Using clinical cascades to measure health facilities' obstetric emergency readiness: testing the cascade model using cross-sectional facility data in East Africa.

OBJECTIVES: Globally, hundreds of women die daily from preventable pregnancy-related causes, with the greatest burden in sub-Saharan Africa. Five key emergencies-bleeding, infections, high blood pressure, delivery complications and unsafe abortions-account for nearly 75% of these obstetric deaths. Skilled clinicians with strategic supplies could prevent most deaths. In this study, we (1) measured facility readiness to manage common obstetric emergencies using the clinical cascades and signal function tracers; (2) compared these readiness estimates by facility characteristics; and (3) measured cascading drop-offs in resources. DESIGN: A facility-based cross-sectional analysis of resources for common obstetric emergencies. SETTING: Data were collected in 2016 from 23 hospitals (10 designated comprehensive emergency obstetric care (CEmOC) facilities) in Migori County, western Kenya, and Busoga Region, eastern Uganda, in the Preterm Birth Initiative study in East Africa. Baseline data were used to estimate a facility's readiness to manage common obstetric emergencies using signal function tracers and the clinical cascade model. We compared emergency readiness using the proportion of facilities with tracers (signal functions) and the proportion with resources for identifying and treating the emergency (cascade stages 1 and 2). RESULTS: The signal functions overestimated practical emergency readiness by 23 percentage points across five emergencies. Only 42% of CEmOC-designated facilities could perform basic emergency obstetric care. Across the three stages of care (identify, treat and monitor-modify) for five emergencies, there was a 28% pooled mean drop-off in readiness. Across emergencies, the largest drop-off occurred in the treatment stage. Patterns of drop-off remained largely consistent across facility characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate measurement of obstetric emergency readiness is a prerequisite for strengthening facilities' capacity to manage common emergencies. The cascades offer stepwise, emergency-specific readiness estimates designed to guide targeted maternal survival policies and programmes. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03112018.

Evaluating Birth Outcomes From a Community-Based Pregnancy Support Program for Refugee Women in Georgia.

Refugee women face numerous and unique barriers to sexual and reproductive healthcare and can experience worse pregnancy-related outcomes compared with U.S.-born and other immigrant women. Community-based, culturally tailored programs like Embrace Refugee Birth Support may improve refugee access to healthcare and health outcomes, but empirical study is needed to evaluate programmatic benefits. This community-engaged research study is led by the Georgia Doula Access Working Group, including a partnership between academic researchers, Emory Decatur Hospital nurses, and Embrace. We analyzed hospital clinical records (N = 9,136) from 2016 to 2018 to assess pregnancy-related outcomes of Embrace participants (n = 113) and a comparison group of women from the same community and racial/ethnic backgrounds (n = 9,023). We controlled for race, language, maternal age, parity, insurance status, preeclampsia, and diabetes. Embrace participation was significantly associated with 48% lower odds of labor induction (OR = 0.52, p = 0.025) and 65% higher odds of exclusive breastfeeding intentions (OR = 1.65, p = 0.028). Embrace showed positive but non-significant trends for reduced cesarean delivery (OR = 0.83, p = 0.411), higher full-term gestational age (OR = 1.49, p = 0.329), and reduced low birthweight (OR = 0.77, p = 0.55). We conclude that community-based, culturally tailored pregnancy support programs like Embrace can meet the complex needs of refugee women. Additionally, community-engaged, cross-sector research approaches could ensure the inclusion of both community and clinical perspectives in research design, implementation, and dissemination.