Safe Motherhood Studies: Results from Benin: Competency of Skilled Birth Attendants; the Enabling Environment for Skilled Attendance at Delivery; In-Hospital Delays in Obstetric Care (Documenting the Third Delay)

Through its Safe Motherhood Research Program, the Quality Assurance Project carried out three studies to explore issues regarding competence of skilled birth attendants, the elements that contribute to an enabling environment and the causes of the delay in receiving medical attention after a woman arrives at a healthcare facility in countries with high maternal mortality ratios. The first study examined the competency of skilled birth attendants (SBAs). The second measured SBA performance and the relative contribution to performance of different enabling factors in the work environment. The last study examined causes of in-facility delays in receiving obstetric care. All three studies were carried out between September 2001 and July 2002 in Benin, Ecuador, Jamaica, and Rwanda. This report presents the results from Benin. The Benin studies included five hospitals: a tertiary care referral hospital with an active maternity department, two secondary care hospitals, and two smaller district hospitals. [publisher’s description]