Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric And Newborn Care Research Articles

Eight years into the horizon of aspirational maternal and newborn health pledges: a nationwide cross-sectional exploration of the Burundian EmONC network capacity and budget deficits

ObjectiveThe Burundian emergency obstetric and neonatal care (EmONC) programme, which was initiated in 2017 and supported by a specific policy, does not appear to reverse maternal and newborn mortality trends....

Factors that Affect the Performance of Health Workers in Providing Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care

Background Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) at a tertiary hospital aims to provide sub-specialistic care for life-threatening maternal and neonatal emergency cases. The performance of healthcare workers (HCWs) is a key determinant of the quality of this hospital service, as it could eventually affect the clinical outcome of patients. Objectives This study was performed to analyze the factors affecting the performance of HCWs in providing CEmONC services at a tertiary hospital. Methods This cross-sectional research used an online questionnaire through Google Form (Google LLC, USA) from June to July 2022 distributed to 198 HCWs who contributed to CEmONC services at a tertiary hospital. A total of 119 HCWs who had worked for more than one year were included. The collected data were then analyzed with bivariate and multivariate analysis. Results In this study, 68 HCWs (57.1%) had a good performance in implementing the CEmONC services. The significant factors influencing the performance of HCWs were Quality (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 31.914; p = 0.003), Quantity (AOR = 15.573; p = 0.003), Work effectiveness (AOR = 20.256; p=0.003), Timeliness (AOR = 27.543; p=0.001), and Teamwork (AOR = 6.773; p=0.031). Meanwhile, age, gender, professional background, length of work experience, and commitment were not associated with the performance of HCWs (p > 0.05). Conclusion The better performance of HCWs was significantly correlated with good quality, adequate quantity, effective work, being on time, and good teamwork. Therefore, this result suggests that hospital managers should conduct periodic monitoring and evaluation regarding the performance of their employees to improve the quality of CEmONC services at the hospital.

Spatial and Socioeconomic Inequalities in Cesarean Section Deliveries in Urban Settings in Dakar, Senegal.

As part of an initiative aimed at reducing maternal and child mortality, Senegal implemented a policy of free Cesarean section (C-section) since 2005. Despite the implementation, C-section rates have remained low and significant large disparities in access, particularly in major cities such as Dakar. This paper aims to assess C-section rates and examines socioeconomic inequalities in C-section use in the Dakar region between 2005 and 2019. This study incorporates data from various sources, including the health routine data within District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) platform, government statistics on slum areas, and data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). A geospatial analysis was conducted to identify locations of Comprehensive emergency obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) services using the Direction des Travaux Géographiques et Cartographiques (DTGC) databases and satellite imagery from the Google Earth platform. The analytical approach encompassed univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses. The C-section rate fluctuated over the years, increasing from 11.1% in 2005 to 16.4% in 2011, declined to 9.8% in 2014, and then raised to 13.3% in 2019. The wealth tertile demonstrated a positive correlation with C-sections in urban areas of the Dakar region. Geospatial analyses revealed that women residing in slum areas were less likely to undergo C-section deliveries. These findings underscore the importance of public health policies extending beyond merely providing free C-section delivery services. Strategies that improve equitable access to C-section delivery services for women across all socioeconomic strata are needed, particularly targeting the poor women and those in urban slums.

Emergency obstetric and newborn care signal functions: The situation in health facilities in Nepal between 2015 and 2021

Expanding access to facility-based delivery services and improving the functionality of emergency obstetric and neonatal care (EmONC) are important strategies toward achieving a maternal mortality ratio of 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030. In this study the researchers assess signal functions at designated facilities in Nepal, using Nepal Health Facility Survey data for 2015 and 2021. The functionality of basic and comprehensive EmONC sites was low, declining over the six-year period. Lack of progress may partly be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nepal needs to expand EmONC sites strategically, strengthen referral systems, improve service readiness, and periodically assess service quality.

A PLS-SEM Analysis of Factors Determining Medical Personnel Performance in a Tertiary Referral Hospital

Background: Health workers’ performance is essential to the effective delivery of hospital healthcare services, which can determine the quality of care and patient safety. Employees’ job performance becomes more crucial for tertiary hospitals where advanced and subspecialty care is provided to treat high-risk and critical emergency patients. Objectives: This study was conducted to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the factors that affect medical personnel's performance at the hospital, with perception as the intervening variable. Methods: This cross-sectional study used an online self-administered survey tool, in which 119 responses were collected from health workers who provide Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) in a tertiary hospital in Padang, Indonesia. A partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) was constructed to analyze the factors determining medical personnel performance. Results: The study showed that personal perceptions significantly correlate with health workers’ job performance, with attitudes and motivations found to have a powerful effect on the forming of perceptions. In addition, their performance is also significantly influenced by the aspects of quality, quantity, timeliness, effectiveness, teamwork, and commitment. However, the study does not support the relationship between knowledge, expectations, or actual performance with the medical employee’s job performance. Conclusion: This result suggests the hospital management team in the tertiary hospital considers these factors to improve healthcare services quality and promote a supportive work environment to improve the medical personnel’s performance.

Factors influencing healthcare workers' perceptions towards comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care

In tertiary hospitals, comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEmONC) provides subspecialty care for high-risk maternal and neonatal emergency cases. Healthcare workers (HCWs) play critical roles in hospital services, and their perception affects the quality of care they provide. Hence, this study was conducted to analyze the factors influencing HCWs’ perception regarding CEmONC in a tertiary referral hospital. This cross- sectional study used an electronic questionnaire distributed to 198 CEmONC team members. The sample was selected by convenience sampling, and those who had worked for at least one year were included. The collected data were then analyzed using bivariate and multivariate analysis. Among 119 HCWs, 52.9% had a positive perception towards CEmONC implementation at the hospital. The result of logistic regression analysis found that the significant factors contributing to HCWs’ positive perceptions were good knowledge (AOR=33.484; p=0.001), good attitude (AOR=55.834; p=0.009), high motivation (AOR=12.579; p=0.005), high expectations (AOR =27.106; p=0.002), and good actual performance (AOR=45.879; p=0.003). Age, gender, professional background, and the length of work experience werenot associated with HCWs’ perceptions (p>0.05). Therefore, hospital administrators must regularly evaluate these factors to improve the quality of CEmONC services in the hospital so that maternal and infant mortality rates can be reduced.

The use of a mobile obstetric emergency system to improve obstetric referrals in Bong County, Liberia: A pre-post study.

Liberia experiences an unmet need for cesarean section with about 5% population coverage, lower than 9%-19% coverage associated with improved maternal and newborn outcomes. Delays in the referral process for comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEmONC) services due to ineffective communication between a rural health facility (RHF) and a district hospital contribute to the low CS rate. This study examined the association between mobile obstetric emergency system (MORES) implementation and referral time for obstetric emergencies as well as maternal/newborn outcomes. A pre-post descriptive analysis was conducted on data collected from 20 rural health facilities (RHFs) and two hospitals in Bong County. Women with referral data from both RHFs and hospitals were matched and information including transfer time, reasons for referral, and maternal and newborn outcomes were extracted. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression models examined the relationship between the intervention's implementation and mode of delivery, maternal outcome, newborn outcome, and transfer time from RHF to district hospital. Ethics approval was obtained from two study centers. Women had higher odds of undergoing a CS at endline (OR: 1.86 95% CI: 0.99-3.46) compared to baseline. Additionally, newborns had lower odds of showing non-vigorous symptoms (OR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.14-0.68), defined as a newborn with poor respiratory effort, muscle tone, or heart rate. There was no significant association between the intervention's implementation and transfer time. The MORES intervention is a promising means to increase timely care seeking along the referral pathway which may enhance access to cesarean section as well as improved newborn outcome in low- and middle-income countries.

Validating indicators for monitoring availability and geographic distribution of emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmoNC) facilities: A study triangulating health system, facility, and geospatial data.

Availability of emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) is a strong supply side measure of essential health system capacity that is closely and causally linked to maternal mortality reduction and fundamentally to achieving universal health coverage. The World Health Organization's indicator "Availability of EmONC facilities" was prioritized as a core indicator to prevent maternal death. The indicator focuses on whether there are sufficient emergency care facilities to meet the population need, but not all facilities designated as providing EmONC function as such. This study seeks to validate "Availability of EmONC" by comparing the value of the indicator after accounting for key aspects of facility functionality and an alternative measure of geographic distribution. This study takes place in four subnational geographic areas in Argentina, Ghana, and India using a census of all birthing facilities. Performance of EmONC in the 90 days prior to data collection was assessed by examining facility records. Data were collected on facility operating hours, staffing, and availability of essential medications. Population estimates were generated using ArcGIS software using WorldPop to estimate the total population, and the number of women of reproductive age (WRA), pregnancies and births in the study areas. In addition, we estimated the population within two-hours travel time of an EmONC facility by incorporating data on terrain from Open Street Map. Using these data sources, we calculated and compared the value of the indicator after incorporating data on facility performance and functionality while varying the reference population used. Further, we compared its value to the proportion of the population within two-hours travel time of an EmONC facility. Included in our study were 34 birthing facilities in Argentina, 51 in Ghana, and 282 in India. Facility performance of basic EmONC (BEmONC) and comprehensive EmONC (CEmONC) signal functions varied considerably. One facility (4.8%) in Ghana and no facility in India designated as BEmONC had performed all seven BEmONC signal functions. In Argentina, three (8.8%) CEmONC-designated facilities performed all nine CEmONC signal functions, all located in Buenos Aires Region V. Four CEmONC-designated facilities in Ghana (57.1%) and the three CEmONC-designated facilities in India (23.1%) evidenced full CEmONC performance. No sub-national study area in Argentina or India reached the target of 5 BEmONC-level facilities per 20,000 births after incorporating facility functionality yet 100% did in Argentina and 50% did in India when considering only facility designation. Demographic differences also accounted for important variation in the indicator's value. In Ghana, the total population in Tolon within 2 hours travel time of a designated EmONC facility was estimated at 99.6%; however, only 91.1% of women of reproductive age were within 2 hours travel time. Comparing the value of the indicator when calculated using different definitions reveals important inconsistencies, resulting in conflicting information about whether the threshold for sufficient coverage is met. This raises important questions related to the indicator's validity. To provide a valid measure of effective coverage of EmONC, the construct for measurement should extend beyond the most narrow definition of availability and account for functionality and geographic accessibility.

Factors to improve the quality of comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care

This study aimed to explore healthcare team members’ perspectives towards the factors that can contribute to the quality improvement of comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care (CEmONC) services at a tertiary hospital. This qualitative descriptive study used convenience sampling to collect the sample. The inclusion criteria were the health workers who have worked for at least one year, in which a total of 119 participants took part in this study. The data were obtained from an online questionnaire, and the collected data were then analyzed with qualitative thematic analysis. This study revealed that three key aspects affecting the success of CEmONC services: i) health human resources (high-quality healthcare workers, in adequate proportion, with excellent teamwork, and commitment to being on time); ii) facilities and infrastructure (the availability of the intensive care unit and 24-hour laboratory, and the access to the obstetric/neonatal ward), and iii) the hospital service system (well-integrated external referral system and internal consultation). As the highest referral healthcare center, hospital managers should monitor and evaluate these three factors periodically to ensure that high-risk mothers and babies can acquire appropriate subspecialty care in the hospital and further can reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rates.

Health facilities preparedness to deliver maternal and newborn health care in Kilifi and Kisii Counties, Kenya

IntroductionHealth facility preparedness is essential for delivering quality maternal and newborn care, minimizing morbidity and mortality by addressing delays in seeking skilled care, reaching appropriate facilities, and receiving emergency care. A rapid assessment of 23 government health facilities in Kilifi and Kisii counties identified poor maternal and newborn indicators in 16 facilities. The Access to Quality Care through Extending and Strengthening Health Systems (AQCESS) project supported these facilities with training, equipment, and referral linkages. This study focuses on facility preparedness of the 16 facilities to deliver maternal and newborn health services, specifically delays two and three at the end of the project implementation.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was carried-out on behalf of AQCESS project team by respective county ministry of health in-charge of reproductive maternal newborn and child health programs and trained nurses and medical doctors from Aga Khan health services in December 2019. The study evaluated the accessibility and reliability of drugs, commodities, equipment, personnel, basic necessities (such as water and electricity), and guidelines using validated World Health Organization service availability and readiness assessment tool. The findings of the assessment are presented through frequency and percentage analysis, along with a comparative analysis between the two counties.ResultsAll the 16 facilities assessed offered routine antenatal care (ANC) and normal delivery, but only two provided comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEmONC). Most essential medicines, commodities, and required equipment were available. BEmONC and CEmONC guidelines were present in Kilifi, not in Kisii. One staff member was available 24/7 for cesarean section (CS) in each county, with one anesthetist in Kilifi. Electricity was accessible in all facilities, but only half had secondary power supply. Facilities offering CS had backup generators.ConclusionThe Facilities assessed had necessary drugs, commodities, equipment, and requirements, but staffing and guidelines were limited. Kilifi outperformed Kisii in most indicators. Additional support is needed for infrastructure and human resources to deliver quality maternal and newborn health services. Continuous monitoring will facilitate resource allocation based on facility needs.

Comprehensive emergency management of obstetric and newborn care program implementation at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, 2021: an evaluation study

BackgroundMaternal healthcare service is the care given for the woman during her gestation, delivery and postpartum period. The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) was remains high and a public health problem in Ethiopia. Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries account two-thirds of the global total maternal deaths. To curb such high burden related with child births, comprehensive emergency obstetric care is designed as one of the strategies for maternal healthcare services. However, its implementation status was not well investigated. This study aims to evaluate the implementation of comprehensive emergency obstetric and new born care program in terms of Availability, compliance and acceptability dimensions at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsA single case study design was employed from 01 to 30 April 2021. A total of 265 mothers who gave birth at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (UoGCSH) during the data collection period for acceptability, 13 key informant interviews (KIIs), 49 non-participatory observations (25 observations during C/S performance and 24 assisted spontaneous vaginal deliver) and 320 retrospective document review were conducted. Availability, compliance and acceptability dimensions were evaluated using 32 indicators. Binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with acceptability of the services. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and p-value < 0.05 were also used to identify associated variables with acceptability. The qualitative data were recorded using tape recorder, transcribed in Amharic and translated to English language. Thematic analysis was done to supplement the quantitative findings.ResultsThe overall implementation of comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEmONC) was 81.6%. Moreover, acceptability, availability and care provider’s compliance with the guideline accounted 81, 88.9 and 74.8%, respectively. There were stocked-out of some essential drugs, such as methyldopa, nifidipine, gentamycin and vitamin K injection. CEmONC training gaps, inadequate number of autoclaves, shortage of water supply and long-distance delivery ward to laboratory unit were also the barriers for the CEmONC service. Short waiting time of clients (AOR = 2.40; 95%CI: 1.16, 4.90) and maternal educational level (AOR = 5.50, 95%CI: 1.95, 15.60) were positively associated with acceptability of CEmONC services.ConclusionThe implementation status of CEmONC program was good as per our judgment parameter. Compliance of healthcare providers with the guideline was fair and needed improvement. Essential emergency drugs, equipment and supplies were stocked-out. The University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital was therefore had better to give great emphasis to expand maternity rooms/ units. The hospital had better to avail the resources and provide continuous capacity building for healthcare providers to enhance the program implementation.

Scale up and strengthening of comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care in Tanzania.

In Tanzania, inadequate access to comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEmONC) services is the major bottleneck for perinatal care and results in high maternal and perinatal mortality. From 2015 to 2019, the Accessing Safe Deliveries in Tanzania project was implemented to study how to improve access to CEmONC services in underserved rural areas. A five-year longitudinal cohort study was implemented in seven health centres (HCs) and 21 satellite dispensaries in Morogoro region. Five of the health centres received CEmONC interventions and two served as controls. Forty-two associate clinicians from the intervention HCs were trained in teams for three months in CEmONC and anaesthesia. Managers of 20 intervention facilities, members of the district and regional health management teams were trained in leadership and management. Regular supportive supervision was conducted. Interventions resulted in improved responsibility and accountability among managers. In intervention HCs, the mean monthly deliveries increased from 183 (95% CI 174-191) at baseline (July 2014 -June 2016) to 358 (95% CI 328-390) during the intervention period (July 2016 -June 2019). The referral rate to district hospitals in intervention HCs decreased from 6.0% (262/4,392) with 95% CI 5.3-6.7 at baseline to 4.0% (516/12,918) with 95% CI 3.7-4.3 during the intervention period while it increased in the control group from 0.8% (48/5,709) to 1.5% (168/11,233). The obstetric case fatality rate decreased slightly from 1.5% (95% CI 0.6-3.1) at baseline to 1.1% (95% CI 0.7-1.6) during the intervention period (not statistically significant). Active engagement strategies and training in leadership and management resulted in uptake and improvement of CEmONC and anaesthesia curricula, and contributed to scale up of CEmONC at health centre level in the country. Integration of leadership and managerial capacity building, with CEmONC-specific interventions was associated with health systems strengthening and improved quality of services.

The impact of training on self-reported performance in reproductive, maternal, and newborn health service delivery among healthcare workers in Tanzania: a baseline- and endline-survey

BackgroundDelivery of quality reproductive health services has been documented to depend on the availability of healthcare workers who are adequately supported with appropriate training. However, unmet training needs among healthcare workers in reproductive, maternal, and newborn health (RMNH) in low-income countries remain disproportionately high. This study investigated the effectiveness of training with onsite clinical mentorship towards self-reported performance in RMNH among healthcare workers in Mwanza Region, Tanzania.MethodsThe study used a quasi-experimental design with pre-and post-intervention evaluation strategy. The baseline was compared with two endline groups: those with intervention (training and onsite mentorship) and those without. The differences among the three groups in the sociodemographic characteristics were analyzed by using chi-square test for categorical variables, independent-sample t-test for continuous variables and Mann–Whitney U test for ordinal or skewed continuous data. The independent sample t-test was used to determine the effect of the intervention by comparing the computed self-reported performance on RMNH services between the intervention and control groups. The paired-samples t-test was used to measure the differences between before and after intervention groups. Significance was set at a 95% confidence interval with p ≤ 0.05.ResultsThe study included a sample of 216 participants with before and after intervention groups comprising of 95 (44.0%) and 121 (56.0%) in the control group. The comparison between before and after intervention groups revealed a statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) in all the dimensions of the self-reported performance scores. However, the comparison between intervention groups and controls indicated a statistical significant difference on intra-operative care (t = 3.10, df = 216, p = 0.002), leadership skills (t = 1.85, df = 216, p = 0.050), Comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEMONC) (t = 34.35, df = 216, p ≤ 0.001), and overall self-reported performance in RMNH (t = 3.15, df = 216, p = 0.002).ConclusionsThis study revealed that the training and onsite clinical mentorship to have significant positive changes in self-reported performance in a wide range of RMNH services especially on intra-operative care, leadership skills and CEMONC. However, further studies with rigorous designs are warranted to evaluate the long-term effect of such training programs on RMNH outcomes.

A Comprehensive Approach to Improving Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care in Kigoma, Tanzania.

To address high levels of maternal mortality in Kigoma, Tanzania, stakeholders increased women's access to high-quality comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) by decentralizing services from hospitals to health centers where EmONC was delivered mostly by associate clinicians and nurses. To ensure that women used services, implementers worked to continuously improve and sustain quality of care while creating demand. Program evaluation included periodic health facility assessments, pregnancy outcome monitoring, and enhanced maternal mortality detection region-wide in program- and nonprogram-supported health facilities. Between 2013 and 2018, the average number of lifesaving interventions performed per facility increased from 2.8 to 4.7. The increase was higher in program-supported than nonprogram-supported health centers and dispensaries. The institutional delivery rate increased from 49% to 85%; the greatest increase occurred through using health centers (15% to 25%) and dispensaries (21% to 46%). The number of cesarean deliveries almost doubled, and the population cesarean delivery rate increased from 2.6% to 4.5%. Met need for emergency obstetric care increased from 44% to 61% while the direct obstetric case fatality rate declined from 1.8% to 1.4%. The institutional maternal mortality ratio across all health facilities declined from 303 to 174 deaths per 100,000 live births. The total stillbirth rate declined from 26.7 to 12.8 per 1,000 births. The predischarge neonatal mortality rate declined from 10.7 to 7.6 per 1,000 live births. Changes in case fatality rate and maternal mortality were driven by project-supported facilities. Changes in neonatal mortality varied depending on facility type and program support status. Decentralizing high-quality comprehensive EmONC delivered mostly by associate clinicians and nurses led to significant improvements in the availability and utilization of lifesaving care at birth in Kigoma. Dedicated efforts to sustain high-quality EmONC along with supplemental programmatic components contributed to the reduction of maternal and perinatal mortality.

Satisfaction with comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care services and associated factors among clients in University of Gondar Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study.

Emergency obstetric and newborn care services treat 70-80% of maternal deaths. This study aimed to assess satisfaction with comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEmONC) services and associated factors among clients in the University of Gondar Specialized Hospital. Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 404 participants using a systematic random sampling method. The study was conducted from March 5 to May 5, 2020, using interviewer-administered structured questionnaires. Binary logistic regression was used to find the association between independent variables and client satisfaction. The level of statistical significance was declared at a p value less than 0.05. The overall clients' satisfaction with CEmONC services was 65.1% (95% confidence interval (CI): 60.9-69.8). Clients' satisfaction was affected by women who had antenatal care (ANC) of three visits (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 6.5; 95%, CI: 2.04-20.8), women waited less than 15 min (AOR: 4.15, 95% CI: 1.9-9.06), mothers stayed ⩽1 day (AOR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.09-0.9) and 2-3 days (AOR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.1-0.69), obtaining a welcoming environment (AOR: 4.6, 95% CI: 2.15-9.88), and getting providers explanation of examinations (AOR: 3.3, 95% CI: 1.97-5.52). The observed clients' satisfaction with CEmONC services was suboptimal. Having ANC of three visits, waiting less than 15 min, duration of stay, obtaining a welcoming environment, and an explanation of providers' examination were the identified factors of client's satisfaction. Therefore, hospital managers and health professionals should work on the identified factors to increase the client's satisfaction with these services.

Assessment of Availability and Quality of Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care Service in Southwestern Oromia, Ethiopia, 2017

Background. Emergency obstetrics and newborn care (EmONC) is an important lifesaving function which can avert the death of women facing obstetrics-related complications. It is a cost-effective, significant intervention to decrease maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in poor resource settings, including Ethiopia. Objective. The aim of this study was to assess the availability and quality of the EmONC services in southwestern Oromia, Ethiopia, in 2017. Methods. An institutional-based cross-sectional study was implemented from April to May 2017. Data were collected using checklists and questionnaires developed from different studies. Data were analyzed using EPI-info and exported to SPSS version 20 for further analysis. Each descriptive statistic was summarized using frequency, percentage, and tables for categorical variables. Results. Despite the fact that the overall coverage of fully functioning basic emergency obstetric and newborn care (BEmONC) facilities was greater than 5 per 500,000 people, nearly one-fourth (25.64%) provided less than expected signal functions, indicating that these facilities were nonfunctional. There were only 0.24 comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEmONC) facilities per 500,000 people. The result of this study also revealed that the quality of EmONC facilities in all health-care settings was poor. Conclusion and Recommendation. There were gaps in performance signal functions as well as the availability and quality of EmONC in the study area. Availability and quality of EmONC necessitate improvements through enhancing health-care providers’ skills by training and mentoring as well as enabling facilities accessible for utilization of EmONC. Further research is needed to identify factors that could be barriers to the performance quality and coverage of EmONC services.

Bypassing high-quality maternity facilities: evidence from pregnant women in peri-urban Nairobi.

Utilization of high-quality maternal care is an important link along the pathway from increased facility-based delivery to improved maternal health outcomes, however women in Nairobi do not all deliver in the highest quality facilities available to them. We explored whether women living in peri-urban Nairobi who live nearby to high-quality facilities bypassed, or travelled farther than, their nearest high technical quality facility using survey data collected before and after delivery from women (n = 358) and from facility assessments (n = 59). We defined the nearest high technical quality facility as the nearest Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) capable facility to each woman's neighbourhood. We compared women who delivered in their nearest CEmONC (n = 44) to women who bypassed their nearest CEmONC to deliver in a facility that was farther away (n = 200). Among bypassers, 131 (65.5%) women delivered in farther non-CEmONC facilities with lower technical quality and 69 (34.5%) delivered in farther CEmONCs with higher technical quality capacity compared to their nearby CEmONCs. Bypassers rated their delivery experience higher than non-bypassers. Women who bypassed to deliver in non-CEmONCs were less likely to have completed four antenatal care visits and to consider delivering in any CEmONC prior to delivery while women who bypassed to deliver in farther CEmONCs paid more for delivery and were more likely to report being able to access emergency funds compared to non-bypassers. Our findings suggest that women in peri-urban Nairobi bypassed their nearest CEmONC facilities in favour of delivering in facilities that provided better non-technical quality care. Bypassers with access to financial resources were also able to deliver in facilities with higher technical quality care. Policies that improve women's delivery experience and ensure that information about facility technical quality is widely distributed may be critical to increase the utilization of high-quality maternity facilities.

Statewide implementation of a quality improvement initiative for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health and nutritionin Bihar, India.

BackgroundCARE India designed and implemented a comprehensive, statewide quality improvement (QI) initiative to improve reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition (RMNCHN) services in public facilities in Bihar. We provide a description of this initiative and its key results during 2014-2017.MethodsWe reviewed program documents to identify QI strategies employed and ascertain their coverage. We analysed data from: a) two public facility assessments to ascertain the availability of essential equipment and supplies and the distribution of human resources by facility level; b) a four-phase provider mentoring and training intervention covering 319 facilities to examine changes in emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) practices; and c) four state-representative household surveys to explore changes in selected RMNCHN service utilisation by health sector. Associations of interest were ascertained using χ2 tests.ResultsThirty-eight District Quality Assurance Committees and QI teams in 98% of facilities were formed to develop an implementation plan for the QI initiative and oversee its execution. QI strategies were to strengthen facilities’ infrastructure; build the state’s contracting, procurement, and inventory management capacities; rationalise human resources; improve providers’ skills; and modernise data systems. Implementation led to facility infrastructure upgrades, improved clinical staff distribution, and higher availability of equipment and supplies over time, especially in higher-level facilities. Following the mentoring and training intervention in facilities offering both basic and comprehensive EmONC, performance of key practices (eg, adequate administration of uterotonics <1 minute after birth, initiation of skin-to-skin care <5 minutes after birth) improved significantly (P < 0.05). CARE India collected program data and assisted with modernising data systems for tracking human resources, supplies, and program progress statewide. Of women seeking antenatal care, the proportion obtaining key screenings (eg, weight, blood pressure measurements) in public facilities increased over time (P < 0.05). A 6-percentage point decline in home deliveries during 2016-2017 was accompanied by a higher increase of deliveries in public than private facilities (5- vs 1-percentage point; P < 0.05).ConclusionSubstantial advances were made in improving RMNCHN service quality in Bihar. Continued improvement building on the established QI platform is expected and should be guided by data from now functional data systems.

Statewide implementation of a quality improvement initiative for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health and nutritionin Bihar, India

Background CARE India designed and implemented a comprehensive, statewide quality improvement (QI) initiative to improve reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition (RMNCHN) services in public facilities in Bihar. We provide a description of this initiative and its key results during 2014-2017. Methods We reviewed program documents to identify QI strategies employed and ascertain their coverage. We analysed data from: a) two public facility assessments to ascertain the availability of essential equipment and supplies and the distribution of human resources by facility level; b) a four-phase provider mentoring and training intervention covering 319 facilities to examine changes in emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) practices; and c) four state-representative household surveys to explore changes in selected RMNCHN service utilisation by health sector. Associations of interest were ascertained using χ2 tests. Results Thirty-eight District Quality Assurance Committees and QI teams in 98% of facilities were formed to develop an implementation plan for the QI initiative and oversee its execution. QI strategies were to strengthen facilities' infrastructure; build the state's contracting, procurement, and inventory management capacities; rationalise human resources; improve providers' skills; and modernise data systems. Implementation led to facility infrastructure upgrades, improved clinical staff distribution, and higher availability of equipment and supplies over time, especially in higher-level facilities. Following the mentoring and training intervention in facilities offering both basic and comprehensive EmONC, performance of key practices (eg, adequate administration of uterotonics <1 minute after birth, initiation of skin-to-skin care <5 minutes after birth) improved significantly (P < 0.05). CARE India collected program data and assisted with modernising data systems for tracking human resources, supplies, and program progress statewide. Of women seeking antenatal care, the proportion obtaining key screenings (eg, weight, blood pressure measurements) in public facilities increased over time (P < 0.05). A 6-percentage point decline in home deliveries during 2016-2017 was accompanied by a higher increase of deliveries in public than private facilities (5- vs 1-percentage point; P < 0.05). Conclusion Substantial advances were made in improving RMNCHN service quality in Bihar. Continued improvement building on the established QI platform is expected and should be guided by data from now functional data systems.

An assessment of hospital maternal health services in northern Ghana: a cross-sectional survey

BackgroundAccess to and delivery of comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care (CEmONC) services are often weak in low and middle-income countries affecting maternal and infant health outcomes. There are no studies on resources for maternal healthcare in the Northern region of Ghana. This knowledge is vital for health service planning and mobilising funding to address identified gaps. We investigated the available resources for managing CEmONC and referral services in the region.MethodsThis study involved a cross-sectional survey of maternity facilities in ten hospitals in the Northern region of Ghana, serving a population of 2,479,461, including 582,897 women aged 15–49. Public and faith-based hospitals were included in the study. We used the Service Provision Assessment tool to gather data for this study between October and December 2019. Given the small sample size, we used descriptive statistics to summarise the data using SPSS version 25 and Excel 2016.ResultsA total of 22,271 ANC visits from women to these hospitals occurred in the past 3 months preceding the study; however, 6072 birth events (cases) occurred within the same period. All the hospitals had less than one general medical doctor per 10,000 population (range 0.02–0.30). The number of midwives per 10,000 population ranged from 0.00 (facility H and J) to 1.87 (facility E), and none of the hospitals had a university-trained nurse designated for maternity care. Only one hospital had complete equipment for emergency obstetric and newborn care, while four others had adequate emergency obstetric care equipment. The number of maternity and delivery beds per 10,000 population was low, ranging from 0.40 to 2.13.ConclusionsThe management of emergency obstetric care and referrals are likely to be affected by the limited human resources and equipment in hospitals in Northern Ghana. Financial and non-financial incentives to entice midwives, obstetricians and medical officers to the Northern region should be implemented. Resources should be mobilised to improve the availability of essential equipment such as vacuum extractors and reliable ambulances to enhance referral services. Considerable health system strengthening efforts are required to achieve the required standards.