Geospatial analysis of determinants of neonatal mortality in Ghana
Background: Ghana did not meet the Millennium Development Goal 4 of reducing child mortality by two-thirds and may not meet SDG (2030). There is a need to direct scarce resources to mitigate the impact of the most important risk factors influencing high neonatal deaths. This study applied both spatial and non-spatial regression models to explore […]
Viability of an urban maternity waiting home in Kumasi, Ghana: A qualitative needs assessment
Background: Maternity waiting homes, usually located in rural, low-resource settings, may increase access to skilled care during delivery and ultimately improve maternal-newborn outcomes. Although there are studies exploring maternity waiting homes in rural settings, little is known about interest in and viability of maternity waiting home use in urban environments. Objective: The purpose of this […]
Implementation research on sustainable electrification of rural primary care facilities in Ghana and Uganda
Access to energy is essential for resilient health systems; however, strengthening energy infrastructure in rural health facilities remains a challenge. In 2015-19, ‘Powering Healthcare’ deployed solar energy solutions to off-grid rural health facilities in Ghana and Uganda to improve the availability of maternal and child health services. To explore the links between health facility electrification […]
Using an economic experiment to estimate willingness-to-pay for a new maternal nutrient supplement in Ghana
Scaling up access to supplements designed to prevent undernutrition, such as new small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS), may require distribution via both public channels and retail markets. The viability of SQ-LNS retail markets will hinge on household-level demand. We use an economic experiment to characterize initial willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a maternal SQ-LNS product in Ghana. […]
High incidence of neonatal danger signs and its implications for postnatal care in Ghana: A cross-sectional study
Background: Reducing neonatal mortality is a major public health priority in sub-Saharan Africa. Numerous studies have examined the determinants of neonatal mortality, but few have explored neonatal danger signs which potentially cause morbidity. This study assessed danger signs observed in neonates at birth, determined the correlations of multiple danger signs and complications between neonates and […]
Effectiveness of adjunct telephone-based postnatal care on maternal and infant illness in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana: a randomized controlled trial
Introduction: Globally, postnatal care (PNC) is fraught with challenges. Despite high PNC coverages in Ghana’s Greater Accra Region (GAR), maternal and newborn health outcomes are of great concern. In 2017, neonatal and post-neonatal mortality rates in GAR were 19 and 13 per 1000 live births respectively despite PNC coverages of 93% for at least one […]
Addressing health system barriers to access to and use of skilled delivery services: perspectives from Ghana
Poor access to and use of skilled delivery services have been identified as a major contributory factor to poor maternal and newborn health in sub-Saharan African countries, including Ghana. However, many previous studies that examine norms of childbirth and care-seeking behaviours have focused on identifying the norms of non-use of services, rather than factors, that […]
Health insurance and maternal, newborn services utilisation and under-five mortality
Background: Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was introduced in 2005 as a demand side intervention to remove financial barriers to accessing health services. After almost a decade of implementation, this study aims to investigate the association of NHIS membership with antenatal visits (ANC), postnatal visits (PNC) and under-five mortality, using data from the most […]
Male involvement in maternal health: Perspectives of opinion leaders
Background: Twenty years after acknowledging the importance of joint responsibilities and male participation in maternal health programs, most health care systems in low income countries continue to face challenges in involving men. We explored the reasons for men’s resistance to the adoption of a more proactive role in pregnancy care and their enduring influence in […]
Using mobile health to support clinical decision-making to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes in Ghana: Insights of frontline health worker information needs
Background: Developing and maintaining resilient health systems in low-resource settings like Ghana requires innovative approaches that adapt technology to context to improve health outcomes. One such innovation was a mobile health (mHealth) clinical decision-making support system (mCDMSS) that utilized text messaging (short message service, SMS) of standard emergency maternal and neonatal protocols via an unstructured […]
