Julia Hussein

Going to scale with professional skilled care.

Because most women prefer professionally provided maternity care when they have access to it, and since the needed clinical interventions are well known, we discuss in their paper what is needed to move forward from apparent global stagnation in provision and use of maternal health care where maternal mortality is high. The main obstacles to the expansion of care are the dire scarcity of skilled providers and health-system infrastructure, substandard quality of care, and womens reluctance to use maternity care where there are high costs and poorly attuned services. To increase the supply of professional skilled birthing care, strategic decisions must be made in three areas: training, deployment, and retention of health workers. Based on results from simulations, teams of midwives and midwife assistants working in facilities could increase coverage of maternity care by up to 40% by 2015. Teams of providers are the efficient option, creating the possibility of scaling up as much as 10 times more quickly than would be the case with deployment of solo health workers in home deliveries with dedicated or multipurpose workers.

Please understand when I cry out in pain: women's accounts of maternity services during labour and delivery in Ghana

BackgroundThis study was undertaken to investigate womens accounts of interactions with health care providers during labour and delivery and to assess the implications for acceptability and utilisation of maternity services in Ghana.MethodsTwenty-one individual in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions were conducted with women of reproductive age who had delivered in the past five years in the Greater Accra Region. The study investigated womens perceptions and experiences of care in terms of factors that influenced place of delivery, satisfaction with services, expectations of care and whether they would recommend services.ResultsOne component of care which appeared to be of great importance to women was staff attitudes. This factor had considerable influence on acceptability and utilisation of services. Otherwise, a successful labour outcome and non-medical factors such as cost, perceived quality of care and proximity of services were important. Our findings indicate that women expect humane, professional and courteous treatment from health professionals and a reasonable standard of physical environment. Women will consciously change their place of delivery and recommendations to others if they experience degrading and unacceptable behaviour.ConclusionThe findings suggest that inter-personal aspects of care are key to womens expectations, which in turn govern satisfaction. Service improvements which address this aspect of care are likely to have an impact on health seeking behaviour and utilisation. Our findings suggest that user-views are important and warrant further investigation. The views of providers should also be investigated to identify channels by which service improvements, taking into account womens views, could be operationalised. We also recommend that interventions to improve delivery care should not only be directed to the health professional, but also to general health system improvements.

REVIEW: Current strategies for the reduction of maternal mortality

The purpose of this article is to review current strategies for the reduction of maternal mortality and the evidence pertinent to these strategies. Historical, contextual and current literature were examined to identify the evidence base upon which recommendations on current strategies to reduce maternal mortality are made. Current safe motherhood strategies are designed based mostly on low grade evidence which is historical and observational, as well as on experience and a process of deductive reasoning. Safe motherhood strategies are complex public health approaches which are different from single clinical interventions. The approach to evidence used for clinical decision making needs to be reconsidered to fit with the practicalities of research on the effectiveness of strategies at the population level. It is unlikely that any single strategy will be optimal for different situations. Strengthening of the knowledge base on the effectiveness of public health strategies to reduce maternal mortality is urgently required but will need concerted action and international commitment.

Motorcycle ambulances for referral of obstetric emergencies in rural Malawi: Do they reduce delay and what do they cost?

To assess whether motorcycle ambulances placed at rural health centers are a more effective method of reducing referral delay for obstetric emergencies than a car ambulance at the district hospital, and to compare investment and operating costs with those of a 4 wheel drive car ambulance at the district hospital.

The effectiveness of emergency obstetric referral interventions in developing country settings : a systematic review

In a systematic review of the literature, Julia Hussein and colleagues seek to determine the effect of referral interventions that enable emergency access to health facilities for pregnant women living in developing countries.

Barriers in accessing maternal healthcare: evidence from low-and middle-income countries

The goal of improving the health status of people living in developing countries has received increasing priority in recent years. To achieve this goal, evidence is needed regarding methods for optimal allocation of expenditure within particular program areas. Among several competing programs, a commitment has been made to improve maternal health as part of the Millennium Development Goal targets. While there is a growing body of cost–effectiveness evidence relating to maternal healthcare programs, underutilization of services is still pervasive, especially among poorer groups of the population. A major reason for such underutilization lies in underlying adverse socioeconomic factors, or barriers, which impede healthcare use. This article reviews the evidence from studies that have conducted multivariate analyses to quantify the effects of education, economic status and distance barriers on service use. It is concluded that it is not possible to state categorically whether one particular barrier is more important than others and that efforts should continue to consider demand-side barriers more fully, along with supply-side barriers.

The burden of diabetes mellitus during pregnancy in low- and middle-income countries : a systematic review

Background Little is known about the burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) in pregnancy in low- and middle-income countries despite high prevalence and mortality rates being observed in these countries. Objective To investigate the prevalence and geographical patterns of DM in pregnancy up to 1 year post-delivery in low- and middle-income countries. Search strategy Medline, Embase, Cochrane (Central), Cinahl and CAB databases were searched with no date restrictions. Selection criteria Articles assessing the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and types 1 and 2 DM were sought. Data collection and analysis Articles were independently screened by at least two reviewers. Forest plots were used to present prevalence rates and linear trends calculated by linear regression where appropriate. Main results A total of 45 articles were included. The prevalence of GDM varied. Diagnosis was made by the American Diabetes Association criteria (1.50-15.5%), the Australian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society criteria (20.8%), the Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group India criteria (13.4%), the European Association for the Study of Diabetes criteria (1.6%), the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups criteria (8.9-20.4%), the National Diabetes Data Group criteria (0.56-6.30%) and the World Health Organization criteria (0.4-24.3%). Vietnam, India and Cuba had the highest prevalence rates. Types 1 and 2 DM were less often reported. Reports of maternal mortality due to DM were not found. No geographical patterns of the prevalence of GDM could be confirmed but data from Africa is particularly limited. Conclusion Existing published data are insufficient to build a clear picture of the burden and distribution of DM in pregnancy in low- and middle-income countries. Consensus on a common diagnostic criterion for GDM is needed. Type 1 and 2 DM in pregnancy and postpartum DM are other neglected areas.Background Little is known about the burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) in pregnancy in low- and middle-income countries despite high prevalence and mortality rates being observed in these countries. Objective To investigate the prevalence and geographical patterns of DM in pregnancy up to 1 year post-delivery in low- and middle-income countries. Search strategy Medline, Embase, Cochrane (Central), Cinahl and CAB databases were searched with no date restrictions. Selection criteria Articles assessing the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and types 1 and 2 DM were sought. Data collection and analysis Articles were independently screened by at least two reviewers. Forest plots were used to present prevalence rates and linear trends calculated by linear regression where appropriate. Main results A total of 45 articles were included. The prevalence of GDM varied. Diagnosis was made by the American Diabetes Association criteria (1.50–15.5%), the Australian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society criteria (20.8%), the Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group India criteria (13.4%), the European Association for the Study of Diabetes criteria (1.6%), the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups criteria (8.9–20.4%), the National Diabetes Data Group criteria (0.56–6.30%) and the World Health Organization criteria (0.4–24.3%). Vietnam, India and Cuba had the highest prevalence rates. Types 1 and 2 DM were less often reported. Reports of maternal mortality due to DM were not found. No geographical patterns of the prevalence of GDM could be confirmed but data from Africa is particularly limited. Conclusion Existing published data are insufficient to build a clear picture of the burden and distribution of DM in pregnancy in low- and middle-income countries. Consensus on a common diagnostic criterion for GDM is needed. Type 1 and 2 DM in pregnancy and postpartum DM are other neglected areas.

Monitoring obstetric services: putting the ‘UN Guidelines’ into practice in Malawi: 3 years on

The maternal mortality ratio is difficult to use for monitoring short‐term progress in safe motherhood programs. UNICEF/WHO/UNFPA have proposed alternative process indicators monitoring the availability, utilization and quality of obstetric services. There is little experience in the large‐scale use of these indicators as part of routine health information systems in developing countries. The Malawi Safe Motherhood Project, which covers a population of over 5 million, was one of the first large projects to implement the new process indicators. At the end of 2000 data were available from the new monitoring system for 3 consecutive years. In 1998, availability of comprehensive emergency obstetric care was adequate but availability of basic emergency obstetric care was very poor. Although institutional delivery rates were over 30%, the met need for obstetric care was only 19.8% and the cesarean section rate was only 1.6%. The mean case fatality rate in District hospitals was nearly 5%. By the end of 2000, improvements in availability, utilization and quality of obstetric care were observed. Participation in developing the monitoring system had also created a strong sense of ownership and interest in analyzing and using the data. Several issues have emerged from routine use of the process indicators. In particular, it has been difficult to be certain that obstetric complications have been recorded correctly. The results confirm that a focus on improving emergency obstetric care in Malawi was justified and that process indicators for obstetric care can be successfully introduced in developing countries. The monitoring system has provided data that are of immediate relevance to service providers, managers, and policy makers and provide many lessons useful for similar programs in other settings.

Towards elimination of maternal deaths: maternal deaths surveillance and response

Current methods for estimating maternal mortality lack precision, and are not suitable for monitoring progress in the short run. In addition, national maternal mortality ratios (MMRs) alone do not provide useful information on where the greatest burden of mortality is located, who is concerned, what are the causes, and more importantly what sub-national variations occur. This paper discusses a maternal death surveillance and response (MDSR) system. MDSR systems are not yet established in most countries and have potential added value for policy making and accountability and can build on existing efforts to conduct maternal death reviews, verbal autopsies and confidential enquiries. Accountability at national and sub-national levels cannot rely on global, regional and national retrospective estimates periodically generated from academia or United Nations organizations but on routine counting, investigation, sub national data analysis, long term investments in vital registration and national health information systems. Establishing effective maternal death surveillance and response will help achieve MDG 5, improve quality of maternity care and eliminate maternal mortality (MMR ≤ 30 per 100,000 by 2030).

An Appraisal of the Maternal Mortality Decline in Nepal

Background A decline in the national maternal mortality ratio in Nepal has been observed from surveys conducted between 1996 and 2008. This paper aims to assess the plausibility of the decline and to identify drivers of change. Methods National and sub-national trends in mortality data were investigated using existing demographic and health surveys and maternal mortality and morbidity surveys. Potential drivers of the variation in maternal mortality between districts were identified by regressing district-level indicators from the Nepal demographic health surveys against maternal mortality estimates. Results A statistically significant decline of the maternal mortality ratio from 539 maternal deaths to 281 per 100,000 (95% CI 91,507) live births between 1993 and 2003 was demonstrated. The sub-national changes are of similar magnitude and direction to those observed nationally, and in the terai region (plains) the differences are statistically significant with a reduction of 361 per 100,000 live births (95% CI 36,686) during the same time period. The reduction in fertility, changes in education and wealth, improvements in components of the human development index, gender empowerment and anaemia each explained more than 10% of the district variation in maternal mortality. A number of limitations in each of the data sources used were identified. Of these, the most important relate to the underestimation of numbers of deaths. Conclusion It is likely that there has been a decline in Nepals maternal mortality since 1993. This is good news for the countrys sustained commitments in this area. Conclusions on the magnitude, pattern of the change and drivers of the decline are constrained by lack of data. We recommend close tracking of maternal mortality and its determinants in Nepal, attention to the communication of future estimates, and various options for bridging data gaps.