Quality of maternal and newborn health care at private hospitals in Iraq: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 25% of facility births take place in private health facilities. Recent national studies of maternal and newborn health (MNH) service availability and quality have focused solely on the status of public sector facilities, leaving a striking gap in information on the quality of maternal and newborn care services. METHODS: A rapid cross-sectional assessment was conducted in November 2022 to assess the quality of MNH services at private hospitals in Iraq. Multi-stage sampling was used to select 15% of the country's 164 private hospitals. Assessment tools included a facility assessment checklist, a structured health worker interview tool, and a structured client exit interview tool. Data collection was conducted using KoboToolbox software on Android tablets, and analysis conducted using SPSS v28. RESULTS: All hospitals visited provided MNH services and had skilled personnel present or on-call 24 h/day, 7 days/week. Most births (88%) documented between January and June 2022 were cesarean births. Findings indicate that nearly all hospitals have the human resources, equipment, medicines and supplies necessary for quality antenatal, intrapartum and early essential newborn care, and many are also equipped with special units and resources needed to care for small and sick babies. However, while resources are in place for basic and advanced care, there are gaps in knowledge and practice of high-impact interventions that require few or no resources to perform, including skin-to-skin thermal care and support for early initiation of breastfeeding. Person-centered maternity care scores suggest that private hospitals offer a positive experience of care for all clients, however there is room for improvement in provider-client communication. CONCLUSIONS: This assessment highlights the need for deeper dives into factors that underly decisions about how and where to give birth, and both understanding and practice of early essential newborn care and pre-discharge examinations and counseling at private healthcare facilities in Iraq. Engaging private health facility staff in efforts to monitor and improve the quality of maternal and newborn care, with a focus on early essential newborn care and provider-client communication for all clients, will ensure that women and newborns benefit from the best care possible with available resources.

Protocol for a process evaluation of a cluster randomized controlled trial of the Learning Club intervention for women's health, and infant's health and development in rural Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: Learning Clubs is a multi-component intervention to address the eight common risk factors for women's health, and infant's health and development in resource-constrained settings. We are testing in a cluster randomized controlled trial in rural Vietnam whether this intervention improves cognitive development in children when they are aged two. There are few comprehensive process evaluations of complex interventions to optimise early childhood development. The aim is to conduct a planned process evaluation of the Learning Clubs intervention in Vietnam. METHODS: The evaluation will be conducted alongside the Learning Clubs trial using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Four domains will be included in the evaluation: [1] Context - how contextual factors affect the implementation and outcomes; [2] Implementation - what aspects of the Learning Clubs intervention are actually delivered and how well the intervention is delivered; [3] Mechanism of impact - how the intervention produces changes in the primary and secondary outcomes; and [4] National integration - how the intervention can be scaled up for application nationally. Purposive sampling will be used to recruit project stakeholders from commune, provincial and national levels. Results of the process evaluation will be integrated with those of the outcome and economic evaluations to provide a comprehensive picture of the effectiveness of the Learning Clubs intervention for early childhood development in rural Vietnam. DISCUSSION: Results of the evaluation will provide evidence about the implementation of the intervention and explanations for any differences in the outcomes between participants in intervention and control conditions. The evaluation will be integrated into each stage of the outcome assessments, but will be implemented by a bilingual team independent of the team implementing the intervention. It will therefore provide evidence which will not be influenced by or influence the intervention and will inform both generalisation to other settings and scalability in Vietnam. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial registration number ACTRN12617000442303 on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry. Registered 27/03/2017. Prospectively registered.

Lessons From the West Africa Ebola Epidemic: A Systematic Review of Epidemiological and Social and Behavioral Science Research Priorities.

This systematic literature review compared the epidemiological (EPI) research and the qualitative social and behavioral science (SBS) research published during the West Africa Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic. Beginning with an initial capture of over 2000 articles, we extracted 236 EPI and 171 SBS studies to examine how disciplinary priorities affected research conducted during the EVD response, with implications for epidemic response effectiveness. Building on this research, we set forth a roadmap for the closer integration of EPI and SBS research in all aspects of epidemic preparedness and response that incorporates the lessons of the West Africa EVD outbreak. Key priorities include the following: (1) developing the capacity to systematically quantify qualitative sociocultural variables; (2) establishing interdisciplinary collaborations to improve "risk segmentation" practices; (3) creating and prepositioning qualitative indicators and composite sociocultural indexes for rapid deployment in outbreaks; (4) integrating novel systems with community resources; (5) developing new techniques for modeling social mobilization and community engagement; (6) prioritizing good data and complex analyses early in emergencies; and (7) learning from past experiences. Our findings support a program of action that situates data collection and analysis in real-time, recursive, integrated efforts to move community attitudes, behaviors, and responses into epidemiological research. We offer recommendations to improve coordinated, multidisciplinary approaches to health emergencies.

Implications of dual practice for universal health coverage.

Making progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) requires that health workers are adequate in numbers, prepared for their jobs and motivated to perform. In establishing the best ways to develop the health workforce, relatively little attention has been paid to the trends and implications of dual practice - concurrent employment in public and private sectors. We review recent research on dual practice for its potential to guide staffing policies in relation to UHC. Many studies describe the characteristics and correlates of dual practice and speculate about impacts, but there is very little evidence that is directly relevant to policy-makers. No studies have evaluated the impact of policies on the characteristics of dual practice or implications for UHC. We address this lack and call for case studies of policy interventions on dual practice in different contexts. Such research requires investment in better data collection and greater determination on the part of researchers, research funding bodies and national research councils to overcome the difficulties of researching sensitive topics of health systems functions.

Pour parvenir à la couverture sanitaire universelle, il est nécessaire que les agents sanitaires soient en nombre suffisant, préparés à exercer leur métier et motivés. Au moment de déterminer les meilleurs moyens de renforcer le personnel de santé, peu d'attention a été accordée aux tendances et aux conséquences de la double pratique (cumul d'emplois dans les secteurs public et privé). Nous avons examiné une étude récente sur la double pratique en raison de sa capacité à orienter les politiques de dotation en personnel par rapport à la couverture sanitaire universelle. De nombreuses études décrivent les caractéristiques et les corrélats de la double pratique et suggèrent des hypothèses quant à son impact, mais très peu de données présentent un intérêt direct pour les dirigeants. Aucune étude n'a évalué l'impact des politiques sur les caractéristiques de la double pratique ou les conséquences sur la couverture sanitaire universelle. Nous soulignons ce manque et recommandons la réalisation d'études de cas portant sur les actions politiques relatives à la double pratique dans différents contextes. Ce travail de recherche requiert une meilleure collecte de données et une plus grande détermination de la part des chercheurs, des organismes de financement de la recherche et des conseils nationaux de recherche pour surmonter les difficultés liées aux recherches sur des sujets délicats concernant les fonctions des systèmes de santé.

Progresar hacia una cobertura universal de salud (UHC, por sus siglas en inglés) requiere un número adecuado de personal sanitario que esté preparado para su trabajo y motivado para llevarlo a cabo. Al establecer las mejores formas para desarrollar el personal sanitario, se prestó relativamente poca atención a las tendencias e implicaciones de la doble práctica (empleo concurrente en los sectores públicos y privados). Se revisó una reciente investigación sobre la doble práctica por su potencial para guiar las políticas de personal en relación con la UHC. Muchos estudios describen las características y correlaciones de la doble práctica y especulan sobre sus efectos negativos, pero existen muy pocas pruebas de que sean directamente relevantes para los responsables políticos. Ningún estudio ha evaluado el impacto de las políticas en las características de la doble práctica o las implicaciones para la UHC. Se señala esta carencia y se reclaman estudios de casos de las intervenciones políticas sobre la doble práctica en diferentes contextos. Tal investigación requiere una inversión en una mejor recopilación de datos y una mayor determinación por parte de los investigadores, las entidades que financian la investigación y los consejos nacionales de investigación con el objetivo de superar las dificultades de investigar temas delicados del funcionamiento de los sistemas sanitarios.

The Effect of Community-Based Prevention and Care on Ebola Transmission in Sierra Leone.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the acceptability, use, effects on early isolation, and contribution to Ebola virus disease (EVD) transmission of Community Care Centers (CCCs), which were rapidly deployed in Sierra Leone during an accelerated phase of the 2014-2015 EVD epidemic. METHODS: Focus group discussions, triads, and key informant interviews assessed acceptability of the CCCs. Facility registers, structured questionnaires, and laboratory records documented use, admission, and case identification. We estimated transmission effects by comparing time between symptom onset and isolation at CCCs relative to other facilities with the national Viral Hemorrhagic Fever data set. RESULTS: Between November 2014 and January 2015, 46 CCCs were operational. Over 13 epidemic weeks, 6129 patients were triaged identifying 719 (12%) EVD suspects. Community acceptance was high despite initial mistrust. Nearly all patients presented to CCCs outside the national alert system. Isolation of EVD suspects within 4 days of symptoms was higher in CCCs compared with other facilities (85% vs 49%; odds ratio = 6.0; 95% confidence interval = 4.0, 9.1), contributing to a 13% to 32% reduction in the EVD reproduction number (Ro). CONCLUSIONS: Community-based approaches to prevention and care can reduce Ebola transmission.

Public Health and International Partnerships in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

David Hipgrave and colleagues argue that sustained collaboration is required to improve population health and health services in North Korea.

Control of iron deficiency anemia in low- and middle-income countries.

Despite worldwide economic and scientific development, more than a quarter of the world's population remains anemic, and about half of this burden is a result of iron deficiency anemia (IDA). IDA is most prevalent among preschool children and women. Among women, iron supplementation improves physical and cognitive performance, work productivity, and well-being, and iron during pregnancy improves maternal, neonatal, infant, and even long-term child outcomes. Among children, iron may improve cognitive, psychomotor, and physical development, but the evidence for this is more limited. Strategies to control IDA include daily and intermittent iron supplementation, home fortification with micronutrient powders, fortification of staple foods and condiments, and activities to improve food security and dietary diversity. The safety of routine iron supplementation in settings where infectious diseases, particularly malaria, are endemic remains uncertain. The World Health Organization is revising global guidelines for controlling IDA. Implementation of anemia control programs in developing countries requires careful baseline epidemiologic evaluation, selection of appropriate interventions that suit the population, and ongoing monitoring to ensure safety and effectiveness. This review provides an overview and an approach for the implementation of public health interventions for controlling IDA in low- and middle-income countries, with an emphasis on current evidence-based recommendations.

Effect of Home-Based Complementary Food Fortification on Prevalence of Anemia Among Infants and Young Children Aged 6 to 23 Months in Poor Rural Regions of China.

Following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, the Chinese government instituted an infant and young and child nutrition program that included promotion of in-home fortification of complementary food with ying yang bao (YYB), a soy-based powder containing iron, 2.5 mg as iron-EDTA and 5 mg as ferrous fumarate, and other micronutrients. Ying yang bao was provided to participating families in 8 poor rural counties in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces by the Ministry of Health. We assessed hemoglobin levels among infants and young children (IYC) aged 6 to 23 months at baseline in May 2010 (n = 1290) and during follow-up in November 2010 (n = 1142), May 2011 (n = 1118), and November 2011 (n = 1040), using the Hemocue method. Interviewers collected basic demographic information and child feeding practices from the children's caretakers. Altitude-adjusted hemoglobin level averaged 10.8 g/dL, and total anemia prevalence was 49.5% at baseline. Average hemoglobin was 11.3 g/dL at 6 months, 11.6 g/dL at 12 months, and 11.7 g/dL at 18 months after introduction of YYB. Moderate anemia (hemoglobin: 70-99 g/dL) decreased from 20.3% at baseline to 7.5%, 5.8%, and 7.3% after 6, 12, and 18 months of home fortification, respectively (P < .001), whereas mild anemia (hemoglobin: 100-110 g/dL) decreased from 29.0% to 16.7%, 18.1%, and 15.4%, respectively (P < .001). Among infants aged 6 to 23 months, 95% had regularly been fed YYB during the observation period. Regression analysis showed that the duration of YYB consumption and number of sachets consumed per week correlated positively with hemoglobin levels and negatively with anemia rates. Home food fortification with YYB is feasible and effective for nutrition promotion among IYC in high-risk regions of China.

Cause of death among infants in rural western China: a community-based study using verbal autopsy.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the causes of death among infants in high-mortality areas of western China with the use of globally recognized methods. STUDY DESIGN: A survey of all infant deaths identified over 1 year in 4 counties in Yunnan and Xinjiang in which combined verbal autopsy was combined with a physician's diagnosis of the cause to calculate the local infant mortality rate. RESULTS: Among 470 completed investigations, a cause of death was assigned to 423 cases (90%). Overall, pneumonia (34.5%), preterm birth complications (16.5%), diarrhea (10.4%), birth asphyxia (10.3%), and congenital abnormalities (8.5%) were the main causes, with 56.6% of deaths occurring in the neonatal period. Deaths were attributable predominantly to prematurity or birth asphyxia in the early neonatal period, whereas infection accounted for more than 60% and 80% of deaths in the late and postneonatal periods, respectively. Calculated infant mortality was 21.9 in 1000 live births. CONCLUSIONS: The pattern of infant mortality observed in the surveyed counties differs markedly from that reported previously at the national level, with a high proportion the result of causes that may be preventable with globally recommended interventions. Financial and political support is needed to promote improved cause of death surveillance and newborn and infant health care in China's western region.

Maternal deaths among rural-urban migrants in China: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Disparity in maternal mortality exists between rural-urban migrant and urban resident women in China, but little research has provided evidence for related policy development. The objective of this study was to identify associations with and risks for maternal death among rural-urban migrant women in order to improve health services for migrant women and reduce maternal mortality in China. METHODS: We conducted a prospective case-control study in urban areas of Guangdong, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces and Beijing municipality. In each, migrant women who died between July 1, 2010 and October 1, 2011 were identified through reports from China's Maternal and Child Mortality Surveillance System. For each, four matched controls were selected from migrant women who delivered in local hospitals during the same period. We compared socio-demographic characteristics, health status and health service variables between cases and controls, and used bivariate and multivariate conditional logistic regression analyses to determine associations with and risk factors for maternal death. RESULTS: 109 cases and 436 controls were assessed. Family income <2000 yuan per month (OR = 4.5; 95% CI 1.7-11.7) and lack of health insurance (OR = 1.3; 95% CI 1.1-1.6) were more common amongst women who died, as were lack of antenatal care (ANC) (OR = 22.3; 95% CI 4.3-116.0) and attending ANC only 1-4 times (OR = 5.0; 95% CI 1.6-15.5). Knowledge of danger signs during delivery was less common in this group (OR = 0.3; 95% CI 0.1-0.8). CONCLUSION: Differences existed between migrant women who died in pregnancy and surviving controls. The identified risk factors suggest strategies for health sector and community action on reducing maternal mortality among migrant women in China. A systematic approach to maternity care for rural-urban migrant women is recommended.

Intensification of integrated immunization services to recover routine vaccination coverage and bring COVID-19 vaccine to the population of Iraq in 2022.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 seriously impacted routine immunization (RI) in Iraq. Coverage declined to a 6-year low in 2021, and COVID-19 vaccination uptake was slow. In response, government implemented intensification of integrated immunization services (3IS), a nationwide approach comprising regular outreach sessions of COVID-19 vaccination and RI for children who had either missed doses or never commenced scheduled vaccination (zero-dose children). We describe the 3IS and its impact on vaccination coverage in Iraq. METHODS: 3IS comprised new outreach sessions for urban and rural communities where administrative data suggested there were gaps in coverage. Groups of six personnel from each of 1,321 primary healthcare centres implemented six outreach sessions per month during February-November 2022. Community engagement was an integral component. We compared RI administrative data (2019-2022) and data reported during 3IS activities to assess its impact. RESULTS: In total 4,189,859 vaccine doses were administered during 72,495 3IS outreach sessions, over one-fifth of 19,106,849 vaccine doses administered in Iraq over these 10 months. Among them, 957,874 (22.9 %) were COVID-19 vaccines, adding slightly to national coverage, and 3,231,985 (77.1 %) were RI vaccines, dramatically reducing zero-dose children, adding 18 %, 25 %, 21 %, and 31 % to 2022 penta1, penta3, measles first-dose and MMR1 vaccine coverage, and contributing to national coverage of 102.2 %, 94.5 %, 91.8 % and 96.3 % for these vaccines during February-November, respectively. Moreover, 3IS sessions delivered 133,528 doses of tetanus toxoid, 16,353 doses of adult HepB vaccine, and 315,032 vitamin A doses to eligible individuals. CONCLUSION: In the context of global encouragement to integrate vaccination services, Iraq's 3IS approach enabled dramatic improvements in RI coverage, virtual elimination of zero-dose status among children born during the pandemic, and small improvements in COVID-19 and adult vaccination. Our findings provide lessons for future integrated primary care towards universal health coverage in Iraq, and for other countries yet to undertake integration.

Evaluation, in three provinces, of the introduction and impact of China's National Essential Medicines Scheme.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate implementation of the National Essential Medicines Scheme (NEMS) in rural China. METHODS: Two rural counties/districts in each of three provinces where NEMS had been implemented were surveyed. Information was collected from NEMS staff at the province, county/district, township and village levels; patients with chronic disease were also interviewed. Service provision, finances, prescriptions, inpatient records and the expenditures of patients with certain diagnoses were investigated in township hospitals and village clinics. The results were compared with the corresponding data recorded before NEMS was introduced. FINDINGS: Following the introduction of NEMS, drug procurement in each study location was systematized. Total drug costs declined. This, and improved prescribing, reduced the costs of outpatient and inpatient care and led, apparently, to increased uptake of health services. However, the prices of some drugs had increased and the availability of others had declined. The compensation of health-care providers for NEMS-related reductions in their incomes had been largely ineffective. As a result of the introduction of NEMS, health facilities relied more on public financing. Many health-care providers complained about higher workloads and lower incomes. CONCLUSION: Although it was well conceived, the introduction of NEMS into China's decentralized, fee-for-service system of health care has not been straightforward. It has highlighted the problems associated with attempts to modernize health care and health financing for patients' benefit. Sustainable mechanisms to compensate health-care providers for lost income are needed to ensure that NEMS is a success.

Breastfeeding rates in central and western China in 2010: implications for child and population health.

OBJECTIVE: To describe breastfeeding practices in rural China using globally recommended indicators and to compare them with practices in neighbouring countries and large emerging economies. METHODS: A community-based, cross-sectional survey of 2354 children younger than 2 years in 26 poor, rural counties in 12 central and western provinces was conducted. Associations between indicators of infant and young child feeding and socioeconomic, demographic and health service variables were explored and rates were compared with the most recent data from China and other nations. FINDINGS: Overall, 98.3% of infants had been breastfed. However, only 59.4% had initiated breastfeeding early (i.e. within 1 hour of birth); only 55.5% and 9.4% had continued breastfeeding for 1 and 2 years, respectively, and only 28.7% of infants younger than 6 months had been exclusively breastfed. Early initiation of breastfeeding was positively associated with at least five antenatal clinic visits (adjusted odds ratio, aOR: 3.48; P < 0.001) and negatively associated with delivery by Caesarean (aOR: 0.53; P < 0.001) or in a referral-level facility (aOR: 0.6; P = 0.014). Exclusive breastfeeding among children younger than 6 months was positively associated with delivery in a referral-level facility (aOR: 2.22; P < 0.05). Breastfeeding was not associated with maternal age or education, ethnicity or household wealth. Surveyed rates of exclusive and continued breastfeeding were mostly lower than in other nations. CONCLUSION: Despite efforts to promote breastfeeding in China, rates are very low. A commitment to improve infant and young child feeding is needed to reduce mortality and morbidity.

Considering equity and cost-effectiveness in assessing a parenting intervention to promote early childhood development in rural Vietnam.

Considering equity in early childhood development (ECD) is important to ensure healthy development for every child. Equity-informative cost-effectiveness analysis can further guide decision makers to maximize outcomes with limited resources while promoting equity. This cost-effectiveness study aimed to examine the equity impacts of a multicomponent ECD intervention in rural Vietnam. We estimated the cost-effectiveness of the intervention with a 30-month time horizon from the service provider and household perspectives with equity considerations. Data were from a cluster-randomized controlled trial comparing the intervention with the local standard of care. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) per child cognitive development score gained were estimated by household wealth quintile and maternal education level, adjusted for cluster effects and baseline characteristics such as maternal parity and age. A 3% discount rate was applied to costs, and non-parametric cluster bootstrapping was used to examine uncertainty around ICERs. Children in the intervention had higher cognitive development scores than those in the control arm across all subgroups. Based on intervention recurrent cost, the ICER per cognitive development score gained was lower in children from the poorest quintile (-US$6) compared to those from the richest quintile (US$16). Similarly, the ICER per cognitive development score gained was lower in children whose mothers had the lowest education level (-US$0.02) than those with mothers who had the highest education level (US$7). Even though our findings should be interpreted with caution due to the insufficient study power, the findings suggest that the intervention could promote equity while improving child cognitive development with greater cost-effectiveness in disadvantaged groups.