Midwives’ challenges in the management of postpartum haemorrhage at rural PHC facilities of Limpopo province, South Africa: An explorative study
Background: Postpartum haemorrhage is one of the causes of the rise in maternal mortality. Midwives’ experiences related to postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) management remain unexplored, especially in Limpopo. The purpose of the study was to explore the challenges experienced by midwives in the management of women with PPH. Methods: Qualitative research was conducted to explore the […]
Factors influencing access of pregnant women and their infants to their local healthcare system: A prospective, multi-centre, observational study
Background: The successful implementation of maternal vaccination relies on results of clinical trials, considering the prenatal and postnatal attendance at selected healthcare institutions. This study evaluated factors influencing maternal/infant access to healthcare facilities to identify potential barriers to participation in future clinical trials on maternal vaccination. Methods: In this prospective, multi-centre, observational study, pregnant women […]
Association of maternal depression and anxiety with toddler social-emotional and cognitive development in South Africa: A prospective cohort study
Objective A robust literature has identified associations between prenatal maternal depression and adverse child social-emotional and cognitive outcomes. The majority of prior research is from high-income countries despite increased reporting of perinatal depression in low/middle-income countries (LMICs). Additionally, despite the comorbidity between depression and anxiety, few prior studies have examined their joint impact on child […]
How children access antiretroviral treatment at Kgapane District Hospital, Limpopo, South Africa
Background: At Kgapane Hospital, Limpopo Province, only 20% of eligible children initiated antiretroviral treatment (ART) in 2007. The aim of this study was to improve the ART programme by assessing how children were accessing ART, and to explore the factors that facilitate or obstruct this access. Method: Mixed methods were used in a descriptive study […]
Effects of Maternal Suicidal Ideation on Child Cognitive Development: A Longitudinal Analysis
This study aimed to assess the association between suicidal ideation among mothers living with HIV in Zimbabwe and the cognitive development of their children. Participants were mother–child dyads recruited from two rural districts in Zimbabwe. Data were collected at baseline and 12 months follow-up. Suicidal ideation was assessed using item-10 from the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale. […]
The development of children born to young mothers with no, first- or second-generation HIV acquisition in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa: a cross-sectional study
Background The intergenerational effects of HIV require long-term investigation. We compared developmental outcomes of different generations impacted by HIV – children of mothers not living with HIV, the ‘second generation’ (ie, with recently infected mothers) and the ‘third generation’ (ie, children of perinatally infected mothers). Methods A cross-sectional community sample of N=1015 young mothers (12-25 […]
Evaluating the accessibility and utility of HIV-related point-of-care diagnostics for maternal health in rural South Africa: A study protocol
Introduction: Poor healthcare access is a major barrier to receiving antenatal care and a cause of high maternal mortality in South Africa (SA). ‘Point-of-care’ (POC) diagnostics is a powerful emerging healthcare approach to improve healthcare access. This study focuses on evaluating the accessibility and utility of POC diagnostics for maternal health in rural SA primary […]
Challenges to improve antenatal and intrapartum care in South Africa
The major causes of maternal and perinatal deaths have been well described in South Africa. These causes are related to HIV infection, placental insufficiency and intrapartum asphyxia. The health system failures that most commonly lead to preventable mortality are related to managing hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP), detecting fetal growth restriction antenatally and managing labour […]
Shock index thresholds to predict adverse outcomes in maternal hemorrhage and sepsis: A prospective cohort study
Introduction: Shock index (SI) is a predictor of hemodynamic compromise in obstetric patients. The SI threshold for action is not well understood. We aimed to evaluate SI thresholds as predictors of outcomes in obstetric patients. Material and methods: We undertook a prospective cohort study at three South African hospitals of women with postpartum hemorrhage (n = 283) […]
A concept paper: Using the outcomes of common surgical conditions as quality metrics to benchmark district surgical services in South Africa as part of a systematic quality improvement programme
The fourth, fifth and sixth Millennium Development Goals relate directly to improving global healthcare and health outcomes. The focus is to improve global health outcomes by reducing maternal and childhood mortality and the burden of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Specific targets and timeframes have been set for these diseases. There is, […]
