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 […]
Evaluation of the impact of the voucher and accreditation approach on improving reproductive behaviors and RH status: Bangladesh
Background: Cost of delivering reproductive health services to low-income populations will always require total or partial subsidization by the government and/or development partners. Broadly termed “Demand-Side Financing” or “Output-Based Aid”, includes a range of interventions that channel government or donor subsidies to the service user rather than the service provider. Initial findings from the few […]
The effects of completion of continuum of care in maternal health services on adverse birth outcomes in Northwestern Ethiopia: a prospective follow-up study
Background: Globally, around 4 million babies die within the first month of birth annually with more than 3 million stillbirths. Of them, 99% of newborn deaths and 98% of stillbirths occur in developing countries. Despite giving priority to maternal health services, adverse birth outcomes are still major public health problems in the study area. Hence, […]
Integration of water, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition programming is associated with lower prevalence of child stunting and fever in Oromia, Ethiopia
The difference in prevalence of undernutrition and two-week disease history in women and children in Oromia, Ethiopia was compared between two intervention groups: nutrition only (comparison group) and integrated water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and nutrition (integrated group). In both groups, health care workers were trained in community management of acute malnutrition and infant and […]
A system approach to improving maternal and child health care delivery in Kenya: Innovations at the community and primary care facilities (a protocol)
Background: Maternal, fetal and neonatal mortality are higher in low-income compared to high-income countries due to weak health systems including poor access and utilization of health services. Despite enormous recent improvements in maternal, neonatal and under 5 health indicators, more rapid progress is needed to meet the targets including the Development Goal 3(SDG). In Kenya […]
The effectiveness of community-based continuous training on promoting positive behaviors towards birth preparedness, male involvement, and maternal services utilization among expecting couples in rukwa, Tanzania: A theory of planned behavior quasi-experimental study
Background. Rukwa Region has the highest maternal mortality ratio, 860 deaths per 100,000 live births in Tanzania. The region has neonatal mortality rate of 38 deaths per 1,000 live births. Previous interventions to promote maternal and neonatal health targeted access to maternal services by removing financial barriers and increasing the number of health facilities. However, […]
Effects of a participatory community quality improvement strategy on improving household and provider health care behaviors and practices: A propensity score analysis
Background: Maternal and newborn health care intervention coverage has increased in many low-income countries over the last decade, yet poor quality of care remains a challenge, limiting health gains. The World Health Organization envisions community engagement as a critical component of health care delivery systems to ensure quality services, responsive to community needs. Aligned with […]
Clinical decision making in basic emergency obstetric and newborn care among nurses and midwives: the role of the safe delivery mhealth application_pre-post-intervention study (research protocol)
Most maternal and newborn deaths in low-income countries, including Rwanda, are attributable to preventable causes. Timely access to Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC) guidelines to support clinical decisions could lead to better obstetric care thus reduction of maternal and newborn deaths. Besides, innovative methods such as the usage and reference to healthcare guidelines […]
Protocol for analysing the epidemiology of maternal mortality in Zimbabwe: A civil registration and vital statistics trend study
Background Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) carries the highest burden of maternal mortality, yet, the accurate maternal mortality ratios (MMR) are uncertain in most SSA countries. Measuring maternal mortality is challenging in this region, where civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems are weak or non-existent. We describe a protocol designed to explore the use of CRVS […]
Evaluating the impact of a maternal health voucher programme on service use before and after the introduction of free maternity services in Kenya: A quasi-experimental study
Introduction From 2006 to 2016, the Government of Kenya implemented a reproductive health voucher programme in select counties, providing poor women subsidised access to public and private sector care. In June 2013, the government introduced a policy calling for free maternity services to be provided in all public facilities. The concurrent implementation of these interventions […]
