Postnatal care services in rural Zambia: a qualitative exploration of user, provider, and community perspectives on quality of care
Background: Postnatal care (PNC) is an important set of services offered to the mother and her newborn baby immediately after birth for the first six weeks to prevent maternal and neonatal complications and death. This qualitative study explored user and provider perspectives on quality of PNC services in the selected health facilities within the context […]
National optimisation of accessibility to emergency obstetrical and neonatal care in Togo: A geospatial analysis
Objectives Improving access to emergency obstetrical and neonatal care (EmONC) is a key strategy for reducing maternal and neonatal mortality. Access is shaped by several factors, including service availability and geographical accessibility. In 2013, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Togo used service availability and other criteria to designate particular facilities as EmONC facilities, facilitating […]
Maternal death review and surveillance: The case of Central Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria
Background: Despite the adoption of Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) by Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health to track and rectify the causes of maternal mortality, very limited documentation exists on experiences with the method and its outcomes at institutional and policy levels. Objective: The objective of this study was to identify through […]
Patterns and causes of hospital maternal mortality in Tanzania: A 10-year retrospective analysis
Background Maternal mortality is among the most important public health concerns in Sub-Saharan Africa. There is limited data on hospital-based maternal mortality in Tanzania. The objective of this study was to determine the causes and maternal mortality trends in public hospitals of Tanzania from 2006–2015. Methods and findings This retrospective study was conducted between July […]
Women’s perceptions of antenatal, delivery, and postpartum services in rural Tanzania
Background: Maternal health care provision remains a major challenge in developing countries. There is agreement that the provision of quality clinical services is essential if high rates of maternal death are to be reduced. However, despite efforts to improve access to these services, a high number of women in Tanzania do not access them. The […]
Predictors of Maternal Near Miss in Public Hospitals of West Shoa Zone, Central Ethiopia: A Case-Control Study
Background: Maternal mortality reduction remains a priority to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for mothers and newborns in the new sustainable development goals agenda. There is no evidence-based study done regarding maternal complications and near-miss in the study area. Objectives: This study assessed the predictors of maternal near-miss in public hospitals of West Shoa […]
Interrupted time series analysis of free maternity services policy in Nyamira County, Western Kenya
Introduction The Government of Kenya instituted the free maternity services (FMS) policy to improve utilization of maternal healthcare services and thus improve maternal health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the FMS policy on the uptake of maternal health services in Nyamira County in western Kenya. Methods An interrupted time […]
Caesarean section performed by medical doctors and associate clinicians in Sierra Leone
Background: Many countries lack sufficient medical doctors to provide safe and affordable surgical and emergency obstetric care. Task-sharing with associate clinicians (ACs) has been suggested to fill this gap. The aim of this study was to assess maternal and neonatal outcomes of caesarean sections performed by ACs and doctors. Methods: All nine hospitals in Sierra […]
Severe maternal morbidity (Near-miss) and its correlates in the world’s newest nation: South Sudan
Background: This study investigates the frequency of near-miss events and compares correlates in the world’s newest nation. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out to audit near-miss events and their causes. A total of 1,041 mothers were sampled. Data were gathered using World Health Organization near-miss evaluation tools according to morbidity and organ failure-based criteria. […]
Household food insecurity, maternal nutrition, environmental risks and infants’ health outcomes: Protocol of the IMPALA birth cohort study in Uganda
Introduction In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), food insecurity and undernutrition disproportionately affect women of reproductive age, infants and young children. The disease burden from undernutrition in these vulnerable sections of societies remains a major concern in LMICs. Biomass fuel use for cooking is also common in LMICs. Empirical evidence from high-income countries indicates that […]