The effect of a clinical decision-making mHealth support system on maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in Ghana: Study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial
Background: Mobile health (mHealth) presents one of the potential solutions to maximize health worker impact and efficiency in an effort to reach the Sustainable Development Goals 3.1 and 3.2, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries. Poor-quality clinical decision-making is known to be associated with poor pregnancy and birth outcomes. This study aims to assess the effect […]
Maternal exposure to intimate partner violence and uptake of maternal healthcare services in Ethiopia: Evidence from a national survey
Background Women exposed to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) often do not utilize maternal health care optimally both because of stigma and other social problems. The current study aims to explore an association between maternal healthcare seeking and violence exposure among Ethiopian women and to assess if educational attainment and wealth status moderate this association. Methods […]
“Good obstetrics” revisited: Too many evidence-based practices and devices are not used
Introduction: As countries are designing and implementing strategies to address maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity (Millennium Development Goals 5 and 4), it appears that a large number of evidence-based obstetric practices are not used in many settings, and this is a major obstacle to the improvement of quality obstetric care. Objectives: To remind readers […]
Home gardens focusing on the production of yellow and dark-green leafy vegetables increase the serum retinol concentrations of 2-5-y-old children in South Africa
Background: Production of yellow and dark-green leafy vegetables at the household level may provide economically deprived households with direct access to provitamin A-rich foods. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine whether the dietary intake of yellow and dark-green leafy vegetables and the serum retinol concentrations of children improve with a home-gardening program. […]
Operational issues and barriers to implementation of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hiv (PMTCT) interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa
Over the past 10 years substantial progress has been made in the implementation of prevention of mother-tochild transmission of HIV (PMTCT) interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In spite of this, new pediatric infections remain unacceptably high, contributing the majority (>90%) of the estimated 390,000 infections globally in 2010; and yet prolonged breastfeeding remains the norm […]
The economic burden of maternal mortality on households: Evidence from three sub-counties in rural western Kenya
Background: This study explores the consequences of a maternal death to households in rural Western Kenya focusing particularly on the immediate financial and economic impacts. Methods: Between September 2011 and March 2013 all households in the study area with a maternal death were surveyed. Data were collected on the demographic characteristics of the deceased woman; […]
The effects of completion of continuum of care in maternal health services on adverse birth outcomes in Northwestern Ethiopia: a prospective follow-up study
Background: Globally, around 4 million babies die within the first month of birth annually with more than 3 million stillbirths. Of them, 99% of newborn deaths and 98% of stillbirths occur in developing countries. Despite giving priority to maternal health services, adverse birth outcomes are still major public health problems in the study area. Hence, […]
Counting every stillbirth and neonatal death through mortality audit to improve quality of care for every pregnant woman and her baby
Background: While there is widespread acknowledgment of the need for improved quality and quantity of information on births and deaths, there has been less movement towards systematically capturing and reviewing the causes and avoidable factors linked to deaths, in order to affect change. This is particularly true for stillbirths and neonatal deaths which can fall […]
Strengthening and monitoring health system’s capacity to improve availability, utilization and quality of emergency obstetric care in northern Nigeria
Background Quality improvement in emergency obstetric care (EmOC) is a critical and cost-effective suite of interventions for the reduction of maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity. This study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of quality improvement interventions following a baseline assessment in Bauchi state, Nigeria. Methods This was a prospective before and after study […]
Continuum of care for maternal health in Uganda: A national cross-sectional study
Introduction A continuum of maternal care approach can reduce gaps and missed opportunities experienced by women and newborns. We determined the level of coverage and factors associated with the continuum of maternal care in Uganda. Methods We used weighted data from the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) 2016. We included 10,152 women aged 15 […]
