Child mortality inequalities across Rwanda districts: A geoadditive continuous-time survival analysis
Child survival programmes are efficient when they target the most significant and area-specific factors. This study aimed to assess the key determinants and spatial variation of child mortality at the district level in Rwanda. Data from the 2010 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey were analysed for 8817 live births that occurred during five years preceding […]
Does knowledge on socio-cultural factors associated with maternal mortality affect maternal health decisions? A cross-sectional study of the Greater Accra region of Ghana
Background: The concern of all maternal health stakeholders is to improve maternal health and reduce maternal deaths to the barest minimum. This remains elusive in low and middle-income countries as the majority of factors that drive maternal deaths stem from the socio-cultural environment especially in rural settings. This study was aimed at finding out if […]
Community health workers impact on maternal and child health outcomes in rural South Africa – a non-randomized two-group comparison study
Background: Home visits by paraprofessional community health workers (CHWs) has been shown to improve maternal and child health outcomes in research studies in many countries. Yet, when these are scaled or replicated, efficacy disappears. An effective CHW home visiting program in peri-urban Cape Town found maternal and child health benefits over the 5 years point […]
WHO 2010 guidelines for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission in Zimbabwe: Modeling clinical outcomes in infants and mothers
Background: The Zimbabwean national prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) program provided primarily single-dose nevirapine (sdNVP) from 2002-2009 and is currently replacing sdNVP with more effective antiretroviral (ARV) regimens. Methods: Published HIV and PMTCT models, with local trial and programmatic data, were used to simulate a cohort of HIV-infected, pregnant/breastfeeding women in Zimbabwe (mean age […]
Where are the gaps in improving maternal and child health in Mauritania? The case for contextualised interventions: A cross sectional study
Introduction: It is estimated that any progress made towards improving maternal and child health in Mauritania has likely stalled. A lack of reliable and up-to-date data regarding maternal and child health indicators makes it difficult to identify current gaps and adapt international programmes to meet local needs Methods: Using secondary data collected as part of […]
Effectiveness of mHealth interventions targeting health care workers to improve pregnancy outcomes in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review
Background: Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face the highest burden of maternal and neonatal deaths. Concurrently, they have the lowest number of physicians. Innovative methods such as the exchange of health-related information using mobile devices (mHealth) may support health care workers in the provision of antenatal, delivery, and postnatal care to improve maternal and neonatal […]
Distance is “a big problem”: a geographic analysis of reported and modelled proximity to maternal health services in Ghana
Background: Geographic barriers to healthcare are associated with adverse maternal health outcomes. Modelling travel times using georeferenced data is becoming common in quantifying physical access. Multiple Demographic and Health Surveys ask women about distance-related problems accessing healthcare, but responses have not been evaluated against modelled travel times. This cross-sectional study aims to compare reported and […]
Assessing Combined Longitudinal Mentorship and Skills Training on Select Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes in Rural and Urban Health Facilities in Malawi
Introduction: Despite successful efforts to improve clinical access and skilled birth attendance in Malawi, it still faces high rates of maternal and neonatal mortality. In 2017, the UCSF-GAIN partnership began a nurse-midwifery clinical education and longitudinal mentorship program. While it has received positive reviews, it is unclear whether routinely collected indicators can assess such a […]
A ketamine package for use in emergency cesarean delivery when no anesthetist is available: An analysis of 401 consecutive operations
Objective: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a ketamine-based anesthesia package to support emergency cesarean section when no anesthetist is available. Methods: A prospective case-series was conducted between December 11, 2013 and September 30, 2021 across nine sub-county hospitals in Kenya. Non-anesthetist healthcare providers undertook an evidence-based five-day training course. A structured instrument was […]
Exploring health-seeking behavior among adolescent mothers during the Ebola epidemic in Western rural district of Freetown, Sierra Leone
Background: From 2014 to 2016, the largest Ebola outbreak in history threatened Sierra Leone and its neighbouring countries, Guinea and Liberia. The Ebola outbreak impacted pregnant adolescent girl’s access to prenatal care during the pandemic. The aim of this study is to understand health-seeking behaviour among adolescent mothers who were pregnant during the Ebola epidemic […]
