Quality cesarean delivery in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: A comprehensive approach
Objective: To assess the effects of a comprehensive intervention (staff training, equipment, internal clinical audits, cost sharing system, patients-providers meetings) in improving cesarean delivery access and quality in an urban district of Burkina Faso. Methods: We conducted a before-after study in the health district sector 30 in Ouagadougou between 2003 and 2006. We measured cesarean […]
Giving Birth in a Foreign Land: Exploring the Maternal Healthcare Experiences of Zimbabwean Migrant Women Living in Johannesburg, South Africa
Maternal mortality in South Africa is unacceptably high, and interventions to address this are urgently needed. Whilst urban centres, such as Johannesburg, are home to significant numbers of non-national migrant women, little is known about their maternal healthcare experiences. In order to inform future research, an exploratory study investigating the maternal healthcare and help-seeking experiences […]
Review of health and non-health sector indicators for monitoring service provision along the continuum of care for maternal health
Objective: This study uses health and non-health sector data sources to select and assess available indicators for service provision along the continuum of care for maternal health at subnational levels in South Africa. It applies the adequacy approach established in another study to assess the multi-dimensionality of available indicators. Using adequacy and the process of […]
Community perspectives on the determinants of maternal health in rural southern Mozambique: a qualitative study
Background: Mozambique has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The main influences on maternal health encompass social, economic, political, environmental and cultural determinants of health. To effectively address maternal mortality in the post-2015 agenda, interventions need to consider the determinants of health so that their delivery is not limited to […]
Challenges in accessing maternal and child health services during COVID-19 and the potential role of social networking technologies
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic causes new challenges to women and their babies who still need to access postnatal care amidst the crisis. The novel application of social network technologies (SNTs) could potentially enhance access to healthcare during this difficult time. Objectives: This study describes the challenges experienced in accessing maternal and child health services by […]
Effect of health systems strengthening in influencing maternal and neonatal health outcomes in Bungoma County, Kenya
Introduction: maternal and neonatal health status indicators have steadily improved over time in Kenya. Significant challenges remain, including persistent inequities between population subgroups, and a health system that delivers variable quality care and inconsistent access to care. This paper highlights results of an ex-post evaluation to assess the impact of maternal and health systems strengthening […]
Factors associated with the use of maternity services in Enugu, southeastern Nigeria
The maternal mortality ratio and other maternal health indicators are worse for developing countries than for the developed world due to improved access to quality care during pregnancy and especially at delivery in the industrialized world. This study was carried out to identify the factors which influenced choice of place of delivery by pregnant women […]
“If I Was Educated, I Would Call the Ambulance and Give Birth at the Health Facility”—A Qualitative Exploratory Study of Inequities in the Utilization of Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Services in Northern Ethiopia
In earlier studies, we have shown that the utilization of maternal health services in rural Ethiopia was distributed in a pro-rich fashion, while the coverage of child immunization was equitably distributed. Hence, this study aimed to explore mothers’ and primary healthcare workers’ perceptions of inequities in maternal, newborn, and child health services in rural Ethiopia, […]
Inequities in utilization of maternal health interventions in Namibia: Implications for progress towards MDG 5 targets
Background. Inequities in the utilization of maternal health services impede progress towards the MDG 5 target of reducing the maternal mortality ratio by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015. In Namibia, despite increasing investments in the health sector, the maternal mortality ratio has increased from 271 per 100,000 live births in the period 1991-2000 to […]
A qualitative study of the maternal health information-seeking behaviour of women of reproductive age in Mpwapwa district, Tanzania
Background: Active engagement in seeking maternal health information among women of reproductive age is vital in promoting positive health-seeking behaviour and improving maternal health outcomes. Objective: This study aimed to explore maternal health information-seeking behaviour of women of reproductive age in a rural Tanzania. Methods: Using a qualitative research approach, the study held eight focus […]
