Maternal & Child Health

Knowledge of the relation between health-system factors and child mortality could help to inform health policy in low-income and middle-income countries. We aimed to quantify modifiable health-system factors and their relation with provincial-level heterogeneity in under-5, infant, and neonatal mortality over time in Mozambique. [from abstract]

As Asia has shown strong increases in institutional coverage of delivery care in the last decade, we will examine trends in six Asian countries. We hypothesize that if the private sector competes for clients based on perceived quality, their clientele will be wealthier, more educated and live in an area where there are enough health facilities to allow for competition. [from abstract]

One strategic approach to increase the use of appropriate maternal healthcare services is to encourage the expansion of the role of the private sector. However, critics of such an approach argue that increasing the role of the private sector will lead to increased inequity in the use of maternal healthcare services. This article explores this issue in two South Asian countries that have traditionally had high rates of maternal mortality—Nepal and Bangladesh. [from abstract]

Ethiopia has made tremendous progress in providing health services to its large (87 million), and largely rural (83%), population. This is reflected in significant improvements in many maternal and child health indicators over the past ten years, including roughly a halving of infant and under-five mortality and an almost five-fold increase in the modern method contraceptive prevalence rate. At the heart of this expansion and its success is the health worker. [from introduction]

This report includes an updated, detailed profile for each of the 75 Countdown countries, which together account for more than 95% of the global burden of maternal, newborn and child death. The report shows that progress has been impressive in some areas, but it also highlights the vast areas of unfinished business that must be prioritized in the post-2015 framework. [adapted from introduction]

High maternal and perinatal mortalities occur from deliveries conducted in prayer houses in Nigeria. This study therefore seeks to determine the perception of booked antenatal
patients on spiritual care during pregnancy and their desire for such within hospital setting. [adapted from abstract]

There has not been a systematic attempt to examine the effects of barriers to health care on under-five mortality in Nigeria. This study is designed to address this knowledge gap. [from abstract]

The State of the World’s Midwifery (SoWMy) 2014 presents findings on midwifery from 73 low and middle- income countries. [from introduction]

A team-building approach was taken to engage the maternity ward in reviewing current practices, and identifying activities to strengthen midwifery services. [from introduction] Story is near bottom of page.

To determine the difference in delivery success of health messages delivered through pushed SMS, pushed
voice messages sent to personal phones, and voice messages retrieved from a community phone (‘‘retrieved voice
messaging’’), as well as the difference in quality of the user experience. [from abstract]

To determine the difference in delivery success of health messages delivered through pushed SMS, pushed
voice messages sent to personal phones, and voice messages retrieved from a community phone (‘‘retrieved voice
messaging’’), as well as the difference in quality of the user experience. [from abstract]

The aim of this study was to measure the capacity of referral hospitals’ maternity services to cope with the demand for health services after the implementation of this policy. [from abstract]

The overview involved a synthesis and review of recent data and information from key
national representative peer reviewed articles and grey literature from the National Department of
Health and related stakeholder reports. [from abstract]

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of serving physicians and midwives on the quantity and quality of family planning services in the healthcare centers of Iran. [from abstract]

During the three-and-a-half years of implementation, Ethiopia’s [Federal Ministry of Health] developed a new community health strategy for the Health Extension Program consisting of Primary Health Care Units (health centers and health posts) and the Health Development army. [adapted from abstract]

This paper analyses the importance of the services rendered by traditional birth attendants (TBAs) to pregnantwomen in Zimbabwe.It argues that, though an integral part of the health system, the ambivalence in terms of policy on the part of the government leaves them in a predicament. [from abstract]

Task shifting is seen as a way to improve access to pregnancy and childbirth care. However, the role of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) within task shifting initiatives remains contested. The objective of this study was to explore stakeholder views and justifications regarding the incorporation of TBAs into formal health systems. [from abstract]

This paper examines three groups of innovative ideas have been institutionalized in African countries to improve maternal health: policy, institutional and experimental innovations. [adapted from abstract]

This project aimed to meet the technical needs of Health Extension Workers and midwives in Ethiopia for maternal health using appropriate mobile technologies tools. [from introduction]

The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-summary to identify factors affecting compliance among healthcare providers in Africa with clinical practice guidelines for pap screening to reduce cancer incidence and mortality. [adapted from abstract]

The national Health Extension Program aims to provide universal access to primary health care services through more than 34,000 government-salaried female health extension workers. This article reports the effect of the project’s community-based newborn survival interventions on changes in maternal and newborn health care practices. [adapted from introduction]

This paper reviews the literature on generalist and specialist community health workers to assess their potential for strengthening the delivery of adolescent health services. [from abstract]

This paper reports about knowledge and practices of traditional birth attendants on emergency obstetric care in a rural district of Tanzania and discusses policy implications on involving traditional birth attendants in maternal health services. [adapted from abstract]

As part of an assessment of quality of community case management services in Malawi, this report examines the bias associated with measuring community health worker performance by using register review, case scenarios, and direct observation only methods compared with direct observation with re-examination by a higher-level clinician, and discusses the relative strengths and weaknesses of the four assessment methods in the Malawi context. [adapted from author]

This article describes community health workers in government community case management programs for child survival across sub-Saharan Africa. [from abstract]

Community case management (CCM) is a promising task-shifting strategy for expanding treatment of childhood illness that is increasingly adopted by low-income countries. This study uses qualitative methods to explore health workers’ and managers’ perceptions about CCM provided by health surveillance assistants during the program’s first year in Malawi. [adapted from abstract]

This paper documents progress in the scale up of a program to train an existing cadre of community based health workers, known as health surveillance assistants, to provide integrated community case management of childhood illness between 2008 and 2011. It describes some critical challenges that affect the effectiveness and sustainability of the program, and proposes solutions. [adapted from introduction]

This article assessed how a program for integrated community case management (iCCM) for children under 5 years addresses newborn care in three mid-western districts through document reviews, structured interviews, and focus group discussions with village health team members trained in iCCM, caregivers, and other stakeholders. [adapted from abstract]

This study compared effectiveness and use of community medicine distributors and drug use under integrated community case management and home-based management strategies in children 6–59 months of age in eastern Uganda. [adapted from abstract]

This briefing argues that the global shortage of skilled health workers means that children in the world’s poorest countries don’t get the care that would stop them dying from causes related to malnutrition. It advocates for the need for more health workers who are trained and supported to prevent and treat malnutrition in the places of greatest need. [adapted from publisher]