Abstract
BackgroundIn India there is a thrust towards promoting institutional delivery, resulting in problems of overcrowding and compromise to quality of care. Review of near-miss obstetric events has been suggested to be useful to investigate health system functioning, complementing maternal death reviews. The aim of this project was to identify the key elements required for a near-miss review programme for India.MethodsA structured review was conducted to identify methods used in assessing near-miss cases. The findings of the structured review were used to develop a suggested framework for conducting near-miss reviews in India. A pool of experts in near-miss review methods in low and middle income countries (LMICs) was identified for vetting the framework developed. Opinions were sought about the feasibility of implementing near-miss reviews in India, the processes to be followed, factors that made implementation successful and the associated challenges. A draft of the framework was revised based on the experts’ opinions.ResultsFive broad methods of near-miss case review/audit were identified: Facility-based near-miss case review, confidential enquiries, criterion-based clinical audit, structured case review (South African Model) and home-based interviews. The opinion of the 11 stakeholders highlighted that the methods that a facility adopts should depend on the type and number of cases the facility handles, availability and maintenance of a good documentation system, and local leadership and commitment of staff. A proposed framework for conducting near-miss reviews was developed that included a combination of criterion-based clinical audit and near-miss review methods.ConclusionThe approach allowed for development of a framework for researchers and planners seeking to improve quality of maternal care not only at the facility level but also beyond, encompassing community health workers and referral. Further work is needed to evaluate the implementation of this framework to determine its efficacy in improving the quality of care and hence maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.
Highlights
In India there is a thrust towards promoting institutional delivery, resulting in problems of overcrowding and compromise to quality of care
The methods include reviewing all the maternity records to determine whether the care received meets a preagreed set of criteria of care [5,13,25], following the women from admission to discharge [14,17], interviews with women or family members of women who experienced near-miss to learn about the care she received [19], and in-depth analysis of selected cases by an independent expert panel [14], Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: Maternal near miss in India, a report on developing maternal near miss policy framework, definition, criteria and tools, forthcoming]
This paper proposes a comprehensive framework for assessing maternal near-miss in the Indian context, where access to and quality of primary care are likely to play important roles in precipitating maternal complications
Summary
In India there is a thrust towards promoting institutional delivery, resulting in problems of overcrowding and compromise to quality of care. Review of near-miss obstetric events has been suggested to be useful to investigate health system functioning, complementing maternal death reviews. Assessment of near-miss cases is seen as a useful method, complementing maternal death reviews, and can provide a monitoring tool for quality and performance of obstetric services [9,10]. As near-misses occur much more frequently than maternal deaths, more statistically reliable quantitative analyses can be achieved These provide a comprehensive profile of the health system functioning and assist in developing coordinated actions to address the identified barriers to quality care [14,15,16,17,18,19]. Geographical area in which near-miss review was tested/implemented; number and type of women/institutions covered; duration of implementation Review design
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