Women's experiences of maternal and newborn health care services and support systems in Buikwe District, Uganda: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Uganda continues to have a high neonatal mortality rate, with 20 deaths per 1000 live births reported in 2018. A measure to reverse this trend is to fully implement the Uganda Clinical Guidelines on care for mothers and newborns during pregnancy, delivery and the postnatal period. This study aimed to describe women's experiences of maternal and newborn health care services and support systems, focusing on antenatal care, delivery and the postnatal period. METHODS: We used triangulation of qualitative methods including participant observations, semi-structured interviews with key informants and focus group discussions with mothers. Audio-recorded data were transcribed word by word in the local language and translated into English. All collected data material were stored using two-level password protection or stored in a locked cabinet. Malterud's Systematic text condensation was used for analysis, and NVivo software was used to structure the data. FINDINGS: Antenatal care was valued by mothers although not always accessible due to transport cost and distance. Mothers relied on professional health workers and traditional birth attendants for basic maternal services but expressed general discontentment with spousal support in maternal issues. Financial dependency, gender disparities, and lack of autonomy in decision making on maternal issues, prohibited women from receiving optimal help and support. Postnatal follow-ups were found unsatisfactory, with no scheduled follow-ups from professional health workers during the first six weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Further focus on gender equity, involving women's right to own decision making in maternity issues, higher recognition of male involvement in maternity care and improved postnatal follow-ups are suggestions to policy makers for improved maternal care and newborn health in Buikwe District, Uganda.

Comportamiento de algunos indicadores del Programa Materno Infantil en Campechuela durante los años 1980-2018 / Behavior of some indicators of the Maternal and Child Program in Campechuela during the years 1980-2018

Introducción: el Programa Materno Infantil es un programa muy sensible en el sector de la salud ya que declara la atención integral tanto a la embarazada, a la madre, al niño y al adolescente. Las tasas de mortalidad fetal, en menores de un año y el bajo peso al nacer son indicadores que reflejan las condiciones de vida de la mujer; la morbilidad subyacente y la calidad de vida de una sociedad. Objetivo: determinar el comportamiento de estos dos indicadores en el municipio de Campechuela durante los años 1980 a 2018, período de 39 años. Métodos: se realizó un estudio observacional descriptivo, retrospectivo. El universo comprendió todos los nacimientos en Campechuela en los años de estudio, las muertes en menores de 1 año, las muertes fetales y el bajo peso al nacer. Se representaron los resultados expresados en frecuencias absolutas, frecuencias relativas y tasas. Mediante el empleo de las técnicas de la estadística descriptiva. Resultados: la natalidad ha disminuido a lo largo del período en estudio con variaciones en el tiempo, la tasa de mortalidad infantil ha tenido una disminución considerable, no siendo así, el bajo peso que han tenido fluctuaciones, y las defunciones fetales se ha comportado de forma desfavorable, los resultados permiten valorar que hay que intensificar aún más el control y seguimiento a este grupo priorizado, e incrementar las pesquisas de los factores de riesgo que conllevan a estos indicadores no favorables. Conclusiones: los indicadores del Programa Materno Infantil miden la calidad de vida de una nación, a pesar de todas las estrategias tomadas por el Ministerio de Salud Pública existen algunos resultados que hay que revertir como las muertes fetales, por lo que se requiere de más trabajo desde la Atención Primaria de Salud haciendo énfasis en la promoción y la prevención, trabajar con intención los protocolos de actuación en dicho programa(AU)

Introduction: the Maternal and Child Program is a very sensitive program in the health sector since it declares comprehensive care for pregnant women, mothers, children and adolescents. Fetal mortality rates in children under one year of age and low birth weight are indicators that reflect the living conditions of women; the underlying morbidity and quality of life of a society. Objective: to determine the behavior of these two indicators in the municipality of Campechuela during the years 1980 to 2018, a period of 39 years. Methods: a retrospective, descriptive, observational study was carried out. The universe included all the births in Campechuela in the study years, deaths in children under 1 year of age, fetal deaths and low birth weight. The results expressed in absolute frequencies, relative frequencies and rates were represented. Through the use of descriptive statistics techniques. Results: the birth rate has decreased throughout the period under study with variations over time, the infant mortality rate has had a considerable decrease, not being the case, the low weight that has fluctuated, and fetal deaths have behaved in a different way. In an unfavorable way, the results allow us to assess that it is necessary to further intensify the control and monitoring of this prioritized group, and to increase the investigation of the risk factors that lead to these unfavorable indicators. Conclusions: the indicators of the Maternal and Child Program measure the quality of life of a nation, despite all the strategies taken by the Ministry of Public Health there are some results that must be reversed, such as fetal deaths, so more work is required from Primary Health Care, emphasizing promotion and prevention, working with intention the protocols of action in said program(EU)

Applying a Client-centered Approach to Maternal and Neonatal Networks of Care: Case Studies from Urban and Rural Nigeria.

In Nigeria, two maternal and neonatal health Networks of Care (NOC) focus on extending the reach and quality of routine and emergency maternal and neonatal health services tailored to the different contexts. This paper uses the four domains of the NOC framework-Agreements and Enabling Environment, Operational Standards, Quality, Efficiency and Responsibility, and Learning and Adaptation-to describe the NOC, highlighting how each developed to address specific local needs. In Northern Nigeria, the NOC were established in collaboration among Clinton Health Access Initiative and the government to reduce maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Health centers and communities in the network were supported to be better prepared to provide maternal and neonatal care, while birth attendants at all levels were empowered and equipped to stabilize and treat complications. The approach brought services closer to the community and facilitated rapid referrals. The NOC in Lagos State extended the reach of routine and emergency maternal and neonatal health services through organically developed linkages among registered traditional birth attendant clinics, private and public sector facilities, the Primary Healthcare Board, and the Traditional Medicine Board. Traditional birth attendants are registered, trained, and monitored by Apex Community Health Officers, whose responsibilities include collection and review of data and ensuring linkages to postpartum services, such as family planning and immunizations. While differing in their approaches, both NOC provide locally appropriate, pragmatic approaches to supporting women birthing in the community and encouraging institutional delivery to ensure that women and their babies have access to timely, appropriate, and safe services.

Trends of antenatal care during pregnancy in low- and middle-income countries: Findings from the global network maternal and newborn health registry.

BACKGROUND: Antenatal care (ANC) is an important opportunity to diagnose and treat pregnancy-related complications and to deliver interventions aimed at improving health and survival of both mother and the infant. Multiple individual studies and national surveys have assessed antenatal care utilization at a single point in time across different countries, but ANC trends have not often been studied in rural areas of low-middle income countries (LMICs). The objective of this analysis was to study the trends of antenatal care use in LMICs over a seven-year period. METHODS: Using a prospective maternal and newborn health registry study, we analyzed data collected from 2011 to 2017 across five countries (Guatemala, India [2 sites], Kenya, Pakistan, and Zambia). Utilization of any ANC along with use of select services, including vitamins/iron, tetanus toxoid vaccine and HIV testing, were assessed. We used a generalized linear regression model to examine the trends of women receiving at least one and at least four antenatal care visits by site and year, controlling for maternal age, education and parity. RESULTS: Between January 2011 and December 2017, 313,663 women were enrolled and included in the analysis. For all six sites, a high proportion of women received at least one ANC visit across this period. Over the years, there was a trend for an increasing proportion of women receiving at least one and at least four ANC visits in all sites, except for Guatemala where a decline in ANC was observed. Regarding utilization of specific services, in India almost 100% of women reported receiving tetanus toxoid vaccine, vitamins/iron supplementation and HIV testing services for all study years. In Kenya, a small increase in the proportion of women receiving tetanus toxoid vaccine was observed, while for Zambia, tetanus toxoid use declined from 97% in 2011 to 89% in 2017. No trends for tetanus toxoid use were observed for Pakistan and Guatemala. Across all countries an increasing trend was observed for use of vitamins/iron and HIV testing. However, HIV testing remained very low (<0.1%) for Pakistan. CONCLUSION: In a range of LMICs, from 2011 to 2017 nearly all women received at least one ANC visit, and a significant increase in the proportion of women who received at least four ANC visits was observed across all sites except Guatemala. Moreover, there were variations regarding the utilization of preventive care services across all sites except for India where rates were generally high. More research is required to understand the quality and influences of ANC.