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Willcox ML, Okello IA, Maidwell-Smith A, Tura AK, van den Akker T, Knight M, Dumont A, Muller I. Determinants of behaviors influencing implementation of maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review of qualitative studies. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2024; 165:586-600. [PMID: 37727893 DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.15132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Review (MPDSR) can reduce mortality but its implementation is often suboptimal, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). OBJECTIVES To understand the determinants of behaviors influencing implementation of MPDSR in LMICs (through a systematic review of qualitative studies), in order to plan an intervention to improve its implementation. SEARCH STRATEGY Terms for maternal or perinatal death reviews and qualitative studies. SELECTION CRITERIA Qualitative studies regarding implementation of MPDSR in LMICs. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS We coded the included studies using the Theoretical Domains Framework and COM-B model of behavior change (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation). We developed guiding principles for interventions to improve implementation of MPDSR. MAIN RESULTS Fifty-nine studies met our inclusion criteria. Capabilities required to conduct MPDSR (knowledge and technical/leadership skills) increase cumulatively from community to health facility and leadership levels. Physical and social opportunities depend on adequate data, human and financial resources, and a blame-free environment. All stakeholders were motivated to avoid negative consequences (blame, litigation, disciplinary action). CONCLUSIONS Implementation of MPDSR could be improved by (1) introducing structural changes to reduce negative consequences, (2) strengthening data collection tools and information systems, (3) mobilizing adequate resources, and (4) building capabilities of all stakeholders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merlin L Willcox
- Primary Care Research Centre, School of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education, University of Southampton, Aldermoor Health Centre, Southampton, UK
| | - Immaculate A Okello
- Primary Care Research Centre, School of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education, University of Southampton, Aldermoor Health Centre, Southampton, UK
| | - Alice Maidwell-Smith
- Primary Care Research Centre, School of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education, University of Southampton, Aldermoor Health Centre, Southampton, UK
| | - Abera Kenay Tura
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Marian Knight
- National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Ingrid Muller
- Primary Care Research Centre, School of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education, University of Southampton, Aldermoor Health Centre, Southampton, UK
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Panneflek TJR, Kuypers KLAM, Polglase GR, Derleth DP, Dekker J, Hooper SB, van den Akker T, Pas ABT. The influence of chorioamnionitis on respiratory drive and spontaneous breathing of premature infants at birth: a narrative review. Eur J Pediatr 2024:10.1007/s00431-024-05508-4. [PMID: 38558311 DOI: 10.1007/s00431-024-05508-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Most very premature infants breathe at birth but require respiratory support in order to stimulate and support their breathing. A significant proportion of premature infants are affected by chorioamnionitis, defined as an umbrella term for antenatal inflammation of the foetal membranes and umbilical vessels. Chorioamnionitis produces inflammatory mediators that potentially depress the respiratory drive generated in the brainstem. Such respiratory depression could maintain itself by delaying lung aeration, hampering respiratory support at birth and putting infants at risk of hypoxic injury. This inflammatory-mediated respiratory depression may contribute to an association between chorioamnionitis and increased requirement of neonatal resuscitation in premature infants at birth. This narrative review summarises mechanisms on how respiratory drive and spontaneous breathing could be influenced by chorioamnionitis and provides possible interventions to stimulate spontaneous breathing. Conclusion: Chorioamnionitis could possibly depress respiratory drive and spontaneous breathing in premature infants at birth. Interventions to stimulate spontaneous breathing could therefore be valuable. What is Known: • A large proportion of premature infants are affected by chorioamnionitis, antenatal inflammation of the foetal membranes and umbilical vessels. What is New: • Premature infants affected by chorioamnionitis might be exposed to higher concentrations of respiratory drive inhibitors which could depress breathing at birth. • Premature infants affected by chorioamnionitis seem to be associated with a higher and more extensive requirement of resuscitation at birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J R Panneflek
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital, Leiden University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, Netherlands.
| | - Kristel L A M Kuypers
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital, Leiden University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Graeme R Polglase
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Douglas P Derleth
- Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Janneke Dekker
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital, Leiden University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Stuart B Hooper
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Arjan B Te Pas
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital, Leiden University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, Netherlands
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Tholandi M, Zethof S, Kim YM, Tura AK, Ket J, Willcox M, van den Akker T, Ilozumba O. Approaches to improve and adapt maternal mortality estimations in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2024; 165:94-106. [PMID: 37712620 DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.15103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the absence of robust vital registration systems, many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) rely on national surveys or routine surveillance systems to estimate the maternal mortality ratio (MMR). Although the importance of MMR estimates in ending preventable maternal deaths is acknowledged, there is limited research on how different approaches are used and adapted, and how these adaptations function. OBJECTIVES To assess methods for estimating maternal mortality in LMICs and the rationale for these modifications. SEARCH STRATEGY A literature search with the terms "maternal death", "surveys" and "low- and middle-income countries" was performed in Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, APA PsycINFO, ERIC, and IBSS from January 2013 to March 17, 2023. SELECTION CRITERIA Studies were eligible if their main focus was to compare, adapt, or assess methods to estimate maternal mortality in LMICs. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Titles and abstracts were screened using Rayyan. Relevant articles were independently reviewed by two reviewers against inclusion criteria. Data were extracted on mortality measurement methods, their context, and results. MAIN RESULTS Nineteen studies were included, focusing on data completeness, subnational estimates, and community involvement. Routinely generated MMR estimates are more complete when multiple data sources are triangulated, including data from public and private health facilities, the community, and local authorities (e.g. vital registration, police reports). For subnational estimates, existing (e.g. the sisterhood method and reproductive-age mortality surveys [RAMOS]) and adapted methods (e.g. RAMOS 4 + 2 and Pictorial Sisterhood Method) provided reliable confidence intervals. Community engagement in data collection increased community awareness of maternal deaths, provided local ownership, and was expected to reduce implementation costs. However, most studies did not include a cost-effectiveness analysis. CONCLUSION Household surveys with community involvement and RAMOS can be used to increase data validity, improve local awareness of maternal mortality estimates, and reduce costs in LMICs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Tholandi
- Faculty of Science, Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Siem Zethof
- Department of Internal Medicine, Alrijne Hospital, Leiderdorp, The Netherlands
| | - Young-Mi Kim
- Jhpiego, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Abera Kenay Tura
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia
| | - Johannes Ket
- Medical Library, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Merlin Willcox
- Primary Care Research Centre, School of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Onaedo Ilozumba
- Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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Willemsen SP, Knol R, Brouwer E, van den Akker T, DeKoninck PLJ, Lopriore E, Onland W, de Boode WP, van Kaam AH, Nuytemans DH, Reiss IKM, Hutten GJ, Prins SA, Mulder EEM, Hulzebos CV, van Sambeeck SJ, van der Putten ME, Zonnenberg IA, Te Pas AB, Vermeulen MJ. Physiological-based cord clamping in very preterm infants: the Aeration, Breathing, Clamping 3 (ABC3) trial-statistical analysis plan for a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Trials 2024; 25:164. [PMID: 38439024 PMCID: PMC10913647 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-024-08014-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mortality, cerebral injury, and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) are common complications of very preterm birth. An important risk factor for these complications is hemodynamic instability. Pre-clinical studies suggest that the timing of umbilical cord clamping affects hemodynamic stability during transition. Standard care is time-based cord clamping (TBCC), with clamping irrespective of lung aeration. It is unknown whether delaying cord clamping until lung aeration and ventilation have been established (physiological-based cord clamping, PBCC) is more beneficial. This document describes the statistical analyses for the ABC3 trial, which aims to assess the efficacy and safety of PBCC, compared to TBCC. METHODS The ABC3 trial is a multicenter, randomized trial investigating PBCC (intervention) versus TBCC (control) in very preterm infants. The trial is ethically approved. Preterm infants born before 30 weeks of gestation are randomized after parental informed consent. The primary outcome is intact survival, defined as the composite of survival without major cerebral injury and/or NEC. Secondary short-term outcomes are co-morbidities and adverse events assessed during NICU admission, parental reported outcomes, and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes assessed at a corrected age of 2 years. To test the hypothesis that PBCC increases intact survival, a logistic regression model will be estimated using generalized estimating equations (accounting for correlation between siblings and observations in the same center) with treatment and gestational age as predictors. This plan is written and submitted without knowledge of the data. DISCUSSION The findings of this trial will provide evidence for future clinical guidelines on optimal cord clamping management at birth. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03808051. Registered on 17 January 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sten P Willemsen
- Department of Intensive Care Neonatology and Children, Division of Neonatology, Sophia Children's Hospital, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, P.O. Box 2060, Rotterdam, 3000 CB, The Netherlands
- Department of Biostatistics, Erasmus MC University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ronny Knol
- Department of Intensive Care Neonatology and Children, Division of Neonatology, Sophia Children's Hospital, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, P.O. Box 2060, Rotterdam, 3000 CB, The Netherlands.
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Emma Brouwer
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Philip L J DeKoninck
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Enrico Lopriore
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Wes Onland
- Department of Neonatology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction & Development, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Willem P de Boode
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Amalia Children's Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Anton H van Kaam
- Department of Neonatology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction & Development, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Debbie H Nuytemans
- Department of Neonatology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Irwin K M Reiss
- Department of Intensive Care Neonatology and Children, Division of Neonatology, Sophia Children's Hospital, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, P.O. Box 2060, Rotterdam, 3000 CB, The Netherlands
| | - G Jeroen Hutten
- Department of Neonatology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction & Development, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Sandra A Prins
- Department of Neonatology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction & Development, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Estelle E M Mulder
- Department of Neonatology, Isala Women and Children's Hospital, Zwolle, The Netherlands
| | - Christian V Hulzebos
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sam J van Sambeeck
- Department of Pediatrics, Maxima Medical Center, Veldhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Mayke E van der Putten
- Department of Pediatrics, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Inge A Zonnenberg
- Department of Neonatology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Arjan B Te Pas
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marijn J Vermeulen
- Department of Intensive Care Neonatology and Children, Division of Neonatology, Sophia Children's Hospital, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, P.O. Box 2060, Rotterdam, 3000 CB, The Netherlands
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Verweij E, Tura AK, Gure T, Pyuza J, Mchome B, Kawaza K, Moons P, de Winter D, Van't Oever R, Spitalnik S, van der Schoot CE, van den Akker T. Monoclonal RhD prophylaxis: high time to evaluate efficacy. Lancet 2024; 403:806-807. [PMID: 38431342 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(23)01888-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Ejt Verweij
- Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden 2333 ZA, Netherlands.
| | - Abera Kenay Tura
- Department of Obstetrics, Haramaya University, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Hiwot Fana Comprehensive Specialized University Hospital, Harrar, Ethiopia
| | - Tadesse Gure
- Department of Obstetrics, Haramaya University, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Hiwot Fana Comprehensive Specialized University Hospital, Harrar, Ethiopia
| | - Jeremia Pyuza
- Department of Obstetrics, Pediatrics, and Pathology, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center, Moshi, Tanzania
| | - Bariki Mchome
- Department of Obstetrics, Pediatrics, and Pathology, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center, Moshi, Tanzania
| | - Kondwani Kawaza
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Peter Moons
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Derek de Winter
- Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden 2333 ZA, Netherlands
| | - Renske Van't Oever
- Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden 2333 ZA, Netherlands
| | - Steven Spitalnik
- WIRhE, New York, NY, USA; Laboratory of Transfusion Biology, Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - C Ellen van der Schoot
- WIRhE, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Department of Experimental Immunohematology, Sanquin Research, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden 2333 ZA, Netherlands; Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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de Vries BS, Verschueren KJC, Jansen S, Bekker V, Veenhof MB, van den Akker T. Compliance with maternal sepsis guidelines in a tertiary hospital in the Netherlands. Hosp Pract (1995) 2024:1-5. [PMID: 38407122 DOI: 10.1080/21548331.2024.2320068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Sepsis is a common cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. Early detection and rapid management are essential. In this study, we evaluate the compliance with the implemented maternity-specific Early Warning Score (EWS), Rapid Response Team (RRT) protocol and the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) Hour-1 Bundle in a tertiary hospital in the Netherlands. METHODS We performed a retrospective patient chart review from July 2019 to June 2020 at the Leiden University Medical Centre. We included women who received therapeutic antibiotics and were admitted for at least 24 hours. RESULTS We included 240 women: ten were admitted twice and one woman three times, comprising 252 admissions. A clinical diagnosis of sepsis was made in 22 women. The EWS was used in 29% (n = 73/252) of admissions. Recommendations on the follow-up of the EWS were carried out in 53% (n = 46/87). Compliance with the RRT protocol was highest for assessment by a medical doctor within 30 minutes (n = 98/117, 84%) and lowest for RRT involvement (n = 7/23, 30%). In women with sepsis, compliance with the SSC Bundle was highest for acquiring blood cultures (n = 19/22, 85%), while only 64% (n = 14/22) received antibiotics within 60 minutes of the sepsis diagnosis. CONCLUSION The adherence to the maternity-specific EWS and the SSC Hour-1 bundle was insufficient, even within this tertiary setting in a high-income country.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baukje S de Vries
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Kim J C Verschueren
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Sophie Jansen
- Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Vincent Bekker
- Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marieke B Veenhof
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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van den Akker T, D'Souza R, Tura AK, Nair M, Engjom H, Knight M, Donati S. Prioritising actions to address stagnating maternal mortality rates globally. Lancet 2024; 403:417-419. [PMID: 38348648 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(23)02290-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, 2300RC Leiden, Netherlands; Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Rohan D'Souza
- Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Abera Kenay Tura
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia
| | - Manisha Nair
- National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Hilde Engjom
- Division of Mental and Physical Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Bergen, Norway
| | - Marian Knight
- National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Serena Donati
- National Centre for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italian National Health Institute, Rome, Italy
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Tura AK, Knight M, Girma S, Ahmed R, Yuya M, Bekele D, Hassen TA, Stekelenburg J, van den Akker T. Characteristics and outcomes of pregnant women hospitalized with severe maternal outcomes in eastern Ethiopia: Results from the Ethiopian Obstetric Surveillance System study. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2024; 164:714-720. [PMID: 37961999 PMCID: PMC10952177 DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.15240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to identify facility-based incidence of severe obstetric complications through a newly established obstetric surveillance system in eastern Ethiopia. METHODS Monthly registration of obstetric hemorrhage, eclampsia, uterine rupture, severe anemia and sepsis was introduced in 13 maternity units in eastern Ethiopia. At each hospital, a designated clinician reported details of women admitted during pregnancy, childbirth or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy from April 01, 2021 to March 31, 2022 developing any of these conditions. Detailed data on sociodemographic characteristics, obstetric complications and status at discharge were collected by trained research assistants. RESULTS Among 38 782 maternities during the study period, 2043 (5.3%) women had any of the five conditions. Seventy women died, representing a case fatality rate of 3.4%. The three leading reasons for admission were obstetric hemorrhage (972; 47.6%), severe anemia (727; 35.6%), and eclampsia (438; 21.4%). The majority of the maternal deaths were from obstetric hemorrhage (27/70; 38.6%) followed by eclampsia (17/70; 24.3%). CONCLUSION Obstetric hemorrhage, severe anemia and eclampsia were the leading causes of severe obstetric complications in eastern Ethiopia. Almost one in 29 women admitted with obstetric complications died. Audit of quality of care is indicated to design tailored interventions to improve maternal survival and obstetric complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abera Kenay Tura
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical SciencesHaramaya UniversityHararEthiopia
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyUniversity Medical Center Groningen, University of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Marian Knight
- National Perinatal Epidemiology UnitUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Sagni Girma
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical SciencesHaramaya UniversityHararEthiopia
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyLeiden University Medical CenterLeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Redwan Ahmed
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyHiwot Fana Specialized University HospitalHararEthiopia
| | - Mohammed Yuya
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyLeiden University Medical CenterLeidenThe Netherlands
- School of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya UniversityHararEthiopia
| | - Delayehu Bekele
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologySt. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical CollegeAddis AbabaEthiopia
| | - Tahir Ahmed Hassen
- Center for Women's Health ResearchUniversity of NewcastleNewcastleNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Jelle Stekelenburg
- Department of Health Sciences, Global HealthUniversity Medical Center Groningen, University of GroningenThe Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyLeeuwarden Medical CenterLeeuwardenThe Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- National Perinatal Epidemiology UnitUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyLeiden University Medical CenterLeidenThe Netherlands
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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Seijmonsbergen-Schermers AE, Peerdeman KMCM, van den Akker T, Titulaer LML, Roovers JP, Peters LL, Verhoeven CJ, de Jonge A. Differences in rates of severe perineal trauma between midwife-led and obstetrician-led care in the Netherlands: A nationwide cohort study. Heliyon 2024; 10:e24609. [PMID: 38312656 PMCID: PMC10835235 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective To investigate trends and rates of severe perineal trauma (SPT), also known as obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI), between midwife-led and obstetrician-led care in the Netherlands, and factors associated with SPT. Methods This nationwide cohort study included registry data from 2000 to 2019 (n = 2,169,950) of spontaneous vaginal births of term, live, cephalic, single infants, without a (previous) caesarean section or assisted vaginal birth.First, trends of SPT and episiotomy were shown. Second, differences in SPT rates between midwife- and obstetrician-led care were assessed. Third, associations of care factors with SPT were examined. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to determine which factors were important in the associations. All outcomes were stratified for parity. Results Over time, the SPT incidence increased mainly in midwife-led care and episiotomy rates decreased. Compared to midwife-led care, SPT rates were lower in obstetrician-led care among primiparous women (aOR 0.78; 99 % CI 0.74-0.81) and comparable among multiparous women (aOR 1.04; 99 % CI 0.99-1.10). Among women without epidural analgesia, these differences were smaller for primiparous women (aOR 0.88; 99 % CI 0.84-0.92), but the SPT rate was higher in obstetrician-led care among multiparous women (aOR 1.09; 99 % CI 1.03-1.15). Among women without shoulder dystocia, induction, augmentation, and pain medication, SPT rates were comparable among primiparous women, but higher among multiparous women in obstetrician-led care. In midwife-led care, SPT occurred more often among hospital versus home births. In obstetrician-led care, lower SPT incidences were found among births with epidural analgesia and for multiparous women with induction or augmentation. Conclusions Iinduction, augmentation, and epidural analgesia in obstetrician-led care may be an explanatory factor for the higher incidence of SPT among primiparous women in midwife-led care. More research is needed to explain differences in SPT rates and to understand how SPT can be prevented, while maintaining a high intact perineum rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna E. Seijmonsbergen-Schermers
- Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Midwifery Science, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, Inholland, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of General Practice & Elderly Care Medicine, PO Box 196, 9700, AD, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Kelly MCM. Peerdeman
- Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Midwifery Science, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, Inholland, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of General Practice & Elderly Care Medicine, PO Box 196, 9700, AD, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333, ZA, Leiden, Netherlands
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081, HV, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Linde ML. Titulaer
- Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Midwifery Science, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, Inholland, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of General Practice & Elderly Care Medicine, PO Box 196, 9700, AD, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Jan-Paul Roovers
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Amsterdam UMC Location AMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Lilian L. Peters
- Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Midwifery Science, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, Inholland, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of General Practice & Elderly Care Medicine, PO Box 196, 9700, AD, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Corine J. Verhoeven
- Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Midwifery Science, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, Inholland, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of General Practice & Elderly Care Medicine, PO Box 196, 9700, AD, Groningen, Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Maxima Medical Centre, Veldhoven, Netherlands
- Division of Midwifery, School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Ank de Jonge
- Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Midwifery Science, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, Inholland, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Public Health, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of General Practice & Elderly Care Medicine, PO Box 196, 9700, AD, Groningen, Netherlands
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, Penrith South, New South Wales, Australia
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Straneo M, Hanson C, van den Akker T, Afolabi BB, Asefa A, Delamou A, Dennis M, Gadama L, Mahachi N, Mlilo W, Pembe AB, Tsuala Fouogue J, Beňová L. Inequalities in use of hospitals for childbirth among rural women in sub-Saharan Africa: a comparative analysis of 18 countries using Demographic and Health Survey data. BMJ Glob Health 2024; 9:e013029. [PMID: 38262683 PMCID: PMC10806834 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Rising facility births in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) mask inequalities in higher-level emergency care-typically in hospitals. Limited research has addressed hospital use in women at risk of or with complications, such as high parity, linked to poverty and rurality, for whom hospital care is essential. We aimed to address this gap, by comparatively assessing hospital use in rural SSA by wealth and parity. METHODS Countries in SSA with a Demographic and Health Survey since 2015 were included. We assessed rural hospital childbirth stratifying by wealth (wealthier/poorer) and parity (nulliparity/high parity≥5), and their combination. We computed percentages, 95% CIs and percentage-point differences, by stratifier level. To compare hospital use across countries, we produced a composite index, including six utilisation and equality indicators. RESULTS This cross-sectional study included 18 countries. In all, a minority of rural women used hospitals for childbirth (2%-29%). There were disparities by wealth and parity, and poorer, high-parity women used hospitals least. The poorer/wealthier difference in utilisation among high-parity women ranged between 1.3% (Mali) and 13.2% (Rwanda). We found use and equality of hospitals in rural settings were greater in Malawi and Liberia, followed by Zimbabwe, the Gambia and Rwanda. DISCUSSION Inequalities identified across 18 countries in rural SSA indicate poor, higher-risk women of high parity had lower use of hospitals for childbirth. Specific policy attention is urgently needed for this group where disadvantage accumulates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Straneo
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Claudia Hanson
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Excellence for Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, LSHTM, London, UK
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Bosede B Afolabi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Anteneh Asefa
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Alexandre Delamou
- Africa Center for Excellence (CEA-PMCT), Universite Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry, Conakry, Guinea
- Maferinyah Training and Research Center, Forécariah, Guinea
| | | | - Luis Gadama
- Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Southern Region, Malawi
| | - Nyika Mahachi
- Zimbabwe College of Public Health Physicians, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Welcome Mlilo
- Matabeleland North Provincial Medical Directorate, Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
| | - Andrea B Pembe
- Department of Obstetric and Gynaecology, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Jovanny Tsuala Fouogue
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal Health, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Université de Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon
| | - Lenka Beňová
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, LSHTM, London, UK
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11
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Sequeira Dmello B, John TW, Housseine N, Meyrowitsch DW, van Roosmalen J, van den Akker T, Kujabi ML, Festo C, Nkungu D, Muniro Z, Kabanda I, Msumi R, Maembe L, Sangalala M, Hyera E, Lema J, Bayongo S, Mshiu J, Kidanto HL, Maaløe N. Incidence and determinants of perinatal mortality in five urban hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: a cohort study with an embedded case-control analysis. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2024; 24:62. [PMID: 38218766 PMCID: PMC10787400 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-023-06096-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Tanzania has one of the highest burdens of perinatal mortality, with a higher risk among urban versus rural women. To understand the characteristics of perinatal mortality in urban health facilities, study objectives were: I. To assess the incidence of perinatal deaths in public health facilities in Dar es Salaam and classify these into a) pre-facility stillbirths (absence of fetal heart tones on admission to the study health facilities) and b) intra-facility perinatal deaths before discharge; and II. To identify determinants of perinatal deaths by comparing each of the two groups of perinatal deaths with healthy newborns. METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study among women who gave birth in five urban, public health facilities in Dar es Salaam. I. Incidence of perinatal death in the year 2020 was calculated based on routinely collected health facility records and the Perinatal Problem Identification Database. II. An embedded case-control study was conducted within a sub-population of singletons with birthweight ≥ 2000 g (excluding newborns with congenital malformations); pre-facility stillbirths and intra-facility perinatal deaths were compared with 'healthy newborns' (Apgar score ≥ 8 at one and ≥ 9 at five minutes and discharged home alive). Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed to explore the determinants of deaths. RESULTS A total of 37,787 births were recorded in 2020. The pre-discharge perinatal death rate was 38.3 per 1,000 total births: a stillbirth rate of 27.7 per 1,000 total births and an intra-facility neonatal death rate of 10.9 per 1,000 live births. Pre-facility stillbirths accounted for 88.4% of the stillbirths. The case-control study included 2,224 women (452 pre-facility stillbirths; 287 intra-facility perinatal deaths and 1,485 controls), 99% of whom attended antenatal clinic (75% with more than three visits). Pre-facility stillbirths were associated with low birth weight (cOR 4.40; (95% CI: 3.13-6.18) and with maternal hypertension (cOR 4.72; 95% CI: 3.30-6.76). Intra-facility perinatal deaths were associated with breech presentation (aOR 40.3; 95% CI: 8.75-185.61), complications in the second stage (aOR 20.04; 95% CI: 12.02-33.41), low birth weight (aOR 5.57; 95% CI: 2.62-11.84), cervical dilation crossing the partograph's action line (aOR 4.16; 95% CI:2.29-7.56), and hypertension during intrapartum care (aOR 2.9; 95% CI 1.03-8.14), among other factors. CONCLUSION: The perinatal death rate in the five urban hospitals was linked to gaps in the quality of antenatal and intrapartum care, in the study health facilities and in lower-level referral clinics. Urgent action is required to implement context-specific interventions and conduct implementation research to strengthen the urban referral system across the entire continuum of care from pregnancy onset to postpartum. The role of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy as a crucial determinant of perinatal deaths emphasizes the complexities of maternal-perinatal health within urban settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda Sequeira Dmello
- Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT), P. O Box 23310, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
- Medical College, East Africa, Aga Khan University, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
- Department of Public Health, Global Health Section, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Thomas Wiswa John
- Medical College, East Africa, Aga Khan University, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Department of Public Health, Global Health Section, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Natasha Housseine
- Medical College, East Africa, Aga Khan University, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Department of Public Health, Global Health Section, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Dan Wolf Meyrowitsch
- Department of Public Health, Global Health Section, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jos van Roosmalen
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Monica Lauridsen Kujabi
- Department of Public Health, Global Health Section, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Daniel Nkungu
- Regional Referral Hospital Dar Es Salaam, Ministry of Health, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Zainab Muniro
- Regional Referral Hospital Dar Es Salaam, Ministry of Health, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Idrissa Kabanda
- Presidents Office, Regional and Local Government, Municipal Maternity Hospitals Ubungo and Temeke, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Rukia Msumi
- Presidents Office, Regional and Local Government, Municipal Maternity Hospitals Ubungo and Temeke, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Luzango Maembe
- Regional Referral Hospital Dar Es Salaam, Ministry of Health, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Mtingele Sangalala
- Regional Referral Hospital Dar Es Salaam, Ministry of Health, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Ester Hyera
- Regional Referral Hospital Dar Es Salaam, Ministry of Health, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Joyce Lema
- Presidents Office, Regional and Local Government, Municipal Maternity Hospitals Ubungo and Temeke, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Scolastica Bayongo
- Regional Referral Hospital Dar Es Salaam, Ministry of Health, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Johnson Mshiu
- Muhimbili Medical Research Center, National Institute for Medical Research, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | | | - Nanna Maaløe
- Department of Public Health, Global Health Section, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
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12
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Maaløe N, Kujabi ML, Nathan NO, Skovdal M, Dmello BS, Wray S, van den Akker T, Housseine N. Inconsistent definitions of labour progress and over-medicalisation cause unnecessary harm during birth. BMJ 2023; 383:e076515. [PMID: 38084433 PMCID: PMC10726361 DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-076515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nanna Maaløe
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Copenhagen University Hospital-Herlev Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Monica Lauridsen Kujabi
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby, Denmark
| | - Nina Olsén Nathan
- Department of Obstetrics, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Morten Skovdal
- Section for Health Services Research, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Brenda Sequeira Dmello
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- CCBRT Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa
| | - Susan Wray
- Women and Children's Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Natasha Housseine
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aga Khan University, Tanzania, East Africa
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Heemelaar S, Callard B, Shikwambi H, Ellmies J, Kafitha W, Stekelenburg J, van den Akker T, Mackenzie S. Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths in Namibia, 2018-2019: A Local Approach to Strengthen the Review Process and a Description of Review Findings and Recommendations. Matern Child Health J 2023; 27:2165-2174. [PMID: 37777707 PMCID: PMC10618300 DOI: 10.1007/s10995-023-03771-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES First objective was to strengthen the national maternal death review, by addressing local challenges with each step of the review cycle. Second objective was to describe review findings and compare these with available findings of previous reviews. METHODS Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths methodology was used to review maternal deaths. To improve reporting, the national committee focussed on addressing fear of blame among healthcare providers. Second focus was on dissemination of findings and acting on recommendations forthcoming the review. Reviewed were reported maternal deaths, that occurred between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019. RESULTS Seventy maternal deaths were reported; for 69 (98.6%) medical records were available, compared to 80/119 (67.2%) in 2012-2015. Reported maternal mortality ratio increased with 48% (92/100,000 live births compared to 62/100,000 in 2012-2015). Obstetric haemorrhage was leading cause of death in the past three reviews. The "no name, no blame" policy, aiming to identify health system failures, rather than mistakes of individuals, was repeatedly explained to healthcare providers during facility visits. Recommendations based on findings of the review, such as retaining experienced staff, continuous in-service training and guidance, were shared with decision makers at regional and national levels. Healthcare providers received training based on review findings, which resulted in improved management of similar cases. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE Enhanced implementation of Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths was possible after addressing local challenges. Focussing on obtaining trust of healthcare providers and feeding back findings, resulted in better reporting and prevention of potential maternal deaths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffie Heemelaar
- National Maternal Death, Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Review Committee, Division of Quality Assurance, Ministry of Health and Social Services, Windhoek, Namibia.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Beatrix Callard
- National Maternal Death, Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Review Committee, Division of Quality Assurance, Ministry of Health and Social Services, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Hilma Shikwambi
- National Maternal Death, Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Review Committee, Division of Quality Assurance, Ministry of Health and Social Services, Windhoek, Namibia
- Department of Nursing and Midwifery, International University of Management, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Jana Ellmies
- National Maternal Death, Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Review Committee, Division of Quality Assurance, Ministry of Health and Social Services, Windhoek, Namibia
- Independent Midwives Association of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Wilhelmina Kafitha
- Division of Quality Assurance, Ministry of Health and Social Services, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Jelle Stekelenburg
- Department of Health Science, Global Health, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical Center Leeuwarden, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Shonag Mackenzie
- National Maternal Death, Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Review Committee, Division of Quality Assurance, Ministry of Health and Social Services, Windhoek, Namibia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia
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14
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Bonsen LR, Harskamp V, Feddouli S, Bloemenkamp KWM, Duvekot JJ, Pors A, van Roosmalen J, Zwart JJ, van Lith JMM, Hendriks J, Urlings TAJ, van den Akker T, van der Bom JG, Henriquez DDCA. Prophylactic radiologic interventions to reduce postpartum hemorrhage in women with risk factors for placenta accreta spectrum disorder: a nationwide cohort study. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2023; 36:2251076. [PMID: 37673791 DOI: 10.1080/14767058.2023.2251076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To quantify the association between prophylactic radiologic interventions and perioperative blood loss in women with risk factors for placenta accreta spectrum disorder (PAS). METHODS We conducted a retrospective nationwide cohort study of women with risk factors for placenta accreta spectrum disorder who underwent planned cesarean section in 69 Dutch hospitals between 2008 and 2013. All women had two risk factors for PAS: placenta previa/anterior low-lying placenta and a history of cesarean section(s). Women with and without ultrasonographic signs of PAS were studied as two separate groups. We compared the total blood loss of women with prophylactic radiologic interventions, defined as preoperative placement of balloon catheters or sheaths in the internal iliac or uterine arteries, with that of a control group consisting of women without prophylactic radiologic interventions using multivariable regression. We evaluated maternal morbidity by the number of red blood cell (RBC) units transfused within 24 h following childbirth (categories: 0, 1-3, >4), duration of hospital admission, and need for intensive care unit (ICU) admission. RESULTS A total of 350 women with placenta previa/anterior low-lying placenta and history of cesarean section(s) were included: 289 with normal ultrasonography, of whom 21 received prophylactic radiologic intervention, and 61 had abnormal ultrasonography, of whom 22 received prophylactic intervention. Among women with normal ultrasonography without prophylactic intervention (n = 268), the median blood loss was 725 mL (interquartile range (IQR) 500-1500) vs. 1000 mL (IQR 550-1750) in women with intervention (n = 21); the adjusted difference in blood loss was 9 mL (95% confidence interval (CI) -315-513), p = .97). Among women with abnormal ultrasonography, those without prophylactic intervention (n = 39) had a median blood loss of 2500 mL (IQR 1200-5000) vs. 1750 mL (IQR 775-4000) in women with intervention (n = 22); the adjusted difference in blood loss was -1141 mL (95% CI -1694- -219, p = .02). Results of outcomes on maternal morbidity were comparable among women with and without prophylactic intervention. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that prophylactic radiologic interventions prior to planned cesarean section may help to limit perioperative blood loss in women with clear signs of placenta accreta spectrum disorder on ultrasonography, but there was no evidence of a difference within the subgroup without such ultrasonographic signs. The use of these interventions should be discussed in a multidisciplinary shared decision-making process, including discussions of potential benefits and possible complications. TRIAL REGISTRATION Netherlands Trial Registry, https://onderzoekmetmensen.nl/en/trial/28238, identifier NL4210 (NTR4363).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisanne R Bonsen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Valerie Harskamp
- Jon J. van Rood Center for Clinical Transfusion Research, Sanquin Research, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Sana Feddouli
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Jon J. van Rood Center for Clinical Transfusion Research, Sanquin Research, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Kitty W M Bloemenkamp
- Department of Obstetrics, Wilhelmina's Children Hospital Birth Center, Division Woman and Baby, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Johannes J Duvekot
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Aad Pors
- Jon J. van Rood Center for Clinical Transfusion Research, Sanquin Research, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Jos van Roosmalen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Joost J Zwart
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Deventer Hospital, Deventer, the Netherlands
| | - Jan M M van Lith
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Joris Hendriks
- Department of Radiology, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Thijs A J Urlings
- Department of Radiology, Haaglanden Medical Center, The Hague, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Johanna G van der Bom
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Jon J. van Rood Center for Clinical Transfusion Research, Sanquin Research, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Dacia D C A Henriquez
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
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15
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de Vries PLM, Deneux-Tharaux C, Baud D, Chen KK, Donati S, Goffinet F, Knight M, D'Souzah R, Sueters M, van den Akker T. Postpartum haemorrhage in high-resource settings: Variations in clinical management and future research directions based on a comparative study of national guidelines. BJOG 2023; 130:1639-1652. [PMID: 37259184 DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.17551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To compare guidelines from eight high-income countries on prevention and management of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), with a particular focus on severe PPH. DESIGN Comparative study. SETTING High-resource countries. POPULATION Women with PPH. METHODS Systematic comparison of guidance on PPH from eight high-income countries. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Definition of PPH, prophylactic management, measurement of blood loss, initial PPH-management, second-line uterotonics, non-pharmacological management, resuscitation/transfusion management, organisation of care, quality/methodological rigour. CONCLUSIONS Our study highlights areas where strong evidence is lacking. There is need for a universal definition of (severe) PPH. Consensus is required on how and when to quantify blood loss to identify PPH promptly. Future research may focus on timing and sequence of second-line uterotonics and non-pharmacological interventions and how these impact maternal outcome. Until more data are available, different transfusion strategies will be applied. The use of clear transfusion-protocols are nonetheless recommended to reduce delays in initiation. There is a need for a collaborative effort to develop standardised, evidence-based PPH guidelines. RESULTS Definitions of (severe) PPH varied as to the applied cut-off of blood loss and incorporation of clinical parameters. Dose and mode of administration of prophylactic uterotonics and methods of blood loss measurement were heterogeneous. Recommendations on second-line uterotonics differed as to type and dose. Obstetric management diverged particularly regarding procedures for uterine atony. Recommendations on transfusion approaches varied with different thresholds for blood transfusion and supplementation of haemostatic agents. Quality of guidelines varied considerably.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline L M de Vries
- Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Port-Royal Maternity Unit, Cochin Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Catherine Deneux-Tharaux
- Université Paris Cité, Inserm, Obstetrical, Perinatal and Paediatric Epidemiology Research Team (Epopé), CRESS, Paris, France
| | - David Baud
- Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kenneth K Chen
- Departments of Medicine & ObGyn, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Serena Donati
- National Centre for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Istituto Superiore di Sanità-Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy
| | - Francois Goffinet
- Port-Royal Maternity Unit, Cochin Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Marian Knight
- National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Rohan D'Souzah
- National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Departments of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Health Research Methods Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marieke Sueters
- Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Koorn I, Vis LC, Verschueren KJC, Rosman AN, van den Akker T. Variations over time in mode of birth and perinatal outcomes in women with one previous cesarean in the Netherlands: A 20-year population-based study. Birth 2023. [PMID: 38037756 DOI: 10.1111/birt.12803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Globally, cesarean birth rates are rising, and while it can be a lifesaving procedure, cesarean birth is also associated with increased maternal and perinatal risks. This study aims to describe changes over time about the mode of birth and perinatal outcomes in second-pregnancy women with one previous cesarean birth in the Netherlands over the past 20 years. METHODS We conducted a nationwide, population-based study using the Dutch perinatal registry. The mode of birth (intended vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) compared with planned cesarean birth) was assessed in all women with one previous cesarean birth and no prior vaginal birth who gave birth to a term singleton in cephalic presentation between 2000 and 2019 in the Netherlands (n = 143,146). The reported outcomes include the trend of intended VBAC, VBAC success rate, and adverse perinatal outcomes (perinatal mortality up to 7 days, low Apgar score at 5 min, asphyxia, and neonatal intensive care unit admission ≥24 h). RESULTS Intended VBAC decreased by 21.5% in women with one previous cesarean birth and no prior vaginal birth, from 77.2% in 2000 to 55.7% in 2019, with a marked deceleration from 2009 onwards. The VBAC success rate dropped gradually, from 71.0% to 65.3%, across the same time period. Overall, the cesarean birth rate (planned and unplanned) increased from 45.2% to 63.6%. Adverse perinatal outcomes were higher in women intending VBAC compared with those planning a cesarean birth. Perinatal mortality initially decreased but remained stable from 2009 onwards, with only minimal differences between both modes of birth. CONCLUSIONS In the Netherlands, the proportion of women intending VBAC after one previous cesarean birth and no prior vaginal birth has decreased markedly. Particularly from 2009 onwards, this decrease was not accompanied by a synchronous reduction in perinatal mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Koorn
- Department of Obstetrics, Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Kim J C Verschueren
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ageeth N Rosman
- Perined, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Healthcare Studies, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Schreurs AMF, Overtoom EM, de Boer MA, van der Houwen LEE, Lier MCI, van den Akker T, Cornette J, Vogelvang TE, Beenakkers ICM, Rosman AN, Maas JWM, Heineman DJ, Finken MJJ, de Vries JJJ, Burger NB, Schaap TP, Bloemenkamp KWM, Mijatovic V. Spontaneous haemoperitoneum in pregnancy: Nationwide surveillance and Delphi audit system. BJOG 2023; 130:1620-1628. [PMID: 37280664 DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.17556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the incidence, diagnostic management strategies and clinical outcomes of women with spontaneous haemoperitoneum in pregnancy (SHiP) and reassess the definition of SHiP. DESIGN A population-based cohort study using the Netherlands Obstetric Surveillance System (NethOSS). SETTING Nationwide, the Netherlands. POPULATION All pregnant women between April 2016 and April 2018. METHODS This is a case study of SHiP using the monthly registry reports of NethOSS. Complete anonymised case files were obtained. A newly introduced online Delphi audit system (DAS) was used to evaluate each case, to make recommendations on improving the management of SHiP and to propose a new definition of SHiP. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Incidence and outcomes, lessons learned about clinical management and the critical appraisal of the current definition of SHiP. RESULTS In total, 24 cases were reported. After a Delphi procedure, 14 cases were classified as SHiP. The nationwide incidence was 4.9 per 100 000 births. Endometriosis and conceiving after artificial reproductive techniques were identified as risk factors. No maternal and three perinatal deaths occurred. Based on the DAS, adequate imaging of free intra-abdominal fluid, and identifying and treating women with signs of hypovolemic shock could improve the early detection and management of SHiP. A revised definition of SHiP was proposed, excluding the need for surgical or radiological intervention. CONCLUSIONS SHiP is a rare and easily misdiagnosed condition that is associated with high perinatal mortality. To improve care, better awareness among healthcare workers is needed. The DAS is a sufficient tool to audit maternal morbidity and mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anneke M F Schreurs
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Evelien M Overtoom
- Department of Obstetrics, Division Woman and Baby, Birth Centre Wilhelmina's Children Hospital, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Marjon A de Boer
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Lisette E E van der Houwen
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Marit C I Lier
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jerome Cornette
- Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Tatjana E Vogelvang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Diakonessenhuis, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Ingrid C M Beenakkers
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Division Vital Functions, Wilhelmina's Children Hospital, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | | | - Jacques W M Maas
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and GROW - School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - David J Heineman
- Department of Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Martijn J J Finken
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jan J J de Vries
- Department of Radiology, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Nicole B Burger
- Department of Gynaecology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Timme P Schaap
- Department of Obstetrics, Division Woman and Baby, Birth Centre Wilhelmina's Children Hospital, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Kitty W M Bloemenkamp
- Department of Obstetrics, Division Woman and Baby, Birth Centre Wilhelmina's Children Hospital, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Velja Mijatovic
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Reproduction and Development Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Beňová L, Semaan A, Portela A, Bonet M, van den Akker T, Pembe AB, Moran A, Duclos D. Facilitators and barriers of implementation of routine postnatal care guidelines for women: A systematic scoping review using critical interpretive synthesis. J Glob Health 2023; 13:04176. [PMID: 37997894 PMCID: PMC10668206 DOI: 10.7189/jogh.13.04176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Postnatal care (PNC) has the potential to prevent a substantial burden of maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality. This scoping review aimed to identify and synthesise themes related to facilitators and barriers of implementation of guidelines on routine PNC for women (postpartum care) in all settings. Methods This is a scoping review guided by the standard principles of Arksey & O'Malley's framework. We used the critical interpretive synthesis method to synthesise the whole body of evidence. We searched four databases (Medline, Embase, Global Health, CINAHL Plus) using a combination of search terms comprising four key concepts: postnatal care, routine care, guidelines and implementation. No restrictions on country or language of publication were applied. We excluded studies not presenting findings about PNC for women. We thematically charted the themes of studies included based on title and abstract screening. All studies included after full text screening were described and their results synthesised using the socio-ecological model framework. We did not conduct a risk of bias analysis or quality assessment of included studies. Results We identified a total of 8692 unique records and included 43 studies which identified facilitators and barriers to implementing routine guidelines in provision of PNC to women. Three quarters of studies pertained to PNC provision in high-income countries. Specific facilitators and barriers were identified and thematically presented based on whether they affect the provision of PNC or the intersection between provision of PNC and its use by women and families. We applied a critical global health lens to synthesise three constructs in the literature: finding a balance between standardisation and individualisation of PNC, the fragmented PNC provision landscape complicating the experiences of women with intersecting vulnerabilities, and the heavy reliance on the short postpartum period as an opportunity to educate and retain women and newborns in the health system. Conclusions This interpretive synthesis of evidence shows that the fragmented and narrow nature of PNC provision presents specific challenges to developing, adapting and implementing routine PNC guidelines. This results in a lack of linkages to social support and services, fails to address intersecting vulnerabilities and inequities among women, and negatively influences care seeking. There is a lack of evidence on how processes of individualising PNC provision can be applied in practice to support health workers in providing woman-centered PNC in various global settings. Registration https://www.protocols.io/private/C99DA688881F11EBB4690A58A9FEAC02.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenka Beňová
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Aline Semaan
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Anayda Portela
- World Health Organization, Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mercedes Bonet
- UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP), Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Andrea B Pembe
- Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam Tanzania (s)
| | - Allisyn Moran
- World Health Organization, Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Diane Duclos
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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Asemu YM, Yigzaw T, Ayalew F, Akalu L, Scheele F, van den Akker T. Ethiopian Anesthetist Licensing Examination: A Qualitative Study of Concerns and Unintended Consequences. Adv Med Educ Pract 2023; 14:1055-1064. [PMID: 37789925 PMCID: PMC10542504 DOI: 10.2147/amep.s418743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Background Ethiopia increased its anesthesia workforce drastically by expanding the training of associate clinician anesthetists. Following this expansion, the Ministry of Health established an entry-level anesthesia licensing examination to ensure patient safety. However, there is limited empirical evidence on the impacts of licensing exams in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to explore the concerns and undesirable consequences of the anesthetist licensing examination in Ethiopia. Methods A qualitative design using a grounded theory approach was employed by collecting data from 10 anesthesia teaching institutions. We conducted 15 in-depth interviews with instructors and six focus groups with students and graduates who took the exam recently. Interviews and focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Atlas.ti 23. We also extracted secondary data from the academic committee meeting minutes, curricula, faculty appraisal reports, and program quality self-review reports. Results Qualitative analysis revealed three central categories of concerns and untoward consequences of the anesthetist NLE: exam management, educational management, and student behavior. Exam management concerns were related to exam validity, fairness, and consistent enforcement of pass/fail decisions. The unintended consequences of the exam on education management were perceived as promoting teaching and learning for the exam, increasing faculty workload, and resulting in superficial and patchy educational reforms. Study participants also reported adverse psychosocial effects and increased cheating behaviors among students as undesirable consequences of the exam on student behavior. Conclusion Our study identified some concerns and unintended consequences of the Ethiopian anesthetist licensing examination. These lessons learned may contribute to improving the quality of licensing examinations in Ethiopia and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yohannes Molla Asemu
- Health Workforce Improvement Program, Jhpiego, An Affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, Ethiopia Country Office, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Tegbar Yigzaw
- Health Workforce Improvement Program, Jhpiego, An Affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, Ethiopia Country Office, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Firew Ayalew
- Health Workforce Improvement Program, Jhpiego, An Affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, Ethiopia Country Office, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Leulayehu Akalu
- Ethiopian Association of Anesthetists (EAA), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- School of Anesthesia, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Fedde Scheele
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, OLVG Teaching Hospital, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Amsterdam University Medical Center (AUMC), Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), Leiden, the Netherlands
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Rebeiz MC, El-Kak F, van den Akker T, Hamadeh R, McCall SJ. Maternal mortality is preventable in Lebanon: A case series of maternal deaths to identify lessons learned using the "Three Delays" model. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2023; 162:922-930. [PMID: 37102363 DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.14770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To identify the lessons learned from women who died during pregnancy or childbirth in Lebanon between 2018 and 2020. METHOD This is a case series and synthesis of maternal deaths between 2018 and 2020 that were reported by healthcare facilities to the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon. The notes recorded from the maternal mortality review reports were analyzed using the "Three Delays" model to identify preventable causes and lessons learned. RESULTS A total of 49 women died before, during, or after childbirth, with hemorrhage being the most frequent cause (n = 16). The possible factors that would have prevented maternal deaths included a prompt recognition of clinical severity, availability of blood for transfusion and magnesium sulfate for eclampsia, adequate transfer to tertiary care hospitals comprising specialist care, and involvement of skilled medical staff in obstetric emergencies. CONCLUSION Many maternal deaths in Lebanon are preventable. Better risk assessment, use of an obstetric warning system, access to adequately skilled human resources and medications, and improved communication and transfer mechanisms between private and tertiary care hospitals may avoid future maternal deaths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Claire Rebeiz
- Centre for Research on Population and Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Faysal El-Kak
- Department of Health Promotion and Community Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Randa Hamadeh
- Primary Healthcare Department, Ministry of Public Health, Global Health Team of Experts, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Stephen J McCall
- Centre for Research on Population and Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
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Heitkamp A, Sandberg E, Moodley A, Burke J, van Roosmalen J, Gebhardt S, Vollmer L, de Vries JI, van den Akker T, Theron G. Pulmonary oedema in the course of severe maternal outcome in South Africa: A cohort study combined with clinical audit. Trop Med Int Health 2023; 28:677-687. [PMID: 37340987 DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To describe the incidence and outcomes of pulmonary oedema in women with severe maternal outcome during childbirth and identify possible modifiable factors through audit. METHODS All women with severe maternal outcome (maternal deaths or near misses) who were referred to Tygerberg referral hospital from health facilities in Metro East district, South Africa, during 2014-2015 were included. Women with severe maternal outcome and pulmonary oedema during pregnancy or childbirth were evaluated using three types of critical incident audit: criterion-based case review by one consultant gynaecologist, monodisciplinary critical incident audit by a team of gynaecologists, multidisciplinary audit with expert review from anaesthesiologists and cardiologists. RESULTS Of 32,161 pregnant women who gave birth in the study period, 399 (1.2%) women had severe maternal outcome and 72/399 (18.1%) had pulmonary oedema with a case fatality rate of 5.6% (4/72). Critical incident audit demonstrated that pre-eclampsia/HELLP-syndrome and chronic hypertension were the main conditions underlying pulmonary oedema (44/72, 61.1%). Administration of volumes of intravenous fluids in already sick women, undiagnosed underlying cardiac illness, administration of magnesium sulphate as part of pre-eclampsia management and oxytocin for augmentation of labour were identified as possible contributors to the pathophysiology of pulmonary oedema. Women-related factors (improved antenatal care attendance) and health care-related factors (earlier diagnosis and management) would potentially have improved maternal outcome. CONCLUSIONS Although pulmonary oedema in pregnancy is rare, among women with severe maternal outcome a considerable proportion had pulmonary oedema (18.1%). Audit identified options for prevention of pulmonary oedema and improved outcome. These included early detection and management of preeclampsia with close monitoring of fluid intake and cardiac evaluation in case of suspected pulmonary oedema. Therefore, a multidisciplinary clinical approach is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anke Heitkamp
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Research Institute Amsterdam Reproduction & Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Evelien Sandberg
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ashley Moodley
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jonathan Burke
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jos van Roosmalen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Stefan Gebhardt
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Linda Vollmer
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Johanna I de Vries
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Research Institute Amsterdam Reproduction & Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gerhard Theron
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
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Asemu YM, Yigzaw T, Ayalew F, Akalu L, Scheele F, van den Akker T. The Ethiopian Anesthetist Licensing Examination and Associated Improvement in in-School Student Performance: A Retrospective Study. Adv Med Educ Pract 2023; 14:741-751. [PMID: 37465374 PMCID: PMC10351591 DOI: 10.2147/amep.s414217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Background Ethiopia introduced a national licensing examination (NLE) in response to growing concerns about the competence of graduates and the quality of education. This study aimed to assess the associated in-school student performance changes in anesthetist training programs following NLE implementation. Methods Academic records of 1493 graduate anesthetists were retrospectively obtained from eight universities before (n=932) and after (n=561) NLE implementation. Four universities were first-generation (oldest), three were second-generation, and one was third-generation (newest). We compared the yearly (Y1 to Y4) and cumulative grade point averages (GPA) to assess if there were in-school student performance differences between the two periods. The Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to compare groups. Results are presented as a median, interquartile range, a 95% confidence interval (CI) for median differences, and Cohen's r effect size. Results Overall, there was a small to moderate improvement in student academic performance following NLE implementation. However, the statistically significant differences were limited to first-generation university students and those entering directly from high school. We found considerable positive differences in all five performance measures in first-generation university students, with Year-1 GPA and cumulative GPA measurements exhibiting large effect sizes (Cohen's r = 0.96 and 0.79, respectively, p <0.005). Those entering from high school demonstrated significant differences in four of five performance measures, with the largest positive gains on the year-1 GPA (median before [n=765] and after [n=480]: 3.11-3.30, 95% CI (0.09, 0.22), r=0.46, p <0.005)). Second- and third-generation university students showed no significant differences, while nurse entrants exhibited a significant difference in their Y2GPA scores only with an actual drop in performance. Conclusion The Ethiopian anesthetist NLE is associated with an overall modest in-school academic performance improvement, supporting its use. The stagnant or declining performance among nurse entrants and the newest (second and third) generation university students deserve further scrutiny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yohannes Molla Asemu
- Health Workforce Improvement Program, Jhpiego, an Affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, Ethiopia Country Office, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Tegbar Yigzaw
- Health Workforce Improvement Program, Jhpiego, an Affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, Ethiopia Country Office, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Firew Ayalew
- Health Workforce Improvement Program, Jhpiego, an Affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, Ethiopia Country Office, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Leulayehu Akalu
- Ethiopian Association of Anesthetists (EAA), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- School of Anesthesia, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Fedde Scheele
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, OLVG Teaching Hospital, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Amsterdam University Medical Center (AUMC), Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), Leiden, the Netherlands
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Calhoun LM, Mandal M, Onyango B, Waga E, McGuire C, van den Akker T, Beňová L, Delvaux T, Zulu EM, Speizer IS. "So let me give you money, you give me what I want": decision-making priorities around contraceptive method and source choice among young women in Kenya. Reprod Health 2023; 20:96. [PMID: 37365630 PMCID: PMC10294346 DOI: 10.1186/s12978-023-01641-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many factors influence young women's choice of contraceptive methods and where to source them, yet less is known about whether one of these choices (method or source) is prioritized and the relationship between these choices. This study qualitatively explored decision-making around contraceptive method and source choice among young women in Kenya. METHODS In August-September 2019, 30 in-depth interviews were conducted with women ages 18-24 who had used two or more contraceptive methods and resided in three counties: Nairobi, Mombasa or Migori. Participants were recruited from public and private health facilities and pharmacies. Interview guides captured information about decision-making processes for each contraceptive method the respondent had ever used. Responses were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated into English, coded, and analyzed thematically. RESULTS The majority of respondents knew which method they wanted to use prior to seeking it from a source. This was true for all types of methods that women ever used. Of the small number of respondents who selected their source first, most were in the post-partum period or experiencing side effects and sought counseling at a source before choosing a method. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the importance of providing young women with high quality counseling that provides full information about contraceptive options and addresses that young women's needs vary along the reproductive health continuum of care. This will ensure that young women have information to inform future contraceptive decision-making prior to seeking care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M. Calhoun
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 123 West Franklin Street, Suite 210, NC 27516 Chapel Hill, USA
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Mahua Mandal
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 123 West Franklin Street, Suite 210, NC 27516 Chapel Hill, USA
| | | | - Erick Waga
- African Institute for Development Policy, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Courtney McGuire
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 123 West Franklin Street, Suite 210, NC 27516 Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Lenka Beňová
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Thérèse Delvaux
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Eliya M. Zulu
- African Institute for Development Policy, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Ilene S. Speizer
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 123 West Franklin Street, Suite 210, NC 27516 Chapel Hill, USA
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC USA
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Asemu YM, Yigzaw T, Desta FA, Melese TA, Gemeda LA, Scheele F, van den Akker T. Impact of anesthetist licensing examination on quality of education in Ethiopia: a qualitative study of faculty and student perceptions. BMC Med Educ 2023; 23:468. [PMID: 37349766 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-023-04452-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ethiopia drastically increased the anesthesia workforce density by training 'associate clinician anesthetists' as a task-shifting and sharing strategy. However, there were growing concerns about educational quality and patient safety. Accordingly, the Ministry of Health introduced the anesthetist national licensing examination (NLE) to assure the quality of education. However, empirical evidence is scarce to support or refute the overall impact of NLEs, which are relatively costly for low- and middle-income settings. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the impact of introducing NLE on anesthetists' education in Ethiopia. METHODS We conducted a qualitative study using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Data were prospectively collected from ten anesthetist teaching institutions. Fifteen in-depth interviews were conducted with instructors and academic leaders, and six focus groups were held with students and recently tested anesthetists. Additional data were gathered by analyzing relevant documents, including versions of curricula, academic committee minutes, program quality review reports, and faculty appraisal reports. Interviews and group discussions were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Atlas.ti 9 software. RESULTS Both faculty and students demonstrated positive attitudes toward the NLE. Student motivation, faculty performance, and curriculum strengthening were the three primary changes that emerged, resulting in three subsequent spin-offs on assessment, learning, and quality management practices. Academic leaders' dedication to evaluating examination data and turning these into action led to changes that improved education quality. Increased accountability, engagement, and collaboration were the predominant factors facilitating change. CONCLUSION Our study indicates that the Ethiopian NLE has prompted anesthesia teaching institutions to improve their teaching, learning, and assessment practices. However, more work is required to improve exam acceptability among stakeholders and drive broader changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yohannes Molla Asemu
- Health Workforce Improvement Program (HWIP), Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, Ethiopia country office, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Tegbar Yigzaw
- Health Workforce Improvement Program (HWIP), Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, Ethiopia country office, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Firew Ayalew Desta
- Health Workforce Improvement Program (HWIP), Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, Ethiopia country office, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Tewodros Abebaw Melese
- Health Professionals' Competency Assessment and Licensing Directorate, Ethiopian Ministry of Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Leulayehu Akalu Gemeda
- Ethiopian Association of Anesthetists (EAA), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Department of Anesthesia, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Fedde Scheele
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- OLVG Teaching Hospital, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Chair Legislative College for Accreditation of Residency Training, Dutch Royal Medical Council, Utrecht, 2016-2019, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
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25
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Zethof S, Christou A, Benova L, Beyuo TK, van Roosmalen J, van den Akker T. Out of sight, out of mind? Evidence from cross-sectional surveys on hidden caesarean sections among women with stillbirths in Ghana, 2007 and 2017. BMJ Glob Health 2023; 8:bmjgh-2022-011591. [PMID: 37263671 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-011591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Caesarean section (CS) rates in women experiencing stillbirth have not been studied with nationally representative data. Two Ghana Maternal Health Surveys (GMHS) have captured pregnancy and mode of birth data for all women including those with stillbirths. We compared CS rates between women with live births and stillbirths, and identified socio-economic and pregnancy-related factors associated with CS in stillbirths. METHODS A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in a pooled sample of 17 138 women who had given birth within 5 years preceding the 2007 and 2017 GMHS. CS rates were compared between women with stillbirths and very early neonatal deaths (SBVENDs) and women with live births who survived the first day. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regressions explored variables associated with CS. Effect modification of household's wealth and maternal educational level by birth outcome was assessed using multivariable logistic regression with interaction terms. RESULTS CS rate in women with SBVEND was 19.3% compared with 9.6% in women with live births who survived the first day (rate ratio 2.2; 95% CI 1.6 to 2.9). In multivariable analysis, attaining middle school compared with no formal education (adjusted OR, aOR 2.8; 95% CI 1.1 to 7.1), having had five or more births compared with nulliparity (aOR 3.7; 95% CI 1.3 to 10.7) and reporting prolonged or obstructed labour (aOR 3.3; 95% CI 1.3 to 8.3) were associated with CS in women with SBVEND. Higher household wealth and educational levels were associated with an increased risk of CS in both study groups, with no statistically significant difference in effect. CONCLUSION Disaggregating CS rates by birth outcome revealed a high rate among women with SBVEND, twice the overall rate compared with live births. Exclusion of these 'hidden' CSs from rate calculations may lead to underestimation of (inter)national CS rates and potentially conceals CS overuse or misuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siem Zethof
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Aliki Christou
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Lenka Benova
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Titus Kofi Beyuo
- Department of Obstetrics, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana
| | | | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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26
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Calhoun LM, Winston J, Beňová L, Speizer IS, Delvaux T, Shiferaw S, Seme A, Karp C, Zimmerman L, van den Akker T. The more, the better: influence of family planning discussions during the maternal, newborn and child health continuum of care on postpartum contraceptive uptake and method type among young women in Ethiopia. Gates Open Res 2023; 7:67. [PMID: 37426595 PMCID: PMC10323130 DOI: 10.12688/gatesopenres.14626.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: This study examines the association between family planning (FP) discussions with health professionals during contact points on the maternal, newborn and child health continuum of care and timing of modern contraceptive uptake and method type in the one-year following childbirth in six regions of Ethiopia among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). Methods: This paper uses panel data of women aged 15-24 who were interviewed during pregnancy and the postpartum period between 2019-2021 as part of the PMA Ethiopia survey (n=652). Results: Despite the majority of pregnant and postpartum AGYW attending antenatal care (ANC), giving birth in a health facility, and attending vaccination visits, one-third or less of those who received the service reported discussion of FP at any of these visits. When considering the cumulative effect of discussions of FP at ANC, pre-discharge after childbirth, postnatal care and vaccination visits, we found that discussion of FP at a greater number of visits resulted in increased uptake of modern contraception by one-year postpartum. A greater number of FP discussions was associated with higher long-acting reversible contraceptive use relative to non-use and relative to short-acting method use. Conclusions: Despite high attendance, there are missed opportunities to discuss FP when AGYW access care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M. Calhoun
- Carolina Population Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27516, USA
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, North Holland, The Netherlands
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jennifer Winston
- Carolina Population Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27516, USA
| | - Lenka Beňová
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ilene S. Speizer
- Carolina Population Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27516, USA
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Thérèse Delvaux
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Solomon Shiferaw
- School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Assefa Seme
- School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Celia Karp
- Department of Population Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Linnea Zimmerman
- Department of Population Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, North Holland, The Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Universiteit Leiden Medical Center, Leiden, South Holland, The Netherlands
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27
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Kachimanga C, Divala TH, Ket JCF, Kulinkina AV, Zaniku HR, Murkherjee J, Palazuelos D, Abejirinde IOO, Akker TVD. Adoption of mHealth Technologies by Community Health Workers to Improve the Use of Maternal Health Services in Sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol for a Mixed Method Systematic Review. JMIR Res Protoc 2023; 12:e44066. [PMID: 37140981 DOI: 10.2196/44066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies have shown that mobile health technologies (mHealth) enhance the use of maternal health services. However, there is limited evidence of the impact of mHealth use by community health workers (CHWs) on the use of maternal health services in sub-Saharan Africa. OBJECTIVE This mixed method systematic review will explore the impact of mHealth use by CHWs on the use of the maternal health continuum of care (antenatal care, intrapartum care, and postnatal care [PNC]), as well as barriers and facilitators of mHealth use by CHWs when supporting maternal health services. METHODS We will include studies that report the impact of mHealth by CHWs on the use of antenatal care, facility-based births, and PNC visits in sub-Saharan Africa. We will search 6 databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and Africa Index Medicus), with additional articles identified from Google Scholar and manual screening of references of the included studies. The included studies will not be limited by language or year of publication. After study selection, 2 independent reviewers will perform title and abstract screening, followed by full-text screening to identify the final papers to be included. Data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment will be performed using Covidence software by 2 independent reviewers. We will use a Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool to perform risk-of-bias assessments on all included studies. Finally, we will perform a narrative synthesis of the outcomes, integrating information about the effect of mHealth on maternal health use and barriers and facilitators of mHealth use. This protocol follows the PRISMA-P (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols) guidelines. RESULTS In September 2022, we conducted an initial search in the eligible databases. After removing duplicates, we identified 1111 studies that were eligible for the title and abstract screening. We will finalize the full-text assessment for eligibility, data extraction, assessment of methodological quality, and narrative synthesis by June 2023. CONCLUSIONS This systematic review will present new and up-to-date evidence on the use of mHealth by CHWs along the pregnancy, childbirth, and PNC continuum of care. We anticipate the results will inform program implementation and policy by highlighting the potential impacts of mHealth and presenting contextual factors that should be addressed to ensure the success of the programs. TRIAL REGISTRATION PROSPERO CRD42022346364; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=346364. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/44066.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiyembekezo Kachimanga
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Clinical Department, Partners In Health Malawi, Neno, Malawi
| | - Titus H Divala
- School of Global and Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Johannes C F Ket
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Alexandra V Kulinkina
- Clinical Department, Partners In Health Malawi, Neno, Malawi
- Swiss Center for International Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Haules R Zaniku
- School of Global and Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
- Neno District Hospital, Ministry of Health, Neno, Malawi
| | - Joia Murkherjee
- Community Health Department, Partners In Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Daniel Palazuelos
- Community Health Department, Partners In Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Ibukun-Oluwa Omolade Abejirinde
- Women's College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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28
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Tura AK, Girma S, Dessie Y, Bekele D, Stekelenburg J, van den Akker T, Knight M. Establishing the Ethiopian Obstetric Surveillance System for Monitoring Maternal Outcomes in Eastern Ethiopia: A Pilot Study. Glob Health Sci Pract 2023; 11:GHSP-D-22-00281. [PMID: 37116928 PMCID: PMC10141431 DOI: 10.9745/ghsp-d-22-00281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although the majority of maternal deaths and complications occur in low-resource settings, almost all existing strong registration and confidential enquiry systems are found in high-resource settings. We developed and piloted the Ethiopian Obstetric Surveillance System (EthOSS), based on the successful United Kingdom Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) methodology, in 3 regions in Ethiopia to improve ongoing surveillance and tracking of maternal morbidities and deaths, as well as confidential enquiry, compared to the currently used maternal death surveillance and response program in Ethiopia. METHODS We launched the EthOSS monthly case notification system in 13 hospitals in eastern Ethiopia in April 2021. Study participants included women admitted to the hospitals from April to September 2021 with major adverse obstetric conditions during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy. Designated clinicians at the hospitals used a simple online system to report the number of cases and maternal deaths monthly to the EthOSS team. We present findings on the incidence and case fatality rates for adverse conditions included in the EthOSS. RESULTS Over the 6-month pilot period, 904 women with at least 1 EthOSS condition were included in the study, of whom 10 died (case fatality rate, 1.1%). Almost half (46.6%, 421/904) sustained major obstetric hemorrhage, 38.7% (350/904) severe anemia, 29.5% (267/904) eclampsia, 8.8% (80/904) sepsis, and 2.2% (20/904) uterine rupture. To enable care improvement alongside surveillance, the local committee received training on confidential enquiry into maternal deaths from internal and external experts. CONCLUSIONS In this facility-based project, data on severe adverse obstetric conditions were captured through voluntary reporting by clinicians. Further analysis is essential to assess the robustness of these data, and confidential enquiry into maternal deaths for specific cases is planned to investigate the appropriateness of care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abera Kenay Tura
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Sagni Girma
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Yadeta Dessie
- School of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia
| | - Delayehu Bekele
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Jelle Stekelenburg
- Department of Health Sciences, Global Health, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leeuwarden Medical Centre, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Marian Knight
- National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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29
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Namiiro FB, Nolens B, Rujumba J, Kiguli S, Batte A, van den Akker T. "My baby is fine, no need for more clinic visits." Facilitators and barriers for utilisation of follow-up services for children born preterm in low-resource setting: Parents' perceptions. Trop Med Int Health 2023; 28:194-202. [PMID: 36708235 DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We sought to understand the facilitators and barriers impacting utilisation of follow-up services for children born preterm as perceived by parents in a low-resource setting. METHODS We conducted a qualitative study at Mulago Hospital, Uganda, with parents of children born preterm and aged 22-38 months at the time of the study. We collected data using five in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions. Data were analysed using thematic analysis informed by the social-ecological model. RESULTS Ten subthemes emerged that could be grouped into three main themes: (1) Individual: parents' knowledge, parenting skills, perception of follow-up and infant's condition; (2) Relationship: support for the mother and information sharing; (3) Institution: facility setup, cost of care, available personnel and distance from the facility. Parents of preterm infants perceived receiving timely information, better understanding of prematurity and its complications, support from spouses, availability of free services and encouragement from health workers as facilitators for utilisation of follow-up services. Limited male involvement, parents' negative perception of follow-up, stable condition of infant, health facility challenges especially congestion at the hospital, distance and care costs were key barriers. CONCLUSION An interplay of facilitators and barriers at individual, interpersonal and health system levels encourage or deter parents from taking their preterm children for follow-up services. Improving utilisation of services will require educating parents on the importance of follow-up even when children are not sick, eliciting maternal support from spouses and peers and addressing health system gaps that make follow-up unattractive and costly.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Barbara Nolens
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Canisius-Wilhemina Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Joseph Rujumba
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Sarah Kiguli
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Anthony Batte
- Child Health and Development Centre, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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30
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Goodarzi B, Seijmonsbergen-Schermers A, Cronie D, van Laerhoven H, van den Akker T, van Kaam AH, de Jonge A. (Un)warranted variation in local hospital protocols for neonatal referral to the pediatrician: An explorative study in the Netherlands. Birth 2023; 50:215-233. [PMID: 36373864 DOI: 10.1111/birt.12690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies indicate unwarranted variation in a wide range of neonatal care practices, contributing to preventable morbidity and mortality. Unwarranted variation is the result of complex interactions and multiple determinants. One of the determinants contributing to unwarranted variation in care may be variation in local hospital protocols. The purpose of this study was to examine variation in the content of obstetric and neonatal protocols for six common indications for neonatal referral to the pediatrician: large for gestational age/macrosomia, small for gestational age/fetal growth restriction, meconium-stained amniotic fluid, vacuum extraction, forceps extraction, and cesarean birth. METHODS We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study examining protocols for neonatal referral to the pediatrician in the obstetric and neonatal departments of all Dutch hospitals. Variation in protocols was analyzed between regions, between neonatal and obstetrics departments located in the same hospital, and within neonatal and obstetrics departments. RESULTS There was considerable variation in protocols between regions, between neonatal and obstetrics departments, and within neonatal and obstetrics departments. The results of this study showed considerable variation in recommendations for type of referral, admission, screening/diagnostic tests, treatment, and discharge. Furthermore, results generally showed lower referral thresholds in neonatal departments compared with obstetric departments, and higher referral thresholds in the eastern region of the Netherlands. We also found variation in local hospital protocols, which could not be explained by population characteristics but which may be explained by varying recommendations in existing national and international guidelines and/or lack of adherence to these guidelines. CONCLUSIONS To reduce unwarranted variation in local protocols, evidence-based, multidisciplinary guidelines should be developed in the Netherlands. Further research addressing knowledge gaps is needed to inform these guidelines. Attention should be paid to the implementation of evidence, and only where evidence is lacking or inconclusive should agreements be based on multidisciplinary consensus. Where protocols deviate from evidence-based guidelines because of specific local circumstances, clearer, more transparent justifications should be made. Uniformity in guidance will offer clear standards for care evaluation and provide opportunities to reduce inappropriate care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bahareh Goodarzi
- Department of Midwifery Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Amsterdam Public Health, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Anna Seijmonsbergen-Schermers
- Department of Midwifery Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Amsterdam Public Health, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Doug Cronie
- Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Healthcare, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of neonatology, Emma Children's Hospital, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Anton H van Kaam
- Department of neonatology, Emma Children's Hospital, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Amsterdam Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ank de Jonge
- Department of Midwifery Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Amsterdam Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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31
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Thierens S, van Binsbergen A, Nolens B, van den Akker T, Bloemenkamp K, Rijken MJ. Vacuum extraction or caesarean section in the second stage of labour: A systematic review. BJOG 2023; 130:586-598. [PMID: 36660890 DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.17394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prolonged second stage of labour is an important cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Vacuum extraction (VE) and second-stage caesarean section (SSCS) are the most commonly performed obstetric interventions, but the procedure chosen varies widely globally. OBJECTIVES To compare maternal and perinatal morbidity, mortality and other adverse outcomes after VE versus SSCS. SEARCH STRATEGY A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane and EMBASE. Studies were critically appraised using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. SELECTION CRITERIA All artictles including women in second stage of labour, giving birth by vacuum extraction or cesarean section and registering at least one perinatal or maternal outcome were selected. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS The chi-square test, Fisher exact's test and binary logistic regression were used and various adverse outcome scores were calculated to evaluate maternal and perinatal outcomes. MAIN RESULTS Fifteen articles were included, providing the outcomes for a total of 20 051 births by SSCS and 32 823 births by VE. All five maternal deaths resulted from complications of anaesthesia during SSCS. In total, 133 perinatal deaths occurred in all studies combined: 92/20 051 (0.45%) in the SSCS group and 41/32 823 (0.12%) in the VE group. In studies with more than one perinatal death, both conducted in low-resource settings, more perinatal deaths occurred during the decision-to-birth interval in the SSCS group than in the VE group (5.5% vs 1.4%, OR 4.00, 95% CI 1.17-13.70; 11% vs 8.4%, OR 1.39, 95% CI 0.85-2.26). All other adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes showed no statistically significant differences. CONCLUSIONS Vacuum extraction should be the recommended mode of birth, both in high-income countries and in low- and middle-income countries, to prevent unnecessary SSCS and to reduce perinatal and maternal deaths when safe anaesthesia and surgery is not immediately available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Thierens
- Julius Global Health, The Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Spaarne Gasthuis, Haarlem, The Netherlands
| | - Annelien van Binsbergen
- Julius Global Health, The Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Department of Surgery, Bernhoven Hospital, Bernhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Barbara Nolens
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kitty Bloemenkamp
- Department of Obstetrics, Division Women and Baby, WKZ Birth Centre University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marcus J Rijken
- Julius Global Health, The Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Department of Obstetrics, Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Willcox ML, Okello IA, Maidwell-Smith A, Tura AK, van den Akker T, Knight M. Maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response: a systematic review of qualitative studies. Bull World Health Organ 2023; 101:62-75G. [PMID: 36593778 PMCID: PMC9795385 DOI: 10.2471/blt.22.288703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective To understand the experiences and perceptions of people implementing maternal and/or perinatal death surveillance and response in low- and middle-income countries, and the mechanisms by which this process can achieve its intended outcomes. Methods In June 2022, we systematically searched seven databases for qualitative studies of stakeholders implementing maternal and/or perinatal death surveillance and response in low- and middle-income countries. Two reviewers independently screened articles and assessed their quality. We used thematic synthesis to derive descriptive themes and a realist approach to understand the context-mechanism-outcome configurations. Findings Fifty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Good outcomes (improved quality of care or reduced mortality) were underpinned by a functional action cycle. Mechanisms for effective death surveillance and response included learning, vigilance and implementation of recommendations which motivated further engagement. The key context to enable effective death surveillance and response was a blame-free learning environment with good leadership. Inadequate outcomes (lack of improvement in care and mortality and discontinuation of death surveillance and response) resulted from a vicious cycle of under-reporting, inaccurate data, and inadequate review and recommendations, which led to demotivation and disengagement. Some harmful outcomes were reported, such as inappropriate referrals and worsened staff shortages, which resulted from a fear of negative consequences, including blame, disciplinary action or litigation. Conclusion Conditions needed for effective maternal and/or perinatal death surveillance and response include: separation of the process from litigation and disciplinary procedures; comprehensive guidelines and training; adequate resources to implement recommendations; and supportive supervision to enable safe learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merlin L Willcox
- School of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education, University of Southampton, Aldermoor Health Centre, Aldermoor Close, SouthamptonSO16 5SE, England
| | - Immaculate A Okello
- School of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education, University of Southampton, Aldermoor Health Centre, Aldermoor Close, SouthamptonSO16 5SE, England
| | - Alice Maidwell-Smith
- School of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education, University of Southampton, Aldermoor Health Centre, Aldermoor Close, SouthamptonSO16 5SE, England
| | - Abera K Tura
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Marian Knight
- National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, England
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Straneo M, Beňová L, van den Akker T, Pembe AB, Smekens T, Hanson C. Correction: No increase in use of hospitals for childbirth in Tanzania over 25 years: Accumulation of inequity among poor, rural, high parity women. PLOS Glob Public Health 2023; 3:e0001976. [PMID: 37195916 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000345.].
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34
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Massenga J, Jeremiah K, Kitinya W, Kim YM, van Roosmalen J, van den Akker T. Receiving antenatal care components and associated factors in Northwestern Tanzania. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0284049. [PMID: 37040366 PMCID: PMC10089348 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Tanzania had an estimated 5.400 maternal deaths in 2020. Suboptimal quality of antenatal care (ANC) presents a major challenge. It is not known what precisely the uptake of the various ANC components is, such as counseling on birth preparedness and complication readiness, preventive measures and screening tests. We assessed the level of receiving the various ANC components and associated factors in order to identify opportunities to improve ANC. METHODS A cross-sectional household survey using a structured questionnaire through face-to-face interviews, was conducted in April 2016 in Mara and Kagera regions, Tanzania, applying a two-stage, stratified-cluster sampling design. The analysis included 1,162 women aged 15-49 years who attended ANC during their last pregnancy and had given birth not longer than two years prior to the survey. To account for inter- and intra-cluster variations, we used mixed-effect logistic regression to examine factors associated with receiving essential ANC components: counseling around birth preparedness and complication readiness (with presumed effects on knowledge about danger signs) and preventive measures. RESULTS About In 878 (76.1%) women preparedness for birth and its complications was observed to exist. Overall counseling was low where 902 (77.6%) women received adequate counseling. Overall knowledge of danger signs was low in 467 women (40.2%). Uptake of preventive measures was low, with presumptive malaria treatment in 828 (71.3%) and treatment of intestinal worms in 519 (44.7%) women. Screening test levels varied for HIV in 1,057 (91.2%), any blood pressure measurement in 803 (70.4%), syphilis in 367 (32.2%) and tuberculosis in 186 (16.3%) women. After adjusting for age, wealth and parity, the likelihood of receiving adequate counseling on essential topics was less in women without education versus primary education (aOR 0.64; 95% CI 0.42-0.96) and in women who had <4 ANC visits versus ≥4 visits (aOR 0.57; 95% CI 0.40-0.81). Receiving care in privacy or not (aOR 2.01; 95% CI 1.30-3.12) and having secondary education as compared to primary education (aOR 1.92; 95% CI 1.10-3.70) were associated with receiving adequate counseling. Odds of receiving adequate care in at least one ANC visit were lower in women with joint decision making on major purchases versus decision making by male partner or other family members alone (aOR 0.44; 95% CI 0.24-0.78), similar to being less knowledgeable on danger signs (aOR 0.70; 95% CI 0.51-0.96). CONCLUSION Overall uptake of various essential ANC components was low. Frequent ANC visits and ensuring privacy are all essential to improve the uptake of ANC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Massenga
- Jhpiego Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Kidola Jeremiah
- Mwanza Research Centre, National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania
| | | | - Young-Mi Kim
- Jhpiego, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Jos van Roosmalen
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands
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35
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Maaløe N, Housseine N, Sørensen JB, Obel J, Sequeira DMello B, Kujabi ML, Osaki H, John TW, Khamis RS, Muniro ZSS, Nkungu DJ, Pinkowski Tersbøl B, Konradsen F, Mookherji S, Mbekenga C, Meguid T, van Roosmalen J, Bygbjerg IC, van den Akker T, Jensen AK, Skovdal M, L. Kidanto H, Wolf Meyrowitsch D. Scaling up context-tailored clinical guidelines and training to improve childbirth care in urban, low-resource maternity units in Tanzania: A protocol for a stepped-wedged cluster randomized trial with embedded qualitative and economic analyses (The PartoMa Scale-Up Study). Glob Health Action 2022; 15:2034135. [PMID: 35410590 PMCID: PMC9009913 DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2022.2034135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
While facility births are increasing in many low-resource settings, quality of care often does not follow suit; maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity remain unacceptably high. Therefore, realistic, context-tailored clinical support is crucially needed to assist birth attendants in resource-constrained realities to provide best possible evidence-based and respectful care. Our pilot study in Zanzibar suggested that co-created clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and low-dose, high-frequency training (PartoMa intervention) were associated with improved childbirth care and survival. We now aim to modify, implement, and evaluate this multi-faceted intervention in five high-volume, urban maternity units in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (approximately 60,000 births annually). This PartoMa Scale-up Study will include four main steps: I. Mixed-methods situational analysis exploring factors affecting care; II. Co-created contextual modifications to the pilot CPGs and training, based on step I; III. Implementation and evaluation of the modified intervention; IV. Development of a framework for co-creation of context-specific CPGs and training, of relevance in comparable fields. The implementation and evaluation design is a theory-based, stepped-wedged cluster-randomised trial with embedded qualitative and economic assessments. Women in active labour and their offspring will be followed until discharge to assess provided and experienced care, intra-hospital perinatal deaths, Apgar scores, and caesarean sections that could potentially be avoided. Birth attendants' perceptions, intervention use and possible associated learning will be analysed. Moreover, as further detailed in the accompanying article, a qualitative in-depth investigation will explore behavioural, biomedical, and structural elements that might interact with non-linear and multiplying effects to shape health providers' clinical practices. Finally, the incremental cost-effectiveness of co-creating and implementing the PartoMa intervention is calculated. Such real-world scale-up of context-tailored CPGs and training within an existing health system may enable a comprehensive understanding of how impact is achieved or not, and how it may be translated between contexts and sustained.Trial registration number: NCT04685668.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanna Maaløe
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hvidovre University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Natasha Housseine
- Medical College East Africa, Aga Khan University, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Jane Brandt Sørensen
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Josephine Obel
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Brenda Sequeira DMello
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Medical College East Africa, Aga Khan University, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
- Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Monica Lauridsen Kujabi
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Haika Osaki
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Medical College East Africa, Aga Khan University, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Thomas Wiswa John
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Medical College East Africa, Aga Khan University, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Rashid Saleh Khamis
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Medical College East Africa, Aga Khan University, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
| | | | | | - Britt Pinkowski Tersbøl
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Flemming Konradsen
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sangeeta Mookherji
- Department of Global Health, George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Columba Mbekenga
- School of Nursing and Midwifery East Africa, Aga Khan University, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
| | | | - Jos van Roosmalen
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Ib Christian Bygbjerg
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Andreas Kryger Jensen
- Section for Biostatistics, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Morten Skovdal
- Section for Health Services Research, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hussein L. Kidanto
- Medical College East Africa, Aga Khan University, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Dan Wolf Meyrowitsch
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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36
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Panneflek TJR, Kuypers KLAM, Polglase GR, Hooper SB, van den Akker T, Te Pas AB. Effect of clinical chorioamnionitis on breathing effort in premature infants at birth: a retrospective case-control study. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2022; 108:280-285. [PMID: 36418158 DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2022-324695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Antenatal inflammation, usually associated with chorioamnionitis, is a major cause of premature birth. As inflammation could depress respiratory drive, we have examined the effect of clinical chorioamnionitis (CCA) on spontaneous breathing in premature infants at birth. METHODS Infants with CCA born <30 weeks' gestation were matched with control infants based on gestational age (±6 days), birth weight (±300 g), antenatal corticosteroids, sex and general anaesthesia. The primary outcome was breathing effort, assessed as minute volume (MV) of spontaneous breathing. We also measured tidal volume (Vt), respiratory rate (RR) and apnoea in the first 5 min and additional physiological parameters in the first 10 min after start of respiratory support. RESULTS Ninety-two infants were included (n=46 CCA infants vs n=46 controls; median (IQR) gestational age 26+4 (25+0-27+6) vs 26+6 (25+1-28+3) weeks). MV and Vt were significantly lower (MV: 43 (17-93) vs 70 (31-119) mL/kg/min, p=0.043; Vt: 2.6 (1.9-3.6) vs 2.9 (2.2-4.8) mL/kg/breath, p=0.046), whereas RR was similar in CCA infants compared with controls. Incidence of apnoea was higher (5 (2-6) vs 2 (1-4), p=0.002), and total duration of apnoea was longer (90 (21-139) vs 35 (12-98) s, p=0.025) in CCA infants. CCA infants took significantly longer to reach an oxygen saturation >80% (3:37 (2:10-4:29) vs 2:25 (1:06-3:52) min, p=0.016) and had a lower oxygen saturation at 5 min (77 (66-92) vs 91 (68-94) %, p=0.028), despite receiving more oxygen (62 (48-76) vs 54 (43-73) %, p=0.036). CONCLUSION CCA is associated with reduced breathing effort and oxygenation in premature infants at birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J R Panneflek
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Kristel L A M Kuypers
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Graeme R Polglase
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, VIC, Australia.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Stuart B Hooper
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, VIC, Australia.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics, Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Arjan B Te Pas
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Willem-Alexander Children's Hospital, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands
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Knol R, Brouwer E, van den Akker T, DeKoninck PLJ, Lopriore E, Onland W, Vermeulen MJ, van den Akker-van Marle ME, van Bodegom-Vos L, de Boode WP, van Kaam AH, Reiss IKM, Polglase GR, Hutten GJ, Prins SA, Mulder EEM, Hulzebos CV, van Sambeeck SJ, van der Putten ME, Zonnenberg IA, Hooper SB, Te Pas AB. Physiological-based cord clamping in very preterm infants: the Aeration, Breathing, Clamping 3 (ABC3) trial-study protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial. Trials 2022; 23:838. [PMID: 36183143 PMCID: PMC9526936 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-022-06789-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND International guidelines recommend delayed umbilical cord clamping (DCC) up to 1 min in preterm infants, unless the condition of the infant requires immediate resuscitation. However, clamping the cord prior to lung aeration may severely limit circulatory adaptation resulting in a reduction in cardiac output and hypoxia. Delaying cord clamping until lung aeration and ventilation have been established (physiological-based cord clamping, PBCC) allows for an adequately established pulmonary circulation and results in a more stable circulatory transition. The decline in cardiac output following time-based delayed cord clamping (TBCC) may thus be avoided. We hypothesise that PBCC, compared to TBCC, results in a more stable transition in very preterm infants, leading to improved clinical outcomes. The primary objective is to compare the effect of PBCC on intact survival with TBCC. METHODS The Aeriation, Breathing, Clamping 3 (ABC3) trial is a multicentre randomised controlled clinical trial. In the interventional PBCC group, the umbilical cord is clamped after the infant is stabilised, defined as reaching heart rate > 100 bpm and SpO2 > 85% while using supplemental oxygen < 40%. In the control TBCC group, cord clamping is time based at 30-60 s. The primary outcome is survival without major cerebral and/or intestinal injury. Preterm infants born before 30 weeks of gestation are included after prenatal parental informed consent. The required sample size is 660 infants. DISCUSSION The findings of this trial will provide evidence for future clinical guidelines on optimal cord clamping management in very preterm infants at birth. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03808051. First registered on January 17, 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronny Knol
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Sophia Children's Hospital, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, P.O. Box 2060, 3000 CB, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. .,Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Emma Brouwer
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Philip L J DeKoninck
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Enrico Lopriore
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Wes Onland
- Department of Neonatology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marijn J Vermeulen
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Sophia Children's Hospital, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, P.O. Box 2060, 3000 CB, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Leti van Bodegom-Vos
- Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Willem P de Boode
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Amalia Children's Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Anton H van Kaam
- Department of Neonatology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Irwin K M Reiss
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Sophia Children's Hospital, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, P.O. Box 2060, 3000 CB, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Graeme R Polglase
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - G Jeroen Hutten
- Department of Neonatology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sandra A Prins
- Department of Neonatology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Estelle E M Mulder
- Department of Neonatology, Isala Women and Children's Hospital, Zwolle, The Netherlands
| | - Christian V Hulzebos
- Department of Paediatrics, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sam J van Sambeeck
- Department of Paediatrics, Maxima Medical Center, Veldhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Mayke E van der Putten
- Department of Paediatrics, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Inge A Zonnenberg
- Department of Neonatology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Stuart B Hooper
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Arjan B Te Pas
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Jansen SJ, van der Hoeven A, van den Akker T, Veenhof M, von Asmuth EGJ, Veldkamp KE, Rijken M, van der Beek M, Bekker V, Lopriore E. A longitudinal analysis of nosocomial bloodstream infections among preterm neonates. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2022; 41:1327-1336. [PMID: 36178568 PMCID: PMC9556429 DOI: 10.1007/s10096-022-04502-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Nosocomial bloodstream infections (NBSIs), commonly due to central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), contribute substantially to neonatal morbidity and mortality. We aimed to identify longitudinal changes in incidence of NBSI, microbiological-spectrum, and antibiotic exposure in a large cohort of preterm neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. We retrospectively assessed differences in annual rates of NBSI (per 1000 patient-days), CLABSI (per 1000 central-line days), and antibiotic consumption (per 1000 patient-days) among preterm neonates (< 32 weeks’ gestation) hospitalized between January 2012 and December 2020. Multi-state Markov models were created to model states of progression of NBSI and infection risk given a central-line on days 0, 3, 7, and 10 of admission. Of 1547 preterm infants, 292 (19%) neonates acquired 310 NBSI episodes, 99 (32%) of which were attributed to a central-line. Over the years, a significant reduction in central-line use was observed (p < 0.001), although median dwell-time increased (p = 0.002). CLABSI incidence varied from 8.83 to 25.3 per 1000 central-line days, with no significant difference between years (p = 0.27). Coagulase-negative staphylococci accounted for 66% of infections. A significant decrease was found in antibiotic consumption (p < 0.001). Probability of NBSI decreased from 16% on day 3 to 6% on day 10. NBSI remains a common problem in preterm neonates. Overall antibiotic consumption decreased over time despite the absence of a significant reduction in infection rates. Further research aimed at reducing NBSI, in particular CLABSI, is warranted, particularly with regard to limiting central-line dwell-time and fine-tuning insertion and maintenance practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie J Jansen
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Willem Alexander Children's Hospital, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Alieke van der Hoeven
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marieke Veenhof
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Erik G J von Asmuth
- Department of Pediatrics, Willem Alexander Children's Hospital, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Karin Ellen Veldkamp
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Monique Rijken
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Willem Alexander Children's Hospital, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Martha van der Beek
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Vincent Bekker
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Willem Alexander Children's Hospital, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Enrico Lopriore
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Willem Alexander Children's Hospital, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
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Calhoun LM, Mandal M, Onyango B, Waga E, McGuire C, Zulu EM, van den Akker T, Benova L, Delvaux T, Speizer IS. Contraceptive method use trajectories among young women in Kenya: A qualitative study. Front Glob Womens Health 2022; 3:973971. [PMID: 36177336 PMCID: PMC9513027 DOI: 10.3389/fgwh.2022.973971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Many young women experience important key life transitions during adolescence and early adulthood, such as initiation of sexual activity, first use of contraceptives, marriage, and childbirth. For young women to be able to plan and manage their lives, it is critical to understand how these life events intersect and shape their contraceptive decision-making. This study aims to explore young women's contraceptive method use trajectories, including the factors that influence contraceptive decision-making throughout adolescence and youth. Methodology In 2019, the Full Access, Full Choice project (FAFC), implemented by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the African Institute for Development Policy, conducted 30 in-depth interviews with young women aged 18-24 years in three counties in Kenya (Nairobi, Mombasa and Migori). Eligible respondents had used two or more modern contraceptive methods. Interview guides utilized a modified life history approach to capture details about respondents' contraceptive use and life experiences from the time they first used contraception until the time of interview. Results We identified five separate contraceptive use trajectories based on the occurrence and timing of marriage, childbirth, and contraceptive method choice as well as various influences on contraceptive decision-making. The majority of respondents began their contraceptive journey by using male condoms or emergency contraception, but subsequent contraceptive decisions were varied across trajectories and influenced by different factors. For many women, the initiation of a non-coitally dependent method occurred after the birth of a child; for some, this was the first method used. Once women transitioned to using a non-coitally dependent method such as injectables or implants, many cycled through different methods to find one that had fewer side effects or provided the desired duration of protection. Discussion This study highlights the nuanced needs of young women throughout their adolescent and youth years in Kenya. This suggests that programs and policies need to encompass young women's diversity of experiences and motivations to best serve them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M. Calhoun
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States,Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands,Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium,*Correspondence: Lisa M. Calhoun
| | - Mahua Mandal
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | | | - Erick Waga
- African Institute for Development Policy, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Courtney McGuire
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Eliya M. Zulu
- African Institute for Development Policy, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Lenka Benova
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Thérèse Delvaux
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ilene S. Speizer
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States,Department of Maternal and Child Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
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Rosman AN, van Dillen J, Zwart J, Overtoom E, Schaap T, Bloemenkamp K, van den Akker T. Lessons learned from the perinatal audit of uterine rupture in the Netherlands: A mixed‐method study. Health Sci Rep 2022; 5:e664. [PMID: 35949672 PMCID: PMC9353229 DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Aims To analyze outcomes of nationwide local audits of uterine rupture to draw lessons for clinical care. Methods Descriptive cohort study. Critical incident audit sessions within all local perinatal cooperation groups in the Netherlands. Women who sustained uterine rupture between January 1st, 2017 and December 31st, 2019. Main Outcome Measures Improvable factors, recommendations, and lessons learned for clinical care. Women's case histories were discussed in multidisciplinary perinatal audit sessions. Participants evaluated care against national and local clinical guidelines and common professional standards to identify improvable factors. Cases and outcomes were registered in a nationwide database. Results One hundred and fourteen women who sustained uterine rupture were discussed in local perinatal audit sessions by 40–60 participants on average: A total of 111 (97%) were multiparous of whom 107 (94%) had given birth by cesarean section in a previous pregnancy. The audit revealed 178 improvable factors and 200 recommendations. Six percent (N = 11) of the improvable factors were identified as very likely and 18% (N = 32) as likely to have a relationship with the outcome or occurrence of uterine rupture. Improvable factors were related to inadequate communication, absent, or unclear documentation, delay in diagnosing the rupture, and suboptimal management of labor. Speak up in case a suspicion arises, escalating care by involving specialist obstetricians, addressing the importance of accurate documentation, and improving training related to fetal monitoring were the most frequent recommendations and should be topics for team (skills and drills) training. Conclusions Through a nationwide incident audit of uterine rupture, we identified improvable factors related to communication, documentation, and organization of care. Lessons learned include “speaking up,” improving the transfer of information and team training are crucial to reduce the incidence of uterine rupture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ageeth N. Rosman
- Perined Utrecht The Netherlands
- Research Center of Innovations in Care Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Research Center of Innovations Rotterdam The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen van Dillen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen The Netherlands
| | - Joost Zwart
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Deventer Hospital Deventer The Netherlands
| | - Evelien Overtoom
- Department of Obstetrics, Division Women and Baby, Birth Centre Wilhelmina Children Hospital University Medical Center Utrecht Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Timme Schaap
- Department of Obstetrics, Division Women and Baby, Birth Centre Wilhelmina Children Hospital University Medical Center Utrecht Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Kitty Bloemenkamp
- Department of Obstetrics, Division Women and Baby, Birth Centre Wilhelmina Children Hospital University Medical Center Utrecht Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Leiden University Medical Center Leiden The Netherlands
- Athena Institute VU University Amsterdam The Netherlands
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Prüst ZD, Kodan LR, van den Akker T, Bloemenkamp KWM, Rijken MJ, Verschueren KJC. The global use of the International Classification of Diseases to Perinatal Mortality (ICD-PM): A systematic review. J Glob Health 2022; 12:04069. [PMID: 35972943 PMCID: PMC9380964 DOI: 10.7189/jogh.12.04069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The World Health Organization launched the International Classification of Diseases for Perinatal Mortality (ICD-PM) in 2016 to uniformly report on the causes of perinatal deaths. In this systematic review, we aim to describe the global use of the ICD-PM by reporting causes of perinatal mortality and summarizing challenges and suggested amendments. Methods We systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health, and CINAHL databases using key terms related to perinatal mortality and the classification for causes of death. We included studies that applied the ICD-PM and were published between January 2016 and June 2021. The ICD-PM data were extracted and a qualitative analysis was performed to summarize the challenges of the ICD-PM. We applied the PRISMA guidelines, registered our protocol at PROSPERO [CRD42020203466], and used the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS) as a framework to evaluate the quality of evidence. Results The search retrieved 6599 reports. Of these, we included 15 studies that applied the ICD-PM to 44 900 perinatal deaths. Most causes varied widely; for example, "antepartum hypoxia" was the cause of stillbirths in 0% to 46% (median = 12%, n = 95) in low-income settings, 0% to 62% (median = 6%, n = 1159) in middle-income settings and 0% to 55% (median = 5%, n = 249) in high-income settings. Five studies reported challenges and suggested amendments to the ICD-PM. The most frequently reported challenges included the high proportion of antepartum deaths of unspecified cause (five studies), the inability to determine the cause of death when the timing of death is unknown (three studies), and the challenge of assigning one cause in case of multiple contributing conditions (three studies). Conclusions The ICD-PM is increasingly being used across the globe and gives health care providers insight into the causes of perinatal death in different settings. However, there is wide variation in reported causes of perinatal death across comparable settings, which suggests that the ICD-PM is applied inconsistently. We summarized the suggested amendments and made additional recommendations to improve the use of the ICD-PM and help strengthen its consistency. Registration PROSPERO [CRD42020203466].
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Affiliation(s)
- Zita D Prüst
- Department of Obstetrics, Division Women and Baby, Birth Centre Wilhelmina’s Children Hospital, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Academic Hospital Paramaribo (AZP), Paramaribo, Suriname
| | - Lachmi R Kodan
- Department of Obstetrics, Division Women and Baby, Birth Centre Wilhelmina’s Children Hospital, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Academic Hospital Paramaribo (AZP), Paramaribo, Suriname
- Anton de Kom University of Suriname, Paramaribo, Suriname
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Kitty WM Bloemenkamp
- Department of Obstetrics, Division Women and Baby, Birth Centre Wilhelmina’s Children Hospital, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Marcus J Rijken
- Department of Obstetrics, Division Women and Baby, Birth Centre Wilhelmina’s Children Hospital, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Julius Global Health, The Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Kim JC Verschueren
- Department of Obstetrics, Division Women and Baby, Birth Centre Wilhelmina’s Children Hospital, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
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Calhoun LM, Maytan-Joneydi A, Nouhou AM, Benova L, Delvaux T, van den Akker T, Agali BI, Speizer IS. "I Got What I Came for": A Qualitative Exploration into Family Planning Client Satisfaction in Dosso Region, Niger. Open Access J Contracept 2022; 13:95-110. [PMID: 35860625 PMCID: PMC9289954 DOI: 10.2147/oajc.s361895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Client satisfaction is recognized as an important construct for evaluating health service provision, yet the field of family planning (FP) lacks a standard approach to its measurement. Further, little is known about satisfaction with FP services in Niger, the site of this study. This study aims to understand what features of FP visits were satisfactory or dissatisfactory from a woman’s perspective and reflect on the conceptualization and measurement of satisfaction with FP services. Methods Between February and March 2020, 2720 FP clients (ages 15–49) were interviewed across 45 public health centers in Dosso region, Niger using a structured survey tool. The focus of this paper is on a random sub-sample of 100 clients who were additionally asked four open-ended questions regarding what they liked and disliked about their FP visit. Responses were audio-recorded, translated into French, transcribed, translated into English, coded, and analyzed thematically. Results FP clients described nine key visit attributes related to their satisfaction with the visit: treatment by the provider, content of the counseling, wait time, FP commodity availability, privacy, cleanliness/infrastructure, visit processes and procedures, cost, and opening hours. The reason for FP visit (start, continue, or change method) was an important driver of the dimensions which contributed to satisfaction. Pre-formed expectations about the visit played a critical role in shaping satisfaction, particularly if the client’s pre-visit expectations (or negative expectations) were met or not and if she obtained what she came for. Conclusion This study makes a significant contribution by identifying visit attributes that are important to FP clients in Dosso region, Niger, and highlights that satisfaction with FP services is shaped by more than just what occurs on the day of service. We propose a conceptual framework to understand satisfaction with FP services that can be used for future FP programming in Niger.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Calhoun
- Carolina Population Center, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Amelia Maytan-Joneydi
- Carolina Population Center, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | | | - Lenka Benova
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Thérèse Delvaux
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | | | - Ilene S Speizer
- Carolina Population Center, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Department of Maternal and Child Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Mbita G, Komba AN, Casalini C, Bazant E, Curran K, Christensen A, Nyato D, Kim YM, Reed J, Makyao N, Kategile U, Conserve DF, Faini D, van Roosmalen J, van den Akker T. Predictors of HIV Among 1 Million Clients in High-Risk Male Populations in Tanzania. AIDS Behav 2022; 26:3185-3198. [PMID: 35362905 PMCID: PMC9474353 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-022-03667-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The World Health Organization identified men as an essential group to target with HIV testing and treatment strategies;: men who have sex with men (MSM) and male clients of female sex workers (CFSW) account for 35% of new HIV infections globally. Using a cross-sectional design from a community-based HIV prevention project in Tanzania (October 2015-September 2018) and multivariable logistic regression, we identified predictors of HIV seropositivity among men. Of 1,041,343 men on their initial visit to the project, 36,905 (3.5%) were MSM; 567,005 (54.5%) were CFSW; and 437,343 (42.0%) were other men living near hotspots (OMHA). Three predictors of HIV seropositivity emerged across all three groups: being uncircumcised, having sexually transmitted infection symptoms, and harmful drinking of alcohol before sex. Any reported form of gender-based violence among MSM and OMHA and inconsistent condom use among CFSW were associated with HIV seropositivity. These findings may inform community HIV strategies like self-testing, delivery of pre-exposure prophylaxis and antiretroviral therapy, and behavioral change communication targeting men at higher risk of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaspar Mbita
- Jhpiego, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
- Jhpiego, Monrovia, Liberia.
| | | | | | - Eva Bazant
- The Task Force for Global Health, Decatur, GA, USA
| | | | | | - Daniel Nyato
- Institute of Population Health Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | | | | | - Neema Makyao
- Ministry of Health Community Development, Gender, Elderly, and Children, National AIDS Control Program, Dodoma, Tanzania
| | | | - Donaldson F Conserve
- Department of Prevention and Community Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Diana Faini
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Jos van Roosmalen
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Zethof S, Christou A, Benova L, van Roosmalen J, van den Akker T. "Too much, too late": data on stillbirths to improve interpretation of caesarean section rates. Bull World Health Organ 2022; 100:289-291. [PMID: 35386563 PMCID: PMC8958836 DOI: 10.2471/blt.21.287539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Siem Zethof
- Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Aliki Christou
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Lenka Benova
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, Netherlands
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Kallianidis AF, Schutte JM, Schuringa LEM, Beenakkers ICM, Bloemenkamp KWM, Braams-Lisman BAM, Cornette J, Kuppens SM, Rietveld AL, Schaap T, Stekelenburg J, Zwart JJ, van den Akker T. Confidential enquiry into maternal deaths in the Netherlands, 2006-2018. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2022; 101:441-449. [PMID: 35352820 DOI: 10.1111/aogs.14312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION To calculate the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) for 2006-2018 in the Netherlands and compare this with 1993-2005, and to describe women's characteristics, causes of death and improvable factors. MATERIAL AND METHODS We performed a nationwide, cohort study of all maternal deaths between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2018 reported to the Audit Committee Maternal Mortality and Morbidity. Main outcome measures were the national MMR and causes of death. RESULTS Overall MMR was 6.2 per 100 000 live births, a decrease from 12.1 in 1993-2005 (risk ratio [RR] 0.5). Women with a non-western ethnic background had an increased MMR compared with Dutch women (MMR 6.5 vs. 5.0, RR 1.3). The MMR was increased among women with a background from Surinam/Dutch Antilles (MMR 14.7, RR 2.9). Half of all women had an uncomplicated medical history (79/161, 49.1%). Of 171 pregnancy-related deaths within 1 year postpartum, 102 (60%) had a direct and 69 (40%) an indirect cause of death. Leading causes within 42 days postpartum were cardiac disease (n = 21, 14.9%), hypertensive disorders (n = 20, 14.2%) and thrombosis (n = 19, 13.5%). Up to 1 year postpartum, the most common cause of death was cardiac disease (n = 32, 18.7%). Improvable care factors were identified in 76 (47.5%) of all deaths. CONCLUSIONS Maternal mortality halved in 2006-2018 compared with 1993-2005. Cardiac disease became the main cause. In almost half of all deaths, improvable factors were identified and women with a background from Surinam/Dutch Antilles had a threefold increased risk of death compared with Dutch women without a background of migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athanasios F Kallianidis
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Joke M Schutte
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Isala Hospital, Zwolle, the Netherlands
| | - Louise E M Schuringa
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Ingrid C M Beenakkers
- Department of Anesthesiology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Kitty W M Bloemenkamp
- Division Woman and Baby, Department of Obstetrics, Birth Center Wilhelmina's Children Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | | | - Jerome Cornette
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Simone M Kuppens
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Catharina Ziekenhuis, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Anna L Rietveld
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Timme Schaap
- Division Woman and Baby, Department of Obstetrics, Birth Center Wilhelmina's Children Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jelle Stekelenburg
- Department of Health Sciences, Global Health, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leeuwarden Medical Center, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
| | - Joost J Zwart
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Deventer Hospital, Deventer, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Athena Institute, VU, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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D'Souza R, Seymour RJ, Knight M, Dzakpasu S, Joseph KS, Thorne S, Ospina MB, Barrett J, Cook J, Fell DB, Scott H, Metcalfe A, van den Akker T, Lapinsky S, Skeith L, Murray-Davis B, Shah P, Forte M, Ashraf R, Chundamala J, Hutchinson SA, Chen KK, Malhamé I. Feasibility of establishing a Canadian Obstetric Survey System (CanOSS) for severe maternal morbidity: a study protocol. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e061093. [PMID: 35321901 PMCID: PMC8943762 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Severe maternal morbidity (SMM)-an unexpected pregnancy-associated maternal outcome resulting in severe illness, prolonged hospitalisation or long-term disability-is recognised by many, as the preferred indicator of the quality of maternity care, especially in high-income countries. Obtaining comprehensive details on events and circumstances leading to SMM, obtained through maternity units, could complement data from large epidemiological studies and enable targeted interventions to improve maternal health. The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of gathering such data from maternity units across Canadian provinces and territories, with the goal of establishing a national obstetric survey system for SMM in Canada. METHODS AND ANALYSIS We propose a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study. We will first distribute a cross-sectional survey to leads of all maternity units across Canada to gather information on (1) Whether the unit has a system for reviewing SMM and the nature and format of this system, (2) Willingness to share anonymised data on SMM by direct entry using a web-based platform and (3) Respondents' perception on the definition and leading causes of SMM at a local level. This will be followed by semistructured interviews with respondent groups defined a priori, to identify barriers and facilitators for data sharing. We will perform an integrated analysis to determine feasibility outcomes, a narrative description of barriers and facilitators for data-sharing and resource implications for data acquisition on an annual basis, and variations in top-5 causes of SMM. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION The study has been approved by the Mount Sinai and Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Boards. The study findings will be presented at annual scientific meetings of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, North American Society of Obstetric Medicine, and International Network of Obstetric Survey Systems and published in an open-access peer-reviewed Obstetrics and Gynaecology or General Internal Medicine journal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohan D'Souza
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rebecca J Seymour
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marian Knight
- National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Susie Dzakpasu
- Maternal and Infant Health Section, Centre for Surveillance and Applied Research, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - K S Joseph
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- The University of British Columbia School of Population and Public Health, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sara Thorne
- Division of Cardiology, Pregnancy & Heart Disease Program, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Maria B Ospina
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jon Barrett
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jocelynn Cook
- Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Deshayne B Fell
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Heather Scott
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Dalhousie University and the IWK Health Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Amy Metcalfe
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Athena Institute, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Stephen Lapinsky
- Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Leslie Skeith
- Division of Hematology and Hematological Malignancies, Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Beth Murray-Davis
- McMaster Midwifery Research Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Prakesh Shah
- Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Milena Forte
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rizwana Ashraf
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Josie Chundamala
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sarah A Hutchinson
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kenneth K Chen
- Departments of Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology, Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
- Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Isabelle Malhamé
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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47
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Engjom H, van den Akker T, Aabakke A, Ayras O, Bloemenkamp K, Donati S, Cereda D, Overtoom E, Knight M. Severe COVID-19 in pregnancy is almost exclusively limited to unvaccinated women – time for policies to change. Lancet Reg Health Eur 2022; 13:100313. [PMID: 35098198 PMCID: PMC8791061 DOI: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2022.100313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
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Straneo M, Beňová L, van den Akker T, Pembe AB, Smekens T, Hanson C. No increase in use of hospitals for childbirth in Tanzania over 25 years: Accumulation of inequity among poor, rural, high parity women. PLOS Glob Public Health 2022; 2:e0000345. [PMID: 36962703 PMCID: PMC10021586 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Improving childbirth care in rural settings in sub-Saharan Africa is essential to attain the commitment expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals to leave no one behind. In Tanzania, the period between 1991 and 2016 was characterized by health system expansion prioritizing primary health care and a rise in rural facility births from 45% to 54%. Facilities however are not all the same, with advanced management of childbirth complications generally only available in hospitals and routine childbirth care in primary facilities. We hypothesized that inequity in the use of hospital-based childbirth may have increased over this period, and that it may have particularly affected high parity (≥5) women. We analysed records of 16,080 women from five Tanzanian Demographic and Health Surveys (1996, 1999, 2004, 2010, 2015/6), using location of the most recent birth as outcome (home, primary health care facility or hospital), wealth and parity as exposure variables and demographic and obstetric characteristics as potential confounders. A multinomial logistic regression model with wealth/parity interaction was run and post-estimation margins analysis produced percentages of births for various combinations of wealth and parity for each survey. We found no reduction in inequity in this 25-year period. Among poorest women, lowest use of hospital-based childbirth (around 10%) was at high parity, with no change over time. In women having their first baby, hospital use increased over time but with a widening pro-rich gap (poorest women predicted use increased from 36 to 52% and richest from 40 to 59%). We found that poor rural women of high parity were a vulnerable group requiring specifically targeted interventions to ensure they receive effective childbirth care. To leave no one behind, it is essential to look beyond the average coverage of facility births, as such a limited focus masks different patterns and time trends among marginalised groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Straneo
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Lenka Beňová
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
- London School of Hygiene &Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea B Pembe
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Tom Smekens
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Claudia Hanson
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
- London School of Hygiene &Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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49
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Semaan A, Dey T, Kikula A, Asefa A, Delvaux T, Langlois EV, van den Akker T, Benova L. "Separated during the first hours"-Postnatal care for women and newborns during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-methods cross-sectional study from a global online survey of maternal and newborn healthcare providers. PLOS Glob Public Health 2022; 2:e0000214. [PMID: 36962168 PMCID: PMC10022345 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Routine postnatal care (PNC) allows monitoring, early detection and management of complications, and counselling to ensure immediate and long-term wellbeing of mothers and newborns; yet effective coverage is sub-optimal globally. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted availability and quality of maternal and newborn care despite established guidelines promoting continuity of essential services. We conducted a cross-sectional global online survey of 424 maternal and newborn healthcare providers from 61 countries, to explore PNC provision, availability, content and quality following the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire (11 languages), included four multiple-choice and four open-text questions on changes to PNC during the pandemic. Quantitative and qualitative responses received between July and December 2020 were analysed separately and integrated during reporting. Tightened rules for visiting postpartum women were reported in health facilities, ranging from shorter visiting hours to banning supportive companions and visitors. A quarter (26%) of respondents reported that mothers suspected/confirmed with COVID-19 were routinely separated from their newborns. Early initiation of breastfeeding was delayed due to waiting for maternal SARS-CoV-2 test results. Reduced provision of breastfeeding support was reported by 40% of respondents in high-income countries and 7% in low-income countries. Almost 60% reported that women were discharged earlier than usual and 27% perceived a reduction in attendance to outpatient PNC. Telemedicine and home visits were mostly reported in high-income countries to ensure safe care provision. Beyond the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, severe disruptions to content and quality of PNC continued to exist, whereas disruptions in availability and use were less commonly reported. Depriving women of support, reducing availability of PNC services, and mother-newborn separation could lead to negative long-term outcomes for women, newborns and families, and deny their rights to respectful care. Protecting these essential services is imperative to promoting quality woman-centred PNC during and beyond the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Semaan
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Teesta Dey
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Amani Kikula
- Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Upanga-West, Dar es salaam, Tanzania
| | - Anteneh Asefa
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Thérèse Delvaux
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Etienne V Langlois
- Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Faculty of Science, Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Lenka Benova
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
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50
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McGillick EV, Te Pas AB, van den Akker T, Keus JMH, Thio M, Hooper SB. Evaluating Clinical Outcomes and Physiological Perspectives in Studies Investigating Respiratory Support for Babies Born at Term With or at Risk of Transient Tachypnea: A Narrative Review. Front Pediatr 2022; 10:878536. [PMID: 35813383 PMCID: PMC9260080 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2022.878536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Respiratory distress in the first few hours of life is a growing disease burden in otherwise healthy babies born at term (>37 weeks gestation). Babies born by cesarean section without labor (i.e., elective cesarean section) are at greater risk of developing respiratory distress due to elevated airway liquid volumes at birth. These babies are commonly diagnosed with transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN) and historically treatments have mostly focused on enhancing airway liquid clearance pharmacologically or restricting fluid intake with limited success. Alternatively, a number of clinical studies have investigated the potential benefits of respiratory support in newborns with or at risk of TTN, but there is considerable heterogeneity in study designs and outcome measures. A literature search identified eight clinical studies investigating use of respiratory support on outcomes related to TTN in babies born at term. Study demographics including gestational age, mode of birth, antenatal corticosteroid exposure, TTN diagnosis, timing of intervention (prophylactic/interventional), respiratory support (type/interface/device/pressure), and study outcomes were compared. This narrative review provides an overview of factors within and between studies assessing respiratory support for preventing and/or treating TTN. In addition, we discuss the physiological understanding of how respiratory support aids lung function in newborns with elevated airway liquid volumes at birth. However, many questions remain regarding the timing of onset, pressure delivered, device/interface used and duration, and weaning of support. Future studies are required to address these gaps in knowledge to provide evidenced based recommendations for management of newborns with or at risk of TTN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin V McGillick
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Arjan B Te Pas
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Thomas van den Akker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.,Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - J M H Keus
- Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Marta Thio
- Newborn Research, The Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,The Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Stuart B Hooper
- The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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