Exploring and prioritising strategies for improving uptake of postnatal care services in Thyolo, Malawi: A qualitative study.

Although postnatal care services form a critical component of the cascade of care in maternal, newborn, and child health the uptake of these services has remained low worldwide. This study explored and prioritised the strategies for optimising the uptake of postnatal care (PNC) services in Malawi. A qualitative descriptive study followed by nominal group techniques was conducted at three health facilities in Malawi from July to December 2020 and in October 2021. We conducted focus group discussions among postnatal mothers, fathers, healthcare workers, elderly women, and grandmothers. We conducted in-depth interviews with midwives and key health managers. Nominal group techniques were used to prioritise the main strategies for the provision of PNC. The demand strategies include appointment date reminders, provision of free health passport books, community awareness campaigns, and involvement of men in the services. The supply strategies included training health providers, improving clinic operations: task-shifting and hours of operation, having infrastructure for the services, and linkage to other services. Having services delivered near end-user residences was a crosscutting strategy. Refresher training and improvement in the clinic operations especially on hours of operation, appointment date reminders, and linkage to care were the prioritised strategies. There is a need to use acceptable and contextualised strategies to optimise the uptake and delivery of postnatal care services. Educating the healthcare workers and the community on postnatal services is key to increasing the demand and supply of the services.

The prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission programme in Lilongwe, Malawi: why do so many women drop out.

Mother-to-child transmission of HIV constitutes a substantial burden of new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa, and losses to follow-up continue to undermine prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programmes. This qualitative study sought to clarify why some women who were enrolled in a PMTCT programme in Lilongwe, Malawi, did not fully participate in follow-up visits in the first six months after testing HIV-positive. Twenty-eight women, 14 who participated fully in the programme and 14 who dropped out, were purposively selected for in-depth interview at two clinics. Focus group discussions with 15 previously interviewed and 13 newly recruited women were also conducted. Discussions with 12 of the women's husbands were also carried out. Although the proportion of women being tested has reportedly increased, losses to follow-up have shifted and are occurring at every step after testing. Major emerging themes associated with dropping out of the PMTCT programme within six months after delivery were to avoid involuntary HIV disclosure and negative community reactions, unequal gender relations, difficulties accessing care and treatment, and lack of support from husbands. The whole approach to the delivery of the PMTCT programme and home visits must be reconsidered, to improve confidentiality and minimise stigmatization. Women need to be empowered economically and supported to access HIV treatment and care with their partners, to benefit their whole family.

Roles played by community cadres to support retention in PMTCT Option B+ in four African countries: a qualitative rapid appraisal.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the roles of community cadres in improving access to and retention in care for PMTCT (prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV) services in the context of PMTCT Option B+ treatment scale-up in high burden low-income and lower-middle income countries. DESIGN/METHODS: Qualitative rapid appraisal study design using semistructured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) between 8 June and 31 July 2015. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Interviews were conducted in the offices of Ministry of Health Staff, Implementing partners, district offices and health facility sites across four low-income and lower-middle income countries: Cote D'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi and Uganda. A range of individual interviews and FGDs with key stakeholders including Ministry of Health employees, Implementation partners, district management teams, facility-based health workers and community cadres. A total number of 18, 28, 31 and 83 individual interviews were conducted in Malawi, Cote d'Ivoire, DRC and Uganda, respectively. A total number of 15, 9, 10 and 16 mixed gender FGDs were undertaken in Malawi, Cote d'Ivoire, DRC and Uganda, respectively. RESULTS: Community cadres either operated solely in the community, worked from health centres or in combination and their mandates were PMTCT-specific or included general HIV support and other health issues. Community cadres included volunteers, those supported by implementing partners or employed directly by the Ministry of Health. Their complimentary roles along the continuum of HIV care and treatment include demand creation, household mapping of pregnant and lactating women, linkage to care, infant follow-up and adherence and retention support. CONCLUSIONS: Community cadres provide an integral link between communities and health facilities, supporting overstretched health workers in HIV client support and follow-up. However, their role in health systems is neither standardised nor systematic and there is an urgent need to invest in the standardisation of and support to community cadres to maximise potential health impacts.