Prenatal Coverage Research Articles

Diagnosis of Perinatal Mental Health Conditions Following Medicaid Expansion to Include Low-Income Immigrants

For some low-income people, access to care during pregnancy is not guaranteed through Medicaid, based on their immigration status. While states have the option to extend Emergency Medicaid coverage for prenatal and postpartum care, many states have not expanded coverage. To determine whether receipt of first prenatal care services and subsequently receipt of postpartum care through extensions of Emergency Medicaid coverage were associated with increases in diagnosis and treatment of perinatal mental health conditions. This cohort study used linked Medicaid claims and birth certificate data from 2010 to 2020 with a difference-in-difference design to compare the rollout of first prenatal care coverage in 2013 and then postpartum services in Oregon in 2018 with a comparison state, South Carolina, which did not cover prenatal or postpartum care as part of Emergency Medicaid and only covered emergent conditions and obstetric hospital admissions. Medicaid claims and birth certificate data were linked by Medicaid identification number prior to receipt by the study team. Participants included recipients of Emergency Medicaid who gave birth in Oregon or South Carolina. Data were analyzed from April 1 to October 15, 2023. Medicaid coverage of prenatal care and Medicaid coverage of postpartum care. The main outcome was the diagnosis of a perinatal mental health condition within 60 days postpartum. Secondary outcomes included treatment of a mood disorder with medication or talk therapy. The study sample included 43 889 births to Emergency Medicaid recipients who were mainly aged 20 to 34 years (32 895 individuals [75.0%]), multiparous (33 887 individuals [77.2%]), and living in metropolitan areas (32 464 individuals [74.0%]). Following Oregon's policy change to offer prenatal coverage to pregnant individuals through Emergency Medicaid, there was a significant increase in diagnosis frequency (4.1 [95% CI, 1.7-6.5] percentage points) and a significant difference between states in treatment for perinatal mental health conditions (27.3 [95% CI, 13.2-41.4] percentage points). Postpartum Medicaid coverage (in addition to prenatal Medicaid coverage) was associated with an increase of 2.6 (95% CI, 0.6-4.6) percentage points in any mental health condition being diagnosed, but there was no statistically significant difference in receipt of mental health treatment. These findings suggest that changing Emergency Medicaid policy to include coverage for prenatal and 60 days of postpartum care for immigrants is foundational to improving maternal mental health. Expanded postpartum coverage length, or culturally competent interventions, may be needed to optimize receipt of postpartum treatment.

Country learning on maintaining quality essential health services during COVID-19 in Timor-Leste: a qualitative analysis

ObjectiveThis case study examines the enabling factors, strengths, challenges and lessons learnt from Timor-Leste (TLS) as it sought to maintain quality essential health services (EHS) during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignA qualitative...

Epidemiological profile of gestational syphilis and congenital syphilis in a reference center in Northeast Brazil: risk factors and trend from 2019 to 2021

Introduction: Syphilis is an infectious systemic disease caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. The Amaury de Medeiros Integrated University Health Center in Recife is a reference maternity hospital for high-risk pregnancies and the management of the most common Sexually Transmitted Infections during prenatal care, including Gestational Syphilis and Congenital Syphilis. Objective: To determine the epidemiological profile of the population exposed to these conditions, the rate of Gestational Syphilis detection, the incidence of Congenital Syphilis, and the associated unfavorable outcomes in Amaury de Medeiros Integrated University Health Center between January 2019 and December 2021. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included pregnant women and neonates diagnosed with syphilis at Amaury de Medeiros Integrated University Health Center. Data were collected from the Notification/Investigation Forms for Gestational Syphilis and Congenital Syphilis, between January 2019 and December 2021. Results: At Amaury de Medeiros Integrated University Health Center, 463 cases of Gestational Syphilis and 296 of Congenital Syphilis were reported. During the three-year study, 4444, 4360, and 4265 live births were recorded, confirming the Gestational Syphilis detection rates — 33.30, 36.92, and 36.10 per 1000 live births, with the incidence of Congenital Syphilis being 26.1, 21.33, and 20.39 per 1000 live births. Pregnant women in their third trimester who were brown, had incomplete primary education, and lived in an urban area were the main sociodemographic variables. In total, 217 (73.3%) patients were diagnosed with Gestational Syphilis during or after delivery, indicating a low prenatal coverage (70.6%). In terms of the progression of Congenital Syphilis, unfavorable outcomes was found in 40 (13.5%) patients, including 16 (40%) abortions, 10 (25%) stillbirths, nine (22.5%) deaths from Congenital Syphilis, and 5 (12.5%) deaths from other causes. Conclusion: Gestational Syphilis detection rates and Congenital Syphilis incidence remain alarming, with abortions and stillbirths being the most common unfavorable outcomes. To change the dramatic situation of Congenital Syphilis in Brazil, the associated factors point to a poor quality of prenatal care and an urgent need to change public policies for pregnant women and newborns, in conjunction with socioeconomic assistance.

Association of Prenatal Care Expansion With Use of Antidiabetic Agents During Pregnancies Among Latina Emergency Medicaid Recipients With Gestational Diabetes

Access to necessary prenatal care is not guaranteed through Medicaid for some people with low income based on their immigration status. Although states have the option to extend emergency Medicaid coverage for prenatal care, many states have not expanded coverage. To evaluate whether the receipt of prenatal care services through the extension of emergency Medicaid coverage is associated with an increase in antidiabetic medication use among Latina patients with gestational diabetes. This cohort study used linked Medicaid claims and birth certificate data on live births to 4869 Latina patients from October 1, 2010, to December 31, 2019, with a difference-in-differences design to compare the rollout of prenatal care and services in Oregon in 2013 with a comparison state, South Carolina, that did not cover prenatal or postpartum care. Medicaid coverage of prenatal care. The main outcome was the receipt of antidiabetic agents. Secondary outcomes included hypertensive disorders, cesarean delivery, postpartum contraception, and a newborn morbidity composite outcome (large size for gestational age, neonatal intensive care unit admission, and preterm birth). The study sample included live births to 4869 Latina patients (mean [SD] age, 32.7 [5.5] years [range, 12-44 years]) enrolled in emergency Medicaid who were mainly aged 25 to 34 years (1499 of 2907 [51.6%]), multiparous (2626 of 2907 [90.3%]), and living in urban areas (2299 of 2907 [79.1%]). After Oregon's policy change to offer prenatal coverage to individuals receiving emergency Medicaid, there was a large and significant increase in the receipt of antidiabetic agents among all people with diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes). Prior to the policy, only 0.3% of all Latina emergency Medicaid recipients with gestational diabetes (2 of 617) received any medication (oral agents or insulin) to manage their blood glucose level. After the policy change, 28.8% of all patients with gestational diabetes (295 of 1023) received medication to manage their blood glucose level, translating to a 27.9-percentage-point increase (95% CI, 24.5-31.2 percentage points) in the receipt of antidiabetic agents in the adjusted model. The policy was also associated with a 10.4-percentage-point (95% CI, 5.3-15.5 percentage points) increase in insulin use during pregnancy among all patients with gestational diabetes. We observed an increase in postpartum contraceptive use (21.2 percentage points; 95% CI, 14.9-27.5 percentage points), the majority of which was due to postpartum sterilization (increase of 16.1 percentage points; 95% CI, 10.4-21.8 percentage points). We did not observe a significant association with gestational hypertension, cesarean births, or newborn health. This retrospective cohort study suggests that expanded emergency Medicaid benefits that included prenatal care were associated with an increased use of antidiabetic medications and postpartum contraception during pregnancy.

Adequacy of prenatal care services and associated factors in Southern Ethiopia

BackgroundPrenatal care is an important component for the continuum of care in maternal and child health services. Despite increased attention on prenatal care service coverage, the adequacy of service provision has not been well addressed in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the status of the adequacy of prenatal care and its associated factors in Southern Ethiopia.Method A longitudinal study done by the Performance care Monitoring and Accountability (PMA2020) project was used. The study was conducted from August 2016 to January 2017 in Southern Ethiopia. A multistage stratified cluster design in which all enumeration areas were randomly selected using probability proportional to size and all households were screened to identify 324 pregnant women of six or more months. Questions regarding early attendance of prenatal care, enough visits, and sufficient services were asked to measure the adequacy of prenatal care. Finally, an ordered logistic regression analysis was employed to assess factors associated with the adequacy of prenatal care services.ResultsOf the total pregnant women 44.21 % attended enough visits, 84.10 % had early visits, and 42.03 % received sufficient services. The women residing in urban areas had 2.35 odds of having adequate prenatal care in reference to rural areas (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.35 [95 % CI 1.05–5.31]). Women who attended primary and secondary education had 2.42(aOR 2.42 [95 % C.I. 1.04, 5.65]), and 4.18 (aOR 4.18 [95 % CI 1.32, 13.29]) odds of adequate prenatal care in reference with those who never attended education respectively. The women participating in one to five networks have 2.18 odds of adequate prenatal care in reference to their counterparts (aOR 2.78 [95 % CI 1.01, 7.71]).ConclusionsThe adequacy of prenatal care services in Southern Ethiopia is very low. The Ethiopian health care system should strengthen one to five networks to discuss on family health issues. Further research, should validate the tools and measure the adequacy of the services in different contexts of Ethiopia using a mixed method study for an in-depth understanding of the problem.

Initial Mechanistic Screening of Transamniotic Stem Cell Therapy in the Rodent Model of Spina Bifida: Host Bone Marrow and Paracrine Activity

Purpose: Transamniotic stem cell therapy (TRASCET) with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can induce spina bifida coverage with neoskin. We initiated a mechanistic analysis of this host response. Methods: Pregnant dams (n = 28) exposed to retinoic acid to induce fetal spina bifida were divided into an untreated group and 2 groups receiving intra-amniotic injections on gestational day 17 (E17; term = E21–22) of either amniotic fluid-derived MSCs (afMSCs; n = 105) or saline (n = 107). Gene expressions of multiple paracrine and cell clonality markers were quantified at term by RT-qPCR at the defect and fetal bone marrow. Defects were examined histologically for neoskin coverage. Comparisons were by Mann-Whitney U tests and logistic regression. Results: Defect coverage was associated with significant downregulation of both epidermal growth factor (Egf; p = 0.031) and fibroblast growth factor-2 (Fgf-2; p = 0.042) expressions at the defect and with significant downregulation of transforming growth factor-beta-1 (Tgfb-1; p = 0.021) and CD45 (p = 0.028) expressions at the fetal bone marrow. Conclusions: Coverage of experimental spina bifida is associated with local and bone marrow negative feedback of select paracrine factors, as well as increased relative mesenchymal stem cell activity in the bone marrow. Further analyses informed by these findings may lead to strategies of nonsurgical induction of prenatal coverage of spina bifida.

Zika epidemic and microcephaly in Brazil: Challenges for access to health care and promotion in three epidemic areas.

Since 2015 Brazil has experienced the social repercussions of the Zika virus epidemic, thus raising a debate about: difficulties of diagnosis; healthcare access for children with Zika Congenital Syndrome (ZCS); the search for benefits by affected families; social and gender inequalities; and a discussion on reproductive rights, among others. The objective of this article is to analyse access to specialized health services for the care of children born with ZCS in three North-eastern states of Brazil. This is an exploratory cross-sectional study which analyses recorded cases of microcephaly at the municipal level between 2015 and 2017. Most of the cases of ZCS were concentrated on the Northeast coast. Rio Grande do Norte and Paraiba had the highest incidence of microcephaly in the study period. The states of Bahia, Paraiba and Rio Grande do Norte were selected for their high incidence of microcephaly due to the Zika Virus. Socio-territorial vulnerability was stratified using access to microcephaly diagnosis and treatment indicators. The specialized care network was mapped according to State Health Secretaries Protocols. A threshold radius of 100 km was stablished as the maximum distance from municipalities centroids to specialised health care for children with microcephaly. Prenatal coverage was satisfactory in most of the study area, although availability of ultrasound equipment was uneven within states and health regions. Western Bahia had the lowest coverage of ultrasound equipment and lacked health rehabilitation services. ZCS's specialized health services were spread out over large areas, some of which were outside the affected patients' home municipalities, so displacements were expensive and very time consuming, representing an extra burden for the affected families. This study is the first to address accessibility of children with microcephaly to specialised health care services and points to the urgent need to expand coverage of these services in Brazil, especially in the northeastern states, which are most affected by the epidemic.

Social and geographical inequalities in the performance of prenatal care in a metropolitan area of Brazil.

This study analyzed the social and geographical inequalities in the performance of prenatal medical care in the Unified Health System (SUS) in the Metropolitan Region of Grande Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 1,209 puerperae living in this region, admitted for childbirth from 2010 to 2011. Data about prenatal care and contextual, enabling, and social characteristics were collected, following the Andersen's Behavioral Model. The performance of prenatal care was classified into five levels, including information on the number of prenatal visits, initial and repetitive examinations, tetanus vaccination, gestational risk management, and participation in educational activities. The likelihood of different levels of prenatal care performance was analyzed using a multivariate multinomial model, according to maternal social variables. High prenatal coverage (98%) and 4.4% care adequacy were identified. The likelihood of access to prenatal care was increased by enabling, contextual, and social factors. The relationship between prenatal care quality and pregnant women's social and geographical conditions must be considered in the organization of services to achieve equity and reduce maternal and perinatal morbimortality.

Extending Delivery Coverage to Include Prenatal Care for Low-Income, Immigrant Women Is a Cost-Effective Strategy.

To compare the outcomes and cost effectiveness of two alternate policy strategies for prenatal care among low-income, immigrant women: coverage for delivery only (the federal standard) and prenatal care with delivery coverage (state option under the Children's Health Insurance Program). A decision-analytic model was developed to determine the cost effectiveness of two alternate policies for pregnancy coverage. All states currently provide coverage for delivery, and 19 states also provide coverage for prenatal care. An estimated 84,000 unauthorized immigrant women have pregnancies where no prenatal care is covered. Our outcomes were costs, quality-adjusted life-years, and cases of cerebral palsy and infant death before age 1. Model inputs were obtained from a database of Oregon Medicaid claims and the literature. Univariate and bivariate sensitivity analyses, as well as a Monte Carlo simulation, were performed. Extending prenatal coverage is a cost-effective strategy. Providing prenatal care for the 84,000 women annually who are currently uninsured could prevent 117 infant deaths and 34 cases of cerebral palsy. Prenatal care coverage costs $380 more per woman than covering the delivery only. For every 865 additional women receiving prenatal care, one infant death would be averted, at an average cost of $328,700. Cost-effectiveness acceptability curve analyses suggest a 99% probability that providing prenatal care is more cost effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 per quality-adjusted life-year. Extending prenatal care to low-income, immigrant women, regardless of citizenship status, is a cost-effective strategy.

Determinantes sociales de la mortalidad infantil en municipios de frontera en Colombia, 2005-2011

Introducción. En Colombia, las tasas de mortalidad infantil de los municipios fronterizos presentan diferencias significativas en comparación con el promedio nacional, por lo que resulta prioritario identificar sus determinantes en estas zonas, con el fin de orientar el desarrollo de políticas en salud pública.Objetivo. Identificar algunos determinantes sociales de la mortalidad infantil en municipios fronterizos de Colombia en el periodo 2005-2011.Materiales y métodos. Estudio ecológico en el que se construyeron tres modelos de regresión para las siguientes categorías: 1) determinantes estructurales; 2) determinantes intermedios de condiciones de vida y trabajo, factores de tipo comportamental y biológico, y factores psicosociales, y 3) determinantes intermedios del sistema de salud colombiano.Resultados. Los datos encontrados sugieren que la mortalidad infantil de los municipios fronterizos se relaciona con condiciones de etnia, raza, educación, índice de dependencia infantil, bajo peso al nacer, calidad del agua, ruralidad, jefatura femenina del hogar, cobertura de vacunación, cobertura de control prenatal, satisfacción con los servicios de salud y afiliación al sistema de salud.Conclusiones. La mayoría de determinantes de la mortalidad infantil en estos municipios se sale del alcance del sector salud; por tanto, el Estado enfrenta dos desafíos importantes: implementar un abordaje transectorial y transfronterizo, y dar una respuesta institucional con un enfoque de equidad en salud que se adapte a las necesidades y a la cultura de cada municipio y región.

The Bureaucratic Violence of the Health Care System for Pregnant Immigrants on the United States-Mexico Border

Using the concept bureaucratic violence, this article explores how health care bureaucracy contributes to harm for pregnant immigrants on the United States-Mexico border. The term bureaucratic violence captures how even when laws and health policies are not targeting a specific group, bureaucracy can do this work instead, causing systematic harm. Prenatal care in the United States captures this dynamic. In many states, prenatal coverage is available for low-income women regardless of immigration status. Yet, the bureaucratic routes for gaining access to coverage create latent forms of exclusion and fear, leading women to delay or not seek prenatal care or to experience anxieties over seeking care. In-depth interviews with pregnant and postnatal immigrant women revealed that threats of changes to bureaucratic procedures via the likely public charge rule was shaping the use of pregnancy-related public benefits. Even when women applied for these programs, they faced bureaucratic barriers and described bureaucratic monitoring as a source of emotional distress. These patterns can have detrimental effects on maternal and infant health outcomes. Bringing attention to bureaucratic violence can emphasize to health practitioners the struggles immigrants face in seeking prenatal care and the need for additional measures to support pregnant immigrants.

Perfil dos óbitos fetais em gestantes adolescentes no Acre no período de 2014 a 2016

OBJETIVO: analisar o perfil de óbitos fetais em gestantes adolescentes no Acre no período de 2014 a 2016. MÉTODO: Estudo transversal, retrospectivo e exploratório. A população do estudo foi composta por todos os casos de óbitos fetais ocorridos em adolescentes em Rio Branco – Acre e registrados entre 2014 a 2016 disponíveis no Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde (DATASUS). RESULTADOS: Ocorreram 85 óbitos fetais, predominando: mães na faixa etária de 15 a 19 anos 78 (92,0%), com 4 a 7 anos de estudo 38 (44,7%) e duração da gestação de 28 a 31 semanas 20 (23,5%), correspondendo ao 7º mês de gravidez. A maioria das gestações era de fetos únicos 83 (97,6%), do sexo feminino 48 (57,0%), com peso fetal variando entre 1500g a 2499g 23 (27,1%), que foram a óbito antes do momento do parto 79 (93,0%), tendo como a principal causa de morte algumas afecções originadas no período perinatal 78 (92,0%). CONCLUSÃO: A maioria dos óbitos fetais ocorreu entre a 28ª e 36ª semana, em mães na faixa etária de 15 a 19 anos, com baixa escolaridade, mostrando assim a necessidade de estratégias para redução da gravidez na adolescência e aumento da cobertura de pré-natal.

Neurosyphilis in Brazilian newborns: a health problem that could be avoided.

ABSTRACTSyphilis is a public health problem, especially in pregnant women, due to the risk of transmission to the fetus and the involvement of the central nervous system, causing neurosyphilis. A case-control study was carried out to analyze the variables associated with neurosyphilis in Brazilian newborns of pregnant women with syphilis admitted for childbirth. Newborns were submitted to treponemal and non-treponemal tests, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and long bone radiography. Newborns diagnosed with neurosyphilis and congenital syphilis were defined as cases and controls, respectively. The length of hospitalization and mean cost of neurosyphilis treatment were also evaluated. Twenty-one cases of newborns with neurosyphilis and 42 controls with congenital syphilis were included in the study. Out of 63 pregnant women with syphilis, 95.2% (60/63) received prenatal care, 74.6% (47/63) were diagnosed with syphilis during this period, 31.9% (15/47) underwent treponemic tests, 80.8% (38/47) were treated with penicillin and only 46.8% (22/47) of the partners received the treatment. Clinical complications such as low birth weight were observed in 12.7% (8/63) of the newborns. About 50.8% (32/63) of the newborns were hospitalized due to syphilis complications and each case of neurosyphilis spent at least US$ 881.48 on treatment and hospitalization. The results showed that the prenatal coverage is not sufficient to prevent neurosyphilis. The late diagnosis of syphilis in pregnant women and inadequate follow-up of sexual partners may favor the vertical transmission of T. pallidum in pregnant Brazilian women. Thus, improving the quality of health services is important for a more effective control of neurosyphilis.

ASSISTÊNCIA PRÉ-NATAL NO ESTADO DE PERNAMBUCO: UM ESTUDO COMPARATIVO DE INQUÉRITOS

A assistência pré-natal se destaca como fator essencial na proteção e prevenção a eventos adversos sobre a saúde do binômio mãe e filho, possibilitando a identificação e o manuseio clínico de intervenções oportunas sobre potenciais fatores de risco para complicações à saúde. Objetiva-se descrever e comparar as principais características da assistência pré-natal nos anos de 1997 e 2006, no estado do Pernambuco. Realizou-se estudo de base populacional, observacional, de coorte transversal, utilizando dados secundários, extraídos de informações dos bancos de dados das segunda e terceira Pesquisas Estaduais de Saúde e Nutrição, realizadas nos anos de 1997 e 2006, respectivamente. Considerou- -se satisfatória, em 2006, a assistência pré-natal que atendeu três das recomendações mínimas preconizadas pelo Ministério da Saúde: início do pré-natal até a 16ª semana de gestação, seis ou mais consultas e orientações sobre razões e prática do aleitamento materno. Houve importante melhora na assistência pré-natal em 2006 (acréscimo de 17,1%) quando comparada a 1997. O pré-natal no ano de 2006 foi mais satisfatório para as mulheres com 20 a 35 anos (60,7%), brancas (60,0%), de maior escolaridade (71,8%), com renda superior ou igual a um salário-mínimo (75,8%), com dois a três filhos (63,1%) e residentes na Região Metropolitana do Recife (68,3%). Apresentou-se menos satisfatório para as mulheres trabalhadoras (54,7%) e do interior rural (49,1%, p < 0,001). Apesar da ampliação da cobertura do pré-natal, ressalta-se a necessidade de melhorar sua qualidade, visando promover a saúde de forma integral, especialmente em comunidades carentes, onde prevalecem os fatores de risco.

Prenatal care in Southern Brazil: coverage, trend and disparities.

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE To estimate coverage, examine trend and assess the disparity reduction regarding household income during prenatal care between mothers living in Rio Grande, state of Rio Grande do Sul, in 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016.METHODS This study included all recent mothers living in this municipality, between 1/1 and 12/31 of those years, who had a child weighing more than 500 grams or 20 weeks of gestational age in one of the only two local maternity hospitals. Trained interviewers applied, still in the hospital and up to 48 hours after delivery, a unique and standardized questionnaire, seeking to investigate maternal demographic and reproductive characteristics, the socioeconomic conditions of the family and the assistance received during pregnancy and childbirth. To assess the adequacy of prenatal care, the criteria proposed by Takeda were used, which considers only the number of prenatal appointments and gestational age at initiation, and by Silveira et al., who in addition to these two variables, considers the achievement of some laboratory tests. Chi-square tests were used to compare proportions and assess the linear trend.RESULTS The total of 10,669 recent mothers were included in this survey (96.8% of the total). Prenatal coverage substantially increased between 2007 and 2016. According to Takeda, it rose from 69% to 80%, while for Silveira et al., it increased from 21% to 55%. This improvement occurred for all income groups (p < 0.01). The disparity between the extreme categories of income reduced, according to Takeda, and increased according to Silveira et al.CONCLUSIONS The provision of prenatal care, considering only the number of appointments and the early start, occurred in greater proportion among the poorest. However, only the richest recent mothers were contemplated with more elaborate care, such as laboratory tests, which increased the disparities in the provision of prenatal care.

State-Level Immigrant Prenatal Health Care Policy and Inequities in Health Insurance Among Children in Mixed-Status Families.

Children in immigrant families are twice as likely to be uninsured as their counterparts, and states may influence these inequities by facilitating or restricting immigrant families’ access to coverage. Our objective was to measure differences in insurance by mother’s documentation status among a nationally representative sample of US-born children in immigrant families and to examine the role of state-level immigrant health care policy—namely, state-level immigrant access to prenatal coverage. Compared with US-born children in immigrant families with citizen mothers, children with undocumented immigrant mothers had a 17.0 percentage point (P < .001) higher uninsurance rate (8.8 percentage points higher in adjusted models, P < .05). However, in states with nonrestrictive prenatal coverage for immigrants, there were no differences in children’s insurance by mother’s documentation status, while large inequities were observed within states with restrictive policies. Our findings demonstrate the potential for state-level immigrant health care policy to mitigate or exacerbate inequities in children’s insurance.

Promoting access equity and improving health care for women, children and people living with HIV/AIDS in Burkina Faso through mHealth.

ABSTRACTBackgroundIn Burkina Faso, access to health services for women, children and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) remains limited. Mobile telephony offers an alternative solution for reaching these individuals. The objective of the study was to improve equity of access to health care and information among women and PLWHAs by reinforcing community participation.MethodsUsing a quasi-experimental approach, a mobile telephone system was set up at five health centres to provide an automated reminder service for health care consultation appointments. Performance evaluations based on key performance indicators were subsequently conducted.ResultsA total of 1501 pregnant women and 301 PLWHAs were registered and received appointment reminders. A 7.34% increase in prenatal coverage, an 84% decrease in loss to follow-up for HIV (P < 0.001) and a 31% increase in assisted deliveries in 2016 (P < 0.0001) were observed in intervention areas. However, there was no statistically significant difference between intervention site and control site (P= 0.451 > 0.05) at post-intervention. Efforts to involve community members in decision-making processes contributed to improved health system governance.ConclusionMhealth may improve maternal and child health and the health of PLWHAs. However, establishment of a mHealth system requires taking into account community dynamics and potential technological challenges.Keywordsaccess to care, Burkina Faso, equity, health system governance, mobile telephony, Nouna

Perfil e distribuição espacial da sífilis congênita em Sobral-CE no período de 2007 a 2013

Objetivo: Analisar a distribuição espacial da sífilis congênita no Sistema Municipal de Saúde de Sobral/CE, utilizando técnicas de geoprocessamento.Materiais e Métodos: Estudo de abordagem quantitativa do tipo epidemiológico ecológico-transversal com dados do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação, sobre sífilis congênita no período de 2007 a 2013. Para o processamento das informações foi utilizado o software EpiInfo® que possibilitou as tabulações e mapeamento dos dados coletados cuja análise se deu por meio de medidas de frequências.Resultados: Evidencia-se um considerável aumento do percentual dos casos de sífilis congênita no período do estudo apesar da crescente cobertura do Pré-Natal. No que se refere a distribuição espacial, comprova-se por meio dos mapas que nas regiões onde as condições socioeconômicas da população são desfavoráveis ocorrem aglomerados de casos de sífilis congênita. Estas regiões estão localizadas predominantemente nas periferias da cidade.Conclusão: A partir do estudo revelam-se alguns pontos frágeis da assistência e prevenção da sífilis, tais como a investigação inadequada dos casos de sífilis na gravidez, o tratamento inadequado da gestante e a não realização do tratamento do parceiro. Assim, o geoprocessamento da sífilis congênita é uma ferramenta tecnológica relevante, pois contribui para a prevenção, vigilância e controle da mesma, de forma que possibilita análise dos determinantes envolvidos no processo saúde-doença.

Near miss materno: fatores influenciadores e direcionamentos para redução da morbidade e mortalidade materna

Objetivo: analisar as evidências científicas acerca dos fatores que influenciam os casos de near miss materno e possíveis direcionamentos para redução da morbidade e mortalidade materna. Métodos: revisão integrativa com 2.895 artigos encontrados e 17 selecionados. Resultados:os fatores que influenciam nos casos de near miss foram: atrasos nos cuidados obstétricos; despreparo da equipe de saúde; condições precárias dos serviços; disponibilidade limitada de derivados de sangue; e deficiência no pré-natal, no uso de Práticas Baseadas em Evidências e nas auditorias. Como principais direcionamentos para minimizar esses eventos, evidenciaram-se: fortalecer a rede de referência e contrarreferência; realizar capacitação profissional; melhorar a cobertura do pré-natal; e investir na infraestrutura, na gestão de processos e em auditorias clínicas. Conclusão: os fatores que influenciam os casos de near miss materno englobam desde o atraso nos cuidados até a não realização do pré-natal, cuja melhoria na gestão constitui o principal direcionamento.

The Long-Term Effects of Early Life Medicaid Coverage

In this study, we evaluate how an expansion of Medicaid coverage for pregnant women and infants affected the adult outcomes ofindividuals who gained access to coverage in utero and during the first year oflife. We find that cohorts whose mothers gained eligibilityfor prenatal coverage under Medicaid have lower rates ofchronic conditions as adults and fewer hospitalizations related to diabetes and obesity. We also find that the expansions increased high school graduation rates. Our results indicate that expanding Medicaid prenatal coverage had long-term benefits for the next generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]