[Improving access to maternities: a key challenge in low-resource settings]. / Améliorer l'accès aux maternités : un enjeu clé lorsque les ressources manquent.

In low- and middle-income countries, pregnant women face considerable challenges in accessing emergency obstetric and neonatal care services. Several factors contribute to this, such as insufficient availability of services, their inadequate geographical distribution, and a lack of qualified staff and infrastructure. The United Nations Population Fund, in collaboration with the University of Geneva, has deployed an innovative approach in 14 countries to optimise service quality and geographical accessibility. This approach has formed the basis for a new global indicator contributing to the reduction of maternal mortality. Calculating this indicator requires various types of data, going beyond traditional indicators, but allowing for a more comprehensive consideration of the different facets of access to services.

Dans les pays à revenu faible ou intermédiaire, les femmes enceintes sont confrontées à des défis importants pour accéder aux services obstétricaux et néonatals d'urgence. Plusieurs facteurs y contribuent, tels qu'une disponibilité insuffisante des services, leur répartition géographique inadéquate et un manque de personnel qualifié ainsi que d'infrastructure. Le Fonds des Nations Unies pour la population, en collaboration avec l'Université de Genève, a déployé dans 14 pays une approche innovante optimisant la qualité des services et l'accessibilité géographique. Elle a été la base d'un nouvel indicateur global participant à la réduction de la mortalité maternelle. Le calcul de cet indicateur requiert des données allant au-delà des indicateurs classiques, permettant une meilleure considération des différentes facettes de l'accès aux services.

Leptospirosis as Cause of Febrile Icteric Illness, Burkina Faso.

Patients in Burkina Faso who sought medical attention for febrile jaundice were tested for leptospirosis. We confirmed leptospirosis in 27 (3.46%) of 781 patients: 23 (2.94%) tested positive using serologic assays and 4 (0.51%) using LipL32 PCR. We further presumed leptospirosis in 16 (2.82%) IgM-positive specimens.

Institutional maternal and perinatal deaths: a review of 40 low and middle income countries.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the magnitude and clinical causes of maternal and perinatal mortality are basic requirements for positive change. Facility-based information offers a contextualized resource for clinical and organizational quality improvement. We describe the magnitude of institutional maternal mortality, causes of death and cause-specific case fatality rates, as well as stillbirth and pre-discharge neonatal death rates. METHODS: This paper draws on secondary data from 40 low and middle income countries that conducted emergency obstetric and newborn care assessments over the last 10 years. We reviewed 6.5 million deliveries, surveyed in 15,411 facilities. Most of the data were extracted from reports and aggregated with excel. RESULTS: Hemorrhage and hypertensive diseases contributed to about one third of institutional maternal deaths and indirect causes contributed another third (given the overrepresentation of sub-Saharan African countries with large proportions of indirect causes). The most lethal obstetric complication, across all regions, was ruptured uterus, followed by sepsis in Latin America and the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa. Stillbirth rates exceeded pre-discharge neonatal death rates in nearly all countries, possibly because women and their newborns were discharged soon after birth. CONCLUSIONS: To a large extent, facility-based findings mirror what population-based systematic reviews have also documented. As coverage of a skilled attendant at birth increases, proportionally more deaths will occur in facilities, making improvements in record-keeping and health management information systems, especially for stillbirths and early neonatal deaths, all the more critical.

Optimization of the emergency obstetric and neonatal care network in Benin through expert-based sub-national prioritizations.

Introduction: To reduce maternal mortality by 2030, Benin needs to implement strategies for improving access to high quality emergency obstetric and neonatal care (EmONC). This study applies an expert-based approach using sub-national travel specificities to identify and prioritize a network of EmONC maternities that maximizes both population coverage and functionality. Methods: We conducted a series of workshops involving international, national, and department experts in maternal health to prioritize a set of EmONC facilities that meet international standards. Geographical accessibility modeling was used together with EmONC availability to inform the process. For women in need of EmONC, experts provided insights into travel characteristics (i.e., modes and speeds of travel) specific to each department, enabling more realistic travel times estimates modelled with the AccessMod software. Results: The prioritization approach resulted in the selection of 109 EmONC maternities from an initial group of 125 designated maternities. The national coverage of the population living within an hour's drive of the nearest EmONC maternity increased slightly from 92.6% to 94.1% after prioritization. This increase in coverage was achieved by selecting maternities with sufficient obstetrical activities to be upgraded to EmONC maternities in the Plateau and Atlantique departments. Conclusion: The prioritization approach enabled Benin to achieve the minimum EmONC availability, while ensuring very good geographical accessibility to the prioritized network. Limited human and financial resources can now be targetted towards a smaller number of EmONC facilities to make them fully functioning in the medium-term. By implementing this strategy, Benin aims to reduce maternal mortality rates and deliver effective, high-quality obstetric and neonatal care, especially during emergencies.

Maternal death surveillance and response system reports from 32 low-middle income countries, 2011-2020: What can we learn from the reports?

Maternal Death Surveillance and Response (MDSR) systems generate information that may aid efforts to end preventable maternal deaths. Many countries report MDSR data, but comparability over time and across settings has not been studied. We reviewed MDSR reports from low-and-middle income countries (LMICs) to examine core content and identify how surveillance data and data dissemination could be improved to guide recommendations and actions. We conducted deductive content analysis of 56 MDSR reports from 32 LMICs. A codebook was developed assessing how reports captured: 1) MDSR system implementation, 2) monitoring of maternal death notifications and reviews, and 3) response formulation and implementation. Reports published before 2014 focused on maternal death reviews only. In September 2013, the World Health Organization and partners published the global MDSR guidance, which advised that country reports should also include identification, notification and response activities. Of the 56 reports, 33 (59%) described their data as incomplete, meaning that not all maternal deaths were captured. While 45 (80%) reports presented the total number of maternal deaths that had been notified (officially reported), only 16 (29%) calculated notification rates. Deaths were reported at both community and facility levels in 31 (55%) reports, but 25 (45%) reported facility deaths only. The number of maternal deaths reviewed was reported in 33 (59%) reports, and 17 (30%) calculated review completion rates. While 48 (86%) reports provided recommendations for improving MDSR, evidence of actions based on prior recommendations was absent from 40 (71%) of subsequent reports. MDSR reports currently vary in content and in how response efforts are documented. Comprehensive reports could improve accountability and effectiveness of the system by providing feedback to MDSR stakeholders and information for action. A standard reporting template may improve the quality and comparability of MDSR data and their use for preventing future maternal deaths.

Maternal death surveillance efforts: notification and review coverage rates in 30 low-income and middle-income countries, 2015-2019.

OBJECTIVE: Performance of maternal death surveillance and response (MDSR) relies on the system's ability to identify and notify all maternal deaths and its ability to review all maternal deaths by a committee. Unified definitions for indicators to assess these functions are lacking. We aim to estimate notification and review coverage rates in 30 countries between 2015 and 2019 using standardised definitions. DESIGN: Repeat cross-sectional surveys provided the numerators for the coverage indicators; United Nations (UN)-modelled expected country maternal deaths provided the denominators. SETTING: 30 low-income and middle-income countries responding to the Maternal Health Thematic Fund annual surveys conducted by the UN Population Fund between 2015 and 2019. OUTCOME MEASURES: Notification coverage rate ([Formula: see text]) was calculated as the proportion of expected maternal deaths that were notified at the national level annually; review coverage rate ([Formula: see text]) was calculated as the proportion of expected maternal deaths that were reviewed annually. RESULTS: The average annual [Formula: see text] for all countries increased from 17% in 2015 to 28% in 2019; the average annual [Formula: see text] increased from 8% to 13%. Between 2015 and 2019, 22 countries (73%) reported increases in the [Formula: see text]-with an average increase of 20 (SD 18) percentage points-and 24 countries (80%) reported increases in [Formula: see text] by 7 (SD 11) percentage points. Low values of [Formula: see text] contrasts with country-published review rates, ranging from 46% to 51%. CONCLUSION: MDSR systems that count and review all maternal deaths can deliver real-time information that could prompt immediate actions and may improve maternal health. Consistent and systematic documentation of MDSR efforts may improve national and global monitoring. Assessing the notification and review functions using coverage indicators is feasible, not affected by fluctuations in data completeness and reporting, and can objectively capture progress.

Travel scenario workshops for geographical accessibility modeling of health services: A transdisciplinary evaluation study.

Introduction: Limited geographical access to quality Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) is a major driver of high maternal mortality. Geographic access to EmONC facilities is identified by the global community as a critical issue for reducing maternal mortality and is proposed as a global indicator by the Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM) initiative. Geographic accessibility models can provide insight into the population that lacks adequate access and on the optimal distribution of facilities and resources. Travel scenarios (i.e., modes and speed of transport) used to compute geographical access to healthcare are a key input to these models and should approximate reality as much as possible. This study explores strategies to optimize and harmonize knowledge elicitation practices for developing travel scenarios. Methods: Knowledge elicitation practices for travel scenario workshops (TSW) were studied in 14 African and South-Asian countries where the United Nations Population Fund supported ministries of health and governments in strengthening networks of EmONC facilities. This was done through a mixed methods evaluation study following a transdisciplinary approach, applying the four phases of the Interactive Learning and Action methodology: exploration, in-depth, integration, and prioritization and action planning. Data was collected in November 2020-June 2021 and involved scoping activities, stakeholder identification, semi-structured interviews (N = 9), an evaluation survey (N = 31), and two co-creating focus group discussions (N = 8). Results: Estimating realistic travel speeds and limited time for the workshop were considered as the largest barriers. The identified opportunities were inclusively prioritized, whereby preparation; a favorable composition of attendees; validation practices; and evaluation were anticipated to be the most promising improvement strategies, explaining their central place on the co-developed initial standard operating procedure (SOP) for future TSWs. Mostly extensive preparation-both on the side of the organization and the attendees-was anticipated to address nearly all of the identified TSW challenges. Conclusion: This study showed that the different identified stakeholders had contradicting, complementing and overlapping ideas about strategies to optimize and harmonize TSWs. Yet, an initial SOP was inclusively developed, emphasizing practices for before, during and after each TSW. This SOP is not only relevant in the context of the UNFPA EmONC development approach, but also for monitoring the newly launched EPMM indicator and even in the broader field of geographic accessibility modeling.

National optimisation of accessibility to emergency obstetrical and neonatal care in Togo: a geospatial analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Improving access to emergency obstetrical and neonatal care (EmONC) is a key strategy for reducing maternal and neonatal mortality. Access is shaped by several factors, including service availability and geographical accessibility. In 2013, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of Togo used service availability and other criteria to designate particular facilities as EmONC facilities, facilitating efficient allocation of limited resources. In 2018, the MoH further revised and rationalised this health facility network by applying an innovative methodology using health facility characteristics and geographical accessibility modelling to optimise timely access to EmONC services. This study compares the geographical accessibility of the network established in 2013 and the smaller network developed in 2018. DESIGN: We used data regarding travel modes and speeds, geographical barriers and topographical and urban constraints, to estimate travel times to the nearest EmONC facilities. We compared the EmONC network of 109 facilities established in 2013 with the one composed of 73 facilities established in 2018, using three travel scenarios (walking and motorised, motorcycle-taxi and walking-only). RESULTS: When walking and motorised travel is considered, the 2013 EmONC network covers 81% and 96.6% of the population at the 1-hour and 2-hour limit, respectively. These figures are slightly higher when motorcycle-taxis are considered (82.8% and 98%), and decreased to 34.7% and 52.3% for the walking-only scenario. The 2018 prioritised EmONC network covers 78.3% (1-hour) and 95.5% (2-hour) of the population for the walking and motorised scenario. CONCLUSIONS: By factoring in geographical accessibility modelling to our iterative EmONC prioritisation process, the MoH was able to decrease the designated number of EmONC facilities in Togo by about 30%, while still ensuring that a high proportion of the population has timely access to these services. However, the physical access to EmONC for women unable to afford motorised transport remains inequitable.

Proposing standardised geographical indicators of physical access to emergency obstetric and newborn care in low-income and middle-income countries.

Emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) can be life-saving in managing well-known complications during childbirth. However, suboptimal availability, accessibility, quality and utilisation of EmONC services hampered meeting Millennium Development Goal target 5A. Evaluation and modelling tools of health system performance and future potential can help countries to optimise their strategies towards reaching Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. The standard set of indicators for monitoring EmONC has been found useful for assessing quality and utilisation but does not account for travel time required to physically access health services. The increased use of geographical information systems, availability of free geographical modelling tools such as AccessMod and the quality of geographical data provide opportunities to complement the existing EmONC indicators by adding geographically explicit measurements. This paper proposes three additional EmONC indicators to the standard set for monitoring EmONC; two consider physical accessibility and a third addresses referral time from basic to comprehensive EmONC services. We provide examples to illustrate how the AccessMod tool can be used to measure these indicators, analyse service utilisation and propose options for the scaling-up of EmONC services. The additional indicators and analysis methods can supplement traditional EmONC assessments by informing approaches to improve timely access to achieve Universal Health Coverage and reach SDG 3.

Epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae in France in 2007: data from the pneumococcus surveillance network.

Antimicrobial resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae in France is closely monitored by the pneumococcus surveillance network, founded in 1995, which collects data from regional observatories (Observatoire Régionaux du Pneumocoque [ORP]). In 2007, 23 ORPs analyzed the antibiotic susceptibility of 5,302 isolates of S. pneumoniae recovered in France from cerebrospinal fluid, blood, middle ear fluid, and pleural fluid, as well as from adult respiratory samples. The study showed that 38.2% of the strains were nonsusceptible to penicillin, 19.3% nonsusceptible to amoxicillin, and 10.5% nonsusceptible to cefotaxime. The percentage of pneumococcus nonsusceptible to penicillin varied according to both the sample and the age of the patient (child/adult): blood (27.8%/32.5%), cerebrospinal fluid (33.7%/34.6%), middle ear fluid (60.2%/27.5%), and pleural fluid (50.0%/31.0%). Between 2003 and 2007, the frequency of penicillin resistance in invasive pneumococcal disease gradually decreased from 46.4% to 29.0% in children and from 43.8% to 32.7% in adults. This decrease coincided with the introduction of a seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine into immunization programs and with a general reduction in levels of antibiotic consumption in France.

Serotype distribution and antibiotic resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae strains isolated from adults in France: evolution between 2001 and 2003.

Antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp) are described around the world. The present national surveillance study report analyzes more than 6000 Sp strains, isolated from adults across France in 2001 and 2003, from blood cultures (3086 in 2001 and 3164 in 2003), cerebrospinal fluid (respectively, 238 and 240), or middle ear fluid (respectively, 110 and 100). The proportion of isolates with reduced susceptibility to penicillin fell significantly between 2001 and 2003 from 46.5% to 43.9%. The proportion of high-level resistant strains to penicillin minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC > 1 mg/L), amoxicillin, and cefotaxime (MIC > 2 mg/L) slightly decreased but remained low: 10.6%, 1.2%, and 0.2% in 2003. Resistance to other antibiotics (erythromycin, cotrimoxazole, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol) also decreased. Decrease in prevalence of penicillin-resistant Sp varied according to specimen source. The proportion of penicillin nonsusceptible pneumococci decreased in blood cultures and middle ear fluids between 2001 and 2003 but increased in cerebrospinal fluid (43.4% and 46.5%, respectively). Serotypes covered by the heptavalent vaccine accounted for 42.4% of all isolates recovered in 2001 and 46.1% in 2003. Prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Sp decreased in 2003 in France.