirth at public health facilities in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study using WHO/UNICEF 'Every Mother Every Newborn (EMEN)' standards

Background

This manuscript presents findings from a baseline assessment of health facilities in Bangladesh prior to the implementation of the ‘Every Mother Every Newborn Quality Improvement’ initiative.

Methodology

A cross-sectional survey was conducted between June and August 2016 in 15 government health facilities. Structural readiness was assessed by observing the physical environment, the availability of essential drugs and equipment, and the functionality of the referral system. Structured interviews were conducted with care providers and facility managers on human resource availability and training in the maternal and newborn care. Observation of births, reviews of patient records and exit interviews with women who were discharged from the selected health facilities were used to assess the provision and experience of care.

Results

Only six (40%) facilities assessed had designated maternity wards and 11 had newborn care corners. There were stock-outs of emergency drugs including magnesium sulfate and oxytocin in nearly all facilities. Two-thirds of the positions for medical officers was vacant in district hospitals and half of the positions for nurses was vacant in subdistrict facilities. Only 60 (45%) healthcare providers interviewed received training on newborn complication management. No health facility used partograph for labour monitoring. Blood pressure was not measured in half (48%) and urine protein in 99% of pregnant women. Only 27% of babies were placed skin to skin with their mothers. Most mothers (97%) said that they were satisfied with the care received, however, only 46% intended on returning to the same facility for future deliveries.

Conclusions

Systematic implementation of quality standards to mitigate these gaps in service readiness, provision and experience of care is the next step to accelerate the country’s progress in reducing the maternal and neonatal deaths.

Competence of healthcare professionals in diagnosing and managing obstetric complications and conducting neonatal care: a clinical vignette-based assessment in district and subdistrict hospitals in northern Bangladesh

BACKGROUND

This study assesses the competency of maternal and neonatal health (MNH) professionals at district-level and subdistrict-level health facilities in northern Bangladesh in managing maternal and newborn complications using clinical vignettes. The study also examines whether the professional's characteristics and provision of MNH services in health facilities influence their competencies.

METHODS

134 MNH professionals in 15 government hospitals were interviewed during August and September 2016 using structured questionnaire with clinical vignettes on obstetric complications (antepartum haemorrhage and pre-eclampsia) and neonatal care (low birthweight and immediate newborn care). Summative scores were calculated for each vignette and median scores were compared across different individual-level and health facility-level attributes to examine their association with competency score. Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to identify the significance of association considering a p value<0.05 as statistically significant.

RESULTS

The competency of MNH professionals was low. About 10% and 24% of the health professionals received 'high' scores (>75% of total) in maternal and neonatal vignettes, respectively. Medical doctors had higher competency than nurses and midwives (score=11 vs 8 out of 19, respectively; p=0.0002) for maternal vignettes, but similar competency for neonatal vignettes (score=30.3 vs 30.9 out of 50, respectively). Professionals working in health facilities with higher use of normal deliveries had better competency than their counterparts. Professionals had higher competency in newborn vignettes (significant) and maternal vignettes (statistically not significant) if they worked in health facilities that provided more specialised newborn care services and emergency obstetric care, respectively, in the last 6 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the overall low competency of MNH professionals, exposure to a higher number of obstetric cases at the workplace was associated with their competency. Arrangement of periodic skill-based and drill-based in-service training for MNH professionals in high-use neighbouring health facilities could be a feasible intervention to improve their knowledge and skill in obstetric and neonatal care.

Ready to deliver maternal and newborn care? Health providers' perceptions of their work context in rural Mozambique

Background: Deficiencies in the provision of evidence-based obstetric care are common in low-income countries, including Mozambique. Constraints relate to lack of human and financial resources and weak health systems, however limited resources alone do not explain the variance. Understanding the healthcare context ahead of implementing new interventions can inform the choice of strategies to achieve a successful implementation. The Context Assessment for Community Health (COACH) tool was developed to assess modifiable aspects of the healthcare context that theoretically influence the implementation of evidence.

Objectives: To investigate the comprehensibility and the internal reliability of COACH and its use to describe the healthcare context as perceived by health providers involved in maternal care in Mozambique.

Methods: A response process evaluation was completed with six purposively selected health providers to uncover difficulties in understanding the tool. Internal reliability was tested using Cronbach’s α. Subsequently, a cross-sectional survey using COACH, which contains 49 items assessing eight dimensions, was administered to 175 health providers in 38 health facilities within six districts in Mozambique.

Results: The content of COACH was clear and most items were understood. All dimensions were near to or exceeded the commonly accepted standard for satisfactory internal reliability (0.70). Analysis of the survey data indicated that items on all dimensions were rated highly, revealing positive perception of context. Significant differences between districts were found for the Work culture, Leadership, and Informal payment dimensions. Responses to many items had low variance and were left-skewed.

Conclusions: COACH was comprehensible and demonstrated good reliability, although biases may have influenced participants’ responses. The study suggests that COACH has the potential to evaluate the healthcare context to identify shortcomings and enable the tailoring of strategies ahead of implementation. Supplementing the tool with qualitative approaches will provide an in-depth understanding of the healthcare context.

Spatial and temporal trends of cesarean deliveries in Uganda: 2012-2016

Background

Cesarean section (CS) is an important intervention in complicated births when the safety of the mother or baby is compromised. Despite worldwide concerns about the overutilization of CS in recent years, many African women and their newborns still die because of limited or no access to CS services. We evaluated temporal and spatial trends in CS births in Uganda and modeled future trends to inform programming.

Methods

We performed secondary analysis of total births data from the Uganda National Health Management Information System (HMIS) reports during 2012–2016. We reviewed data from 3461 health facilities providing basic, essential obstetric and emergency obstetric care services in all 112 districts. We defined facility-based CS rate as the proportion of cesarean deliveries among total live births in facilities, and estimated the population-based CS rate using the total number of cesarean deliveries as a proportion of annual expected births (including facility-based and non-facility-based) for each district.

We predicted CS rates for 2021 using Generalised Linear Models with Poisson family, Log link and Unbiased Sandwich Standard errors. We used cesarean deliveries as the dependent variable and calendar year as the independent variable.

Results

Cesarean delivery rates increased both at facility and population levels in Uganda. Overall, the CS rate for live births at facilities was 9.9%, increasing from 8.5% in 2012 to 11% in 2016. The overall population-based CS rate was 4.7%, and increased from 3.2 to 5.9% over the same period. Health Centre IV level facilities had the largest annual rate of increase in CS rate between 2012 and 2016. Among all 112 districts, 80 (72%) had a population CS rate below 5%, while 38 (34%) had a CS rate below 1% over the study period. Overall, Uganda’s facility-based CS rate is projected to increase by 36% (PRR 1.36, 95% CI 1.35–1.36) in 2021 while the population-based CS rate is estimated to have doubled (PRR 2.12, 95% CI 2.11–2.12) from the baseline in 2016.

Conclusion

Cesarean deliveries are increasing in Uganda. Health center IVs saw the largest increases in CS, and while there was regional heterogeneity in changes in CS rates, utilization of CS services is inadequate in most districts. We recommend expansion of CS services to improve availability.

Optimizing Care for Ugandans with Untreated Abdominal Surgical Conditions

BACKGROUND

Abdominal operations account for a majority of surgical volume in low-income countries, yet population-level prevalence data on surgically treatable abdominal conditions are scarce.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, our objective was to quantify the burden of surgically treatable abdominal conditions in Uganda.

METHODS

In 2014, we administered a two-stage cluster-randomized Surgeons OverSeas Assessment of Surgical Need survey to 4,248 individuals in 105 randomly selected clusters (representing the national population of Uganda).

FINDINGS

Of the 4,248 respondents, 185 reported at least one surgically treatable abdominal condition in their lifetime, giving an estimated lifetime prevalence of 3.7% (95% CI: 3.0 to 4.6%). Of those 185 respondents, 76 reported an untreated condition, giving an untreated prevalence of 1.7% (95% CI: 1.3 to 2.3%). Obstructed labor (52.9%) accounted for most of the 238 abdominal conditions reported and was untreated in only 5.6% of reported conditions. In contrast, 73.3% of reported abdominal masses were untreated.

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals in Uganda with nonobstetric abdominal surgical conditions are disproportionately undertreated. Major health system investments in obstetric surgical capacity have been beneficial, but our data suggest that further investments should aim at matching overall surgical care capacity with surgical need, rather than focusing on a single operation for obstructed labor.

Addressing the Third Delay in Saving Mothers, Giving Life Districts in Uganda and Zambia: Ensuring Adequate and Appropriate Facility-Based Maternal and Perinatal Health Care

Saving Mothers, Giving Life used 6 strategies to address the third delay—receiving adequate health care after reaching a facility—in maternal and newborn health care. The intervention approaches can be adapted in low-resource settings to improve facility-based care and reduce maternal and perinatal mortality.

Background:

Saving Mothers, Giving Life (SMGL) is a 5-year initiative implemented in participating districts in Uganda and Zambia that aimed to reduce deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth by targeting the 3 delays to receiving appropriate care: seeking, reaching, and receiving. Approaches to addressing the third delay included adequate health facility infrastructure, specifically sufficient equipment and medications; trained providers to provide quality evidence-based care; support for referrals to higher-level care; and effective maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response.

Methods:

SMGL used a mixed-methods approach to describe intervention strategies, outcomes, and health impacts. Programmatic and monitoring and evaluation data—health facility assessments, facility and community surveillance, and population-based mortality studies—were used to document the effectiveness of intervention components.

Results:

During the SMGL initiative, the proportion of facilities providing emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) increased from 10% to 25% in Uganda and from 6% to 12% in Zambia. Correspondingly, the delivery rate occurring in EmONC facilities increased from 28.2% to 41.0% in Uganda and from 26.0% to 29.1% in Zambia. Nearly all facilities had at least one trained provider on staff by the endline evaluation. Staffing increases allowed a higher proportion of health centers to provide care 24 hours a day/7 days a week by endline—from 74.6% to 82.9% in Uganda and from 64.8% to 95.5% in Zambia. During this period, referral communication improved from 93.3% to 99.0% in Uganda and from 44.6% to 100% in Zambia, and data systems to identify and analyze causes of maternal and perinatal deaths were established and strengthened.

Conclusion:

SMGL's approach was associated with improvements in facility infrastructure, equipment, medication, access to skilled staff, and referral mechanisms and led to declines in facility maternal and perinatal mortality rates. Further work is needed to sustain these gains and to eliminate preventable maternal and perinatal deaths.

Strengthening and monitoring health system's capacity to improve availability, utilization and quality of emergency obstetric care in northern Nigeria

BACKGROUND

Quality improvement in emergency obstetric care (EmOC) is a critical and cost-effective suite of interventions for the reduction of maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity. This study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of quality improvement interventions following a baseline assessment in Bauchi state, Nigeria.

METHODS

This was a prospective before and after study between June 2012, and April 2015 in Bauchi State, Nigeria. The surveys included 21 hospitals designated by Ministry of Health (MoH) as comprehensive EmOC centers and 38 primary healthcare centers (PHCs) designated as basic EmOC centers. Data on EmOC services was collected using structured established EmOC tools developed by the Averting Maternal Death and Disability (AMDD), and analyzed using univariate and bivariate statistical analyses.

RESULTS

Facilities providing seven or nine signal EmOC functions increased from 6 (10.2%) in 2012 to 21 (35.6%) in 2015. Basic EmOC facilities increased from 1 (2.6%) to 7 (18.4%) and comprehensive EmOC facilities rose from 3 (14.3%) to 13 (61.9%). Facility birth increased from 3.6% to 8.0%. Cesarean birth rates increased from 3.8% in 2012 to 5.6% in 2015. Met need for EmOC more than doubled from 3.3% in 2012 to 9.9% in 2015. Direct obstetric case fatality rates increased from 3.1% in 2012 to 4.0% in 2015. Major direct obstetric complications as a percent of total maternal deaths was 70.9%, down from 80.1% in 2012.

CONCLUSION

The rise in the percent of facility-based births and in met need for EmOC suggest that interventions recommended and implemented after the baseline study resulted in increased availability, access and utilization of EmOC. Higher patient load, late arrival and better record keeping may explain the associated increase in case fatality rates.

Being HIV positive and staying on antiretroviral therapy in Africa: A qualitative systematic review and theoretical model

BACKGROUND

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and long-term uninterrupted engagement in HIV care is difficult for HIV-positive people, and randomized trials of specific techniques to promote adherence often show small or negligible effects. Understanding what influences decision-making in HIV-positive people in Africa may help researchers and policy makers in the development of broader, more effective interventions and policies.

METHODS

We used thematic synthesis and a grounded theory approach to generate a detailed narrative and theoretical model reflecting life with HIV in Africa, and how this influences ART adherence and engagement decisions. We included qualitative primary studies that explored perspectives, perceptions and experiences of HIV-positive people, caregivers and healthcare service providers. We searched databases from 1 January 2013 to 9 December 2016, screened all studies, and selected those for inclusion using purposeful sampling methods. Included studies were coded with Atlas.ti, and we assessed methodological quality across five domains.

RESULTS

We included 59 studies from Africa in the synthesis. Nine themes emerged which we grouped under three main headings. First, people who are HIV-positive live in a complicated world where they must navigate the challenges presented by poverty, competing priorities, unpredictable life events, social identity, gender norms, stigma, and medical pluralism-these influences can make initiating and maintaining ART difficult. Second, the health system is generally seen as punishing and uninviting and this can drive HIV-positive people out of care. Third, long-term engagement and adherence requires adaptation and incorporation of ART into daily life, a process which is facilitated by: inherent self-efficacy, social responsibilities, previous HIV-related illnesses and emotional, practical or financial support. These factors together can lead to a "tipping point", a point in time when patients choose to either engage or disengage from care. HIV-positive people may cycle in and out of these care states in response to fluctuations in influences over time.

CONCLUSION

This analysis provides a practical theory, arising from thematic synthesis of research, to help understand the dynamics of adherence to ART and engagement in HIV care. This can contribute to the design of service delivery approaches, and informed thinking and action on the part of policy makers, providers, and society: to understand what it is to be HIV-positive in Africa and how attitudes and the health service need to shift to help those with HIV lead 'normal' lives.

Being HIV positive and staying on antiretroviral therapy in Africa: A qualitative systematic review and theoretical model

BACKGROUND

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and long-term uninterrupted engagement in HIV care is difficult for HIV-positive people, and randomized trials of specific techniques to promote adherence often show small or negligible effects. Understanding what influences decision-making in HIV-positive people in Africa may help researchers and policy makers in the development of broader, more effective interventions and policies.

METHODS

We used thematic synthesis and a grounded theory approach to generate a detailed narrative and theoretical model reflecting life with HIV in Africa, and how this influences ART adherence and engagement decisions. We included qualitative primary studies that explored perspectives, perceptions and experiences of HIV-positive people, caregivers and healthcare service providers. We searched databases from 1 January 2013 to 9 December 2016, screened all studies, and selected those for inclusion using purposeful sampling methods. Included studies were coded with Atlas.ti, and we assessed methodological quality across five domains.

RESULTS

We included 59 studies from Africa in the synthesis. Nine themes emerged which we grouped under three main headings. First, people who are HIV-positive live in a complicated world where they must navigate the challenges presented by poverty, competing priorities, unpredictable life events, social identity, gender norms, stigma, and medical pluralism-these influences can make initiating and maintaining ART difficult. Second, the health system is generally seen as punishing and uninviting and this can drive HIV-positive people out of care. Third, long-term engagement and adherence requires adaptation and incorporation of ART into daily life, a process which is facilitated by: inherent self-efficacy, social responsibilities, previous HIV-related illnesses and emotional, practical or financial support. These factors together can lead to a "tipping point", a point in time when patients choose to either engage or disengage from care. HIV-positive people may cycle in and out of these care states in response to fluctuations in influences over time.

CONCLUSION

This analysis provides a practical theory, arising from thematic synthesis of research, to help understand the dynamics of adherence to ART and engagement in HIV care. This can contribute to the design of service delivery approaches, and informed thinking and action on the part of policy makers, providers, and society: to understand what it is to be HIV-positive in Africa and how attitudes and the health service need to shift to help those with HIV lead 'normal' lives.

Quality of care for children with acute malnutrition at health center level in Uganda: a cross sectional study in West Nile region during the refugee crisis

BACKGROUND

Arua district, in Uganda, hosts some of the largest refugee camps in the country. The estimated prevalence of moderate and severe acute malnutrition in children is higher than the national estimates (10.4 and 5.6% respectively, compared to 3.6 and 1.3%). This study aimed at assessing the quality of care provided to children with acute malnutrition at out-patient level in such a setting.

METHODS

Six facilities with the highest number of children with malnutrition were selected. The main tool used was the National Nutrition Service Delivery Assessment Tool, assessing 10 key areas of service delivery and assigned a score as either poor, fair, good or excellent. Health outcomes, quality of case management and data quality were assessed from the health management information system and from the official nutrition registers.

RESULTS

All facilities except two scored either poor or fair under all the 10 assessment areas. Overall, 33/60 (55%) areas scored as poor, 25/60 (41%) as fair, 2/60 (3.3%) as good, and none as excellent. Main gaps identified included: lack of trained staff; disorganised patient flow; poor case management; stock out of essential supplies including ready-to-use therapeutic foods; weak community linkage. A sample coverage of 45.4% (1020/2248) of total children admitted in the district during the 2016 financial year were included. The overall mean cure rate was 52.9% while the default rate was 38.3%. There was great heterogeneity across health facilities in health outcomes, quality of case management, and data quality.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that quality of care provided to children with malnutrition at health center level is substandard with unacceptable low cure rates. It is essential to identify effective approaches to enhance adherence to national guidelines, provision of essential nutritional commodities, regular monitoring of services and better linkage with the community through village health teams.

Multistakeholder Perspectives on Maternal Text Messaging Intervention in Uganda: Qualitative Study

Background

Despite continued interest in the use of mobile health for improving maternal health outcomes, there have been limited attempts to identify relevant program theories.

Objectives

This study had two aims: first, to explicate the assumptions of program designers, which we call the program theory and second, to contrast this program theory with empirical data to gain a better understanding of mechanisms, facilitators, and barriers related to the program outcomes.

Methods

To achieve the aforementioned objectives, we conducted a retrospective qualitative study of a text messaging (short message service) platform geared at improving individual maternal health outcomes in Uganda. Through interviews with program designers (n=3), we elicited 3 main designers’ assumptions and explored these against data from qualitative interviews with primary beneficiaries (n=26; 15 women and 11 men) and health service providers (n=6), as well as 6 focus group discussions with village health team members (n=50) who were all involved in the program.

Results

Our study results highlighted that while the program designers’ assumptions were appropriate, additional mechanisms and contextual factors, such as the importance of incentives for village health team members, mobile phone ownership, and health system factors should have been considered.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that text messages could be an effective part of a more comprehensive maternal health program when context and system barriers are identified and addressed in the program theories.

Emergency transportation interventions for reducing adverse pregnancy outcomes in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review protocol

BACKGROUND

Transportation interventions seek to decrease delay in reaching a health facility for emergency obstetric care and are, thus, believed to contribute to reductions in such adverse pregnancy and childbirth outcomes as maternal deaths, stillbirths, and neonatal mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, there is limited empirical evidence to support this hypothesis. The objective of the proposed review is to summarize and critically appraise evidence regarding the effect of emergency transportation interventions on outcomes of labor and delivery in LMICs.

METHODS

The following databases will be searched from inception to March 31, 2018: MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, EBSCO (PsycINFO and CINAHL), the Cochrane Pregnancy and Child Birth Group's Specialized Register, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. We will search for studies in the grey literature through Google and Google Scholar. We will solicit unpublished reports from such relevant agencies as United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DfID) among others. Data generated from the search will be managed using Endnote Version 7. We will perform quantitative data synthesis if studies are homogenous in characteristics and provide adequate outcome data for meta-analysis. Otherwise, data will be synthesized, using the narrative synthesis approach.

DISCUSSION

Among the many barriers that women in LMICs face in accessing life-saving interventions during labor and delivery, lack of access to emergency transportation is particularly important. This review will provide a critical summary of evidence regarding the impact of transportation interventions on outcomes of pregnancy and childbirth in LMICs.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42017080092.

Sexual and reproductive health services (SRHS) for adolescents in Enugu state, Nigeria: a mixed methods approach

BACKGROUND

Availability and accessibility of sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents are very crucial for prevention and control of sexual and reproductive health problems. These services also play vital roles in the promotion of adolescents' sexual and reproductive health generally. The main purpose of the study was to determine the availability and accessibility (geographical and financial) of sexual and reproductive health services (SRHS) among adolescents in Enugu State, Nigeria.

METHODS

A mixed methods approach was adopted for the study. 192 health facilities were reached to check availability of SRH services. Randomly sampled 1447 adolescents (12-22 years) completed the questionnaire correctly. Twenty-seven interviews and 18 group discussions were conducted. Instruments for data collection consisted of a checklist, a questionnaire, a focus group discussion guide and an in-depth interview guide. All instruments were pre-tested. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests. NVivo 11 Pro software was used to code and thematically analyze the qualitative data.

RESULTS

A total of 1447 adolescents (between 12 and 22 years) completed the questionnaire correctly. Among these adolescents, males constituted 42.9% while females were 57.1%. The majority (86.7%) of the adolescents reported availability of safe motherhood services, and 67.5% reported availability of services for prevention and management of STIs and HIV and AIDS. The majority reported that these services were geographically accessible but few were financially accessible to adolescents. However, qualitative data revealed that available services were not specifically provided for adolescents but for general use. Age (p = ≤ .05), education (p = ≤ .05) and income (p = ≤ .05) were found to be significantly associated with access to SRHS.

CONCLUSION

SRHS were generally physically available but not financially accessible to adolescents. Adolescents' clinics were not available and this could affect the access of SRHS by adolescents. Education and income were significantly associated with access to SRHS.

Generation and evaluation of an indicator of the health system's performance in maternal and reproductive health in Colombia: An ecological study

Objective

To generate and evaluate an indicator of the health system’s performance in the area of maternal and reproductive health in Colombia.

Materials and methods

An indicator was constructed based on variables related to the coverage and utilization of healthcare services for pregnant and reproductive-age women. A factor analysis was performed using a polychoric correlation matrix and the states were classified according to the indicator’s score. A path analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between the indicator and social determinants, with the maternal mortality ratio as the response variable.

Results

The factor analysis indicates that only one principal factor exists, namely "coverage and utilization of maternal healthcare services" (eigenvalue 4.35). The indicator performed best in the states of Atlantic, Bogota, Boyaca, Cundinamarca, Huila, Risaralda and Santander (Q4). The poorest performance (Q1) occurred in Caqueta, Choco, La Guajira, Vichada, Guainia, Amazonas and Vaupes. The indicator’s behavior was found to have an association with the unsatisfied basic needs index and women’s education (β = -0.021; 95%CI -0031 to -0.01 and β 0.554; 95%CI 0.39 to 0.72, respectively). According to the path analysis, an inverse relationship exists between the proposed indicator and the behavior of the maternal mortality ratio (β = -49.34; 95%CI -77.7 to -20.9); performance was a mediating variable.

Discussion

The performance of the health system with respect to its management of access and coverage for maternal and reproductive health appears to function as a mediating variable between social determinants and maternal mortality in Colombia.

Quality of Midwife-provided Intrapartum Care in Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Despite much progress recently, Ethiopia remains one of the largest contributors to the global burden of maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths. Ethiopia's plan to meet the sustainable development goals for maternal and child health includes unprecedented emphasis on improving quality of care. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of midwifery care during labor, delivery and immediate postpartum period.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study using multiple data collection methods and a 2-stage cluster sampling technique was conducted from January 25 to February 14, 2015 in government health facilities of the Amhara National Regional State of Ethiopia. Direct observation of performance was used to determine competence of midwives in providing care during labor, delivery, and the first 6 h after childbirth. Inventory of drugs, medical equipment, supplies, and infrastructure was conducted to identify availability of resources in health facilities. Structured interview was done to assess availability of resources and performance improvement opportunities. Data analysis involved calculating percentages, means and chi-square tests.

RESULTS

A total of 150 midwives and 56 health facilities were included in the study. The performance assessment showed 16.5% of midwives were incompetent, 72.4% were competent, and 11.1% were outstanding in providing routine intrapartum care. Forty five midwives were observed while managing 54 obstetric and newborn complications and 41 (91%) of them were rated competent. Inventory of resources found that the proportion of facilities with more than 75% of the items in each category was 32.6% for drugs, 73.1% for equipment, 65.4% for supplies, 47.9% for infection prevention materials, and 43.6% for records and forms. Opportunities for performance improvement were inadequate, with 31.3% reporting emergency obstetric and newborn care training, and 44.7% quarterly or more frequent supportive supervision. Health centers fared worse in provider competence, physical resources, and quality improvement practices except for supportive supervision visits and in-service training.

CONCLUSIONS

Although our findings indicate most midwives are competent in giving routine and emergency intrapartum care, the major gaps in the enabling environment and the significant proportion of midwives with unsatisfactory performance suggest that the conditions for providing quality intrapartum care are not optimal.

Access barriers to obstetric care at health facilities in sub-Saharan Africa-a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Since 2000, the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, which included a goal to improve maternal health by the end of 2015, has facilitated significant reductions in maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, despite more focused efforts made especially by low- and middle-income countries, targets were largely unmet in sub-Saharan Africa, where women are plagued by many challenges in seeking obstetric care. The aim of this review was to synthesise literature on barriers to obstetric care at health institutions in sub-Saharan Africa.

METHODS

This review was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Scopus databases were electronically searched to identify studies on barriers to health facility-based obstetric care in sub-Saharan Africa, in English, and dated between 2000 and 2015. Combinations of search terms 'obstetric care', 'access', 'barriers', 'developing countries' and 'sub-Saharan Africa' were used to locate articles. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods studies were considered. A narrative synthesis approach was employed to synthesise the evidence and explore relationships between included studies.

RESULTS

One hundred and sixty articles met the inclusion criteria. Currently, obstetric care access is hindered by several demand- and supply-side barriers. The principal demand-side barriers identified were limited household resources/income, non-availability of means of transportation, indirect transport costs, a lack of information on health care services/providers, issues related to stigma and women's self-esteem/assertiveness, a lack of birth preparation, cultural beliefs/practices and ignorance about required obstetric health services. On the supply-side, the most significant barriers were cost of services, physical distance between health facilities and service users' residence, long waiting times at health facilities, poor staff knowledge and skills, poor referral practices and poor staff interpersonal relationships.

CONCLUSION

Despite similarities in obstetric care barriers across sub-Saharan Africa, country-specific strategies are required to tackle the challenges mentioned. Governments need to develop strategies to improve healthcare systems and overall socioeconomic status of women, in order to tackle supply- and demand-side access barriers to obstetric care. It is also important that strategies adopted are supported by research evidence appropriate for local conditions. Finally, more research is needed, particularly, with regard to supply-side interventions that may improve the obstetric care experience of pregnant women.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO 2014 CRD42014015549.

Indicators of availability, use, and quality of emergency obstetric and neonatal care in Togo in 2012

OBJECTIVE

To assess the availability, utilization, and quality of emergency obstetric and neonatal care (EmONC) in Togo.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study of EmONC services in all public and private health facilities in the territory of Togo conducted from July to December, 2012. The generic tools developed by the Averting Maternal Death and Disability program were used as the basic tools for this evaluation.

RESULTS

The survey involved 1019 health facilities including 864 potential EmONC facilities that constituted the final sample. The results showed that there was low availability of functional EmONC health facilities (8 basic EmONC and 24 comprehensive EmONC) with a large urban/rural variation. Among the 24 current CEmONC, 22 were in urban areas and half were from the private sector. The national ratio of availability was 3 EmONC health facilities per 500 000 inhabitants. Nationally, the cesarean delivery rate was 3.5%. The lethality rate of direct obstetric causes was estimated at 1.3%.

CONCLUSION

Needs assessment for EmONC showed low availability of EmONC services and underutilization of the available services.

Emergency obstetric and neonatal care needs assessment: Results of the 2010 and 2014 surveys in Burkina Faso

OBJECTIVE

To analyze and compare the availability, utilization, and quality of services for maternal and neonatal health in 2010 and 2014 in Burkina Faso.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study of emergency obstetric and neonatal care services (EmONC) in all public and private health facilities in Burkina Faso in 2010 and a sample of 812 health facilities in 2014. The generic tools developed by the Averting Maternal Death and Disability (AMDD) program were used as the basic tools for evaluation.

RESULTS

In 2010, 25 health facilities were considered as EmONC health facilities and there were 23 in 2014. In 2010 and 2014, the proportion of births in EmONC health facilities was low (4.5%). The cesarean delivery rate also remained very low, at 0.9% in 2010 and 1.13% in 2014. The proportion of obstetric complications supported in health facilities was 12.3% in 2010 and 17.1% in 2014. The direct complication case fatality rate in EmONC health facilities was 1.6% in 2010 and 1.3% in 2014.

CONCLUSION

The two surveys did not show a significant improvement in the availability, utilization, and quality of maternal and neonatal healthcare services between 2010 and 2014.

Emergency obstetric and neonatal care availability, use, and quality: a cross-sectional study in the city of Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2011

Background

While emergency obstetric and neonatal care (EmONC) is a proxy indicator for monitoring maternal and perinatal mortalities, in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), data on this care is rarely available. In the city of Lubumbashi, the second largest in DRC with an estimated population of 1.5 million, the availability, use and quality of EmONC are not known. This study aimed to assess these elements in Lubumbashi.

Methods

This cross-sectional survey was conducted in April and May 2011. Fifty-three of the 180 health facilities that provide maternity care in Lubumbashi were included in this study. Only health facilities with at least six deliveries per month over the course of 2010 were included. The availability, use and quality of EmONC at each level of the health care system were assessed according to the WHO standards.

Results

The availability of EmONC in Lubumbashi falls short of WHO standards. In this study, we found one facility providing Comprehensive EmONC (CEmONC) for a catchment area of 918,819 inhabitants. Apart from the tertiary hospital (Sendwe), no other facility provided all the basic emergency obstetric and neonatal care (BEmONC) signal functions. However, all had carried out at least one of the nine signal functions during the 3 months preceding our survey: 73.6% of 53 facilities had administered parenteral antibiotics, 79.2% had systematically offered oxytocics, 39.6% had administered magnesium sulfate, 73.6% had manually evacuated placentas, 81.1% had removed retained placenta products, 54.7% had revived newborns, 35.8% had performed caesarean sections, and 47.2% had performed blood transfusions. Function 6, vaginal delivery assisted by ventouse or forceps, was performed in only two (3.8%) facilities. If this signal function was not taken into account in our assessment of EmONC availability, there would be five facilities providing CEmONC for 918,819 inhabitants, rather than one.

In 2010, all the women in the surveyed facilities with obstetric complications delivered in facilities that had carried out at least one signal function in the 3 months before our survey; 7.0% of these women delivered in the facility which provided CEmONC. Mortality due to direct obstetric causes was 3.9% in the health facility that provided CEmONC. The intrapartum mortality was also high in this facility (5.1%). None of the maternity ward managers in any of the facilities surveyed had received training on the EmONC package. Essential supplies and equipment for performing certain EmONC functions were not available in all the surveyed facilities.

Conclusion

Audits of maternal and neonatal deaths and near-misses should be established and used as a basis for monitoring the quality of care in Lubumbashi. To reduce maternal and perinatal mortality, it is essential that staff skills regarding EmONC be strengthened, the availability of supplies and equipment be increased, and that care processes be standardized in all health facilities in Lubumbashi.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12884-017-1224-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Exploring Maternal Health Care-Seeking Behavior of Married Adolescent Girls in Bangladesh: A Social-Ecological Approach

BACKGROUND

The huge proportion of child marriage contributes to high rates of pregnancies among adolescent girls in Bangladesh. Despite substantial progress in reducing maternal mortality in the last two decades, the rate of adolescent pregnancy remains high. The use of skilled maternal health services is still low in Bangladesh. Several quantitative studies described the use of skilled maternal health services among adolescent girls. So far, very little qualitative evidence exists about attitudes and practices related to maternal health. To fill this gap, we aimed at exploring maternal health care-seeking behavior of adolescent girls and their experiences related to pregnancy and delivery in Bangladesh.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

A prospective qualitative study was conducted among thirty married adolescent girls from three Upazilas (sub-districts) of Rangpur district. They were interviewed in two subsequent phases (2014 and 2015). To triangulate and validate the data collected from these married adolescent girls, key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with different stakeholders. Data analysis was guided by the Social-Ecological Model (SEM) including four levels of factors (individual, interpersonal and family, community and social, and organizational and health systems level) which influenced the maternal health care-seeking behavior of adolescent girls. While adolescent girls showed little decision making-autonomy, interpersonal and family level factors played an important role in their use of skilled maternal health services. In addition, community and social factors and as well as organizational and health systems factors shaped adolescent girls' maternal health care-seeking behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

In order to improve the maternal health of adolescent girls, all four levels of factors of SEM should be taken into account while developing health interventions targeting adolescent girls.

Assessing emergency obstetric care provision in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review of the application of global guidelines

Background

Lack of timely and quality emergency obstetric care (EmOC) has contributed significantly to maternal morbidity and mortality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Since 2009, the global guideline, referred to as the ‘handbook’, has been used to monitor availability, utilization, and quality of EmOC.

Objective

To assess application and explore experiences of researchers in LMICs in assessing EmOC.

Design

Multiple databases of peer-reviewed literature were systematically reviewed on EmOC assessments in LMICs, since 2009. Following set criteria, we included articles, assessed for quality based on a newly developed checklist, and extracted data using a pre-designed extraction tool. We used thematic summaries to condense our findings and mapped patterns that we observed. To analyze experiences and recommendations for improved EmOC assessments, we took a deductive approach for the framework synthesis.

Results

Twenty-seven studies met our inclusion criteria, with 17 judged as high quality. The highest publication frequency was observed in 2015. Most assessments were conducted in Nigeria and Tanzania (four studies each) and Bangladesh and Ghana (three each). Most studies (17) were done at subnational levels with 23 studies using the ‘handbook’ alone, whereas the others combined the ‘handbook’ with other frameworks. Seventeen studies conducted facility-based surveys, whereas others used mixed methods. For different reasons, intrapartum and very early neonatal death rate and proportion of deaths due to indirect causes in EmOC facilities were the least reported indicators. Key emerging themes indicate that data quality for EmOC assessments can be improved, indicators should be refined, a holistic approach is required for EmOC assessments, and assessments should be conducted as routine processes.

Conclusions

There is clear justification to review how EmOC assessments are being conducted. Synergy between researchers, EmOC program managers, and other key stakeholders would be critical for improved assessments, which would contribute to increased accountability and ultimately service provision.

Benchmarking health system performance across regions in Uganda: a systematic analysis of levels and trends in key maternal and child health interventions, 1990-2011

BACKGROUND

Globally, countries are increasingly prioritizing the reduction of health inequalities and provision of universal health coverage. While national benchmarking has become more common, such work at subnational levels is rare. The timely and rigorous measurement of local levels and trends in key health interventions and outcomes is vital to identifying areas of progress and detecting early signs of stalled or declining health system performance. Previous studies have yet to provide a comprehensive assessment of Uganda's maternal and child health (MCH) landscape at the subnational level.

METHODS

By triangulating a number of different data sources - population censuses, household surveys, and administrative data - we generated regional estimates of 27 key MCH outcomes, interventions, and socioeconomic indicators from 1990 to 2011. After calculating source-specific estimates of intervention coverage, we used a two-step statistical model involving a mixed-effects linear model as an input to Gaussian process regression to produce regional-level trends. We also generated national-level estimates and constructed an indicator of overall intervention coverage based on the average of 11 high-priority interventions.

RESULTS

National estimates often veiled large differences in coverage levels and trends across Uganda's regions. Under-5 mortality declined dramatically, from 163 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 85 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2011, but a large gap between Kampala and the rest of the country persisted. Uganda rapidly scaled up a subset of interventions across regions, including household ownership of insecticide-treated nets, receipt of artemisinin-based combination therapies among children under 5, and pentavalent immunization. Conversely, most regions saw minimal increases, if not actual declines, in the coverage of indicators that required multiple contacts with the health system, such as four or more antenatal care visits, three doses of oral polio vaccine, and two doses of intermittent preventive therapy during pregnancy. Some of the regions with the lowest levels of overall intervention coverage in 1990, such as North and West Nile, saw marked progress by 2011; nonetheless, sizeable disparities remained between Kampala and the rest of the country. Countrywide, overall coverage increased from 40% in 1990 to 64% in 2011, but coverage in 2011 ranged from 57% to 70% across regions.

CONCLUSIONS

The MCH landscape in Uganda has, for the most part, improved between 1990 and 2011. Subnational benchmarking quantified the persistence of geographic health inequalities and identified regions in need of additional health systems strengthening. The tracking and analysis of subnational health trends should be conducted regularly to better guide policy decisions and strengthen responsiveness to local health needs.