Applying the lessons of maternal mortality reduction to global emergency health.

Emilie J Calvello,Lee A Wallis,Andrea G Tenner,Alexander P Skog

doi:10.2471/blt.14.146571

Abstract

Over the last few decades, maternal health has been a major focus of the international community and this has resulted in a substantial decrease in maternal mortality globally. Although, compared with maternal illness, medical and surgical emergencies account for far more morbidity and mortality, there has been less focus on global efforts to improve comprehensive emergency systems. The thoughtful and specific application of the concepts used in the effort to decrease maternal mortality could lead to major improvements in global emergency health services. The so-called three-delay model that was developed for maternal mortality can be adapted to emergency service delivery. Adaptation of evaluation frameworks to include emergency sentinel conditions could allow effective monitoring of emergency facilities and further policy development. Future global emergency health efforts may benefit from incorporating strategies for the planning and evaluation of high-impact interventions.

Highlights

Global health initiatives are fuelled by the extent of the associated public health need, the severity of the problem involved and the availability of feasible solutions to that problem
The global effort to reduce maternal mortality has benefited from such advocacy, as demonstrated by the progress made towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 5 – i.e. towards a 75% reduction of maternal mortality, from its 1990 level, by 2015.1,2 The global community’s approach to improvement in maternal mortality may be applied to other high-impact public health issues, including the delivery of all emergency services
Questions have been raised about the adaptability and flexibility of emergency systems designed around vertical delivery models

Summary

Introduction

Global health initiatives are fuelled by the extent of the associated public health need, the severity of the problem involved and the availability of feasible solutions to that problem.

Results

Conclusion