Diversity and divergence: the dynamic burden of poor maternal health

Before the beginning: nutrition and lifestyle in the preconception period and its importance for future health

A woman who is healthy at the time of conception is more likely to have a successful pregnancy and a healthy child. We reviewed published evidence and present new data from low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries on the timing and importance of preconception health for subsequent maternal and child health. We describe the extent to which pregnancy is planned, and whether planning is linked to preconception health behaviours. Observational studies show strong links between health before pregnancy and maternal and child health outcomes, with consequences that can extend across generations, but awareness of these links is not widespread. Poor nutrition and obesity are rife among women of reproductive age, and differences between high-income and low-income countries have become less distinct, with typical diets falling far short of nutritional recommendations in both settings and especially among adolescents. Several studies show that micronutrient supplementation starting in pregnancy can correct important maternal nutrient deficiencies, but effects on child health outcomes are disappointing. Other interventions to improve diet during pregnancy have had little effect on maternal and newborn health outcomes. Comparatively few interventions have been made for preconception diet and lifestyle. Improvements in the measurement of pregnancy planning have quantified the degree of pregnancy planning and suggest that it is more common than previously recognised. Planning for pregnancy is associated with a mixed pattern of health behaviours before conception. We propose novel definitions of the preconception period relating to embryo development and actions at individual or population level. A sharper focus on intervention before conception is needed to improve maternal and child health and reduce the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. Alongside continued efforts to reduce smoking, alcohol consumption, and obesity in the population, we call for heightened awareness of preconception health, particularly regarding diet and nutrition. Importantly, health professionals should be alerted to ways of identifying women who are planning a pregnancy.

Evaluating the impact of a maternal health voucher programme on service use before and after the introduction of free maternity services in Kenya: a quasi-experimental study

INTRODUCTION

From 2006 to 2016, the Government of Kenya implemented a reproductive health voucher programme in select counties, providing poor women subsidised access to public and private sector care. In June 2013, the government introduced a policy calling for free maternity services to be provided in all public facilities. The concurrent implementation of these interventions presents an opportunity to provide new insights into how users adapt to a changing health financing and service provision landscape.

METHODS

We used data from three cross-sectional surveys to assess changes over time in use of 4+ antenatal care visits, facility delivery, postnatal care and maternal healthcare across the continuum among a sample of predominantly poor women in six counties. We conducted a difference-in-differences analysis to estimate the impact of the voucher programme on these outcomes, and whether programme impact changed after free maternity services were introduced.

RESULTS

Between the preintervention/roll-out phase and full implementation, the voucher programme was associated with a 5.5% greater absolute increase in use of facility delivery and substantial increases in use of the private sector for all services. After free maternity services were introduced, the voucher programme was associated with a 5.7% higher absolute increase in use of the recommended package of maternal health services; however, disparities in access to facility births between voucher and comparison counties declined. Increased use of private sector services by women in voucher counties accounts for their greater access to care across the continuum.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings show that the voucher programme is associated with a modest increase in women's use of the full continuum of maternal health services at the recommended timings after free maternity services were introduced. The greater use of private sector services in voucher counties also suggests that there is need to expand women's access to acceptable and affordable providers.

Not just a number: examining coverage and content of antenatal care in low-income and middle-income countries

INTRODUCTION

Antenatal care (ANC) provides a critical opportunity for women and babies to benefit from good-quality maternal care. Using 10 countries as an illustrative analysis, we described ANC coverage (number of visits and timing of first visit) and operationalised indicators for content of care as available in population surveys, and examined how these two approaches are related.

METHODS

We used the most recent Demographic and Health Survey to analyse ANC related to women's most recent live birth up to 3 years preceding the survey. Content of care was assessed using six components routinely measured across all countries, and a further one to eight additional country-specific components. We estimated the percentage of women in need of ANC, and using ANC, who received each component, the six routine components and all components.

RESULTS

In all 10 countries, the majority of women in need of ANC reported 1+ ANC visits and over two-fifths reported 4+ visits. Receipt of the six routine components varied widely; blood pressure measurement was the most commonly reported component, and urine test and information on complications the least. Among the subset of women starting ANC in the first trimester and receiving 4+ visits, the percentage receiving all six routinely measured ANC components was low, ranging from 10% (Jordan) to around 50% in Nigeria, Nepal, Colombia and Haiti.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that even among women with patterns of care that complied with global recommendations, the content of care was poor. Efficient and effective action to improve care quality relies on development of suitable content of care indicators.

Can a midwife-led continuity model improve maternal services in a low-resource setting? A non-randomised cluster intervention study in Palestine

OBJECTIVES

To improve maternal health services in rural areas, the Palestinian Ministry of Health launched a midwife-led continuity model in the West Bank in 2013. Midwives were deployed weekly from governmental hospitals to provide antenatal and postnatal care in rural clinics. We studied the intervention's impact on use and quality indicators of maternal services after 2 years' experience.

DESIGN

A non-randomised intervention design was chosen. The study was based on registry data only available at cluster level, 2 years before (2011and2012) and 2 years after (2014and2015) the intervention.

SETTING

All 53 primary healthcare clinics in Nablus and Jericho regions were stratified for inclusion.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES

Primary outcome was number of antenatal visits. Important secondary outcomes were number of referrals to specialist care and number of postnatal home visits. Differences in changes within the two groups before and after the intervention were compared by using mixed effect models.

RESULTS

14 intervention clinics and 25 control clinics were included. Number of antenatal visits increased by 1.16 per woman in the intervention clinics, while declined by 0.39 in the control clinics, giving a statistically significant difference in change of 1.55 visits (95% CI 0.90 to 2.21). A statistically significant difference in number of referrals was observed between the groups, giving a ratio of rate ratios of 3.65 (2.78-4.78) as number of referrals increased by a rate ratio of 3.87 in the intervention group, while in the control the rate ratio was only 1.06.Home visits increased substantially in the intervention group but decreased in the control group, giving a ratio of RR 97.65 (45.20 - 210.96) CONCLUSION: The Palestinian midwife-led continuity model improved use and some quality indicators of maternal services. More research should be done to investigate if the model influenced individual health outcomes and satisfaction with care.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT03145571; Results.

The complex challenge of providing patient-centred perinatal healthcare in rural Uganda: A qualitative enquiry

RATIONALE

Increasing research and reflections on quality of healthcare across the perinatal period slowly propels the global community to lobby for improved standards of quality perinatal healthcare, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this qualitative study was to obtain a deeper understanding of how interpersonal dimensions of the quality of care relate to real-life experiences of perinatal care, in a resource-constrained local health system.

METHODS

In total, 41 in-depth interviews and five focus group discussions (N = 34) were conducted with perinatal women and local health system health professionals living and working in rural Uganda. Data analysis used an emergent and partially inductive, thematic framework based on the grounded theory approach.

RESULTS

The results indicated that interpersonal aspects of quality of perinatal care and service delivery are largely lacking in this low-resource setting. Thematic analysis showed three interrelated process aspects of quality of perinatal care: negative reported patient-provider interactions, the perceptions shaping patient-provider interactions, and emergent consequences arising out of these processes of care. Further reflections expose the central, yet often-unheeded, role of perinatal women's agency in their own health seeking behaviours and overall well-being, as well as that of underlying practical norms surrounding health worker attitudes and behaviours.

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight the complexity of patient-centred perinatal healthcare provision in rural Uganda and point to the relevance of linking the interpersonal dimensions of quality of care to the larger systemic and structural dimensions of perinatal healthcare.

Access to emergency hospital care provided by the public sector in sub-Saharan Africa in 2015: a geocoded inventory and spatial analysis

BACKGROUND

Timely access to emergency care can substantially reduce mortality. International benchmarks for access to emergency hospital care have been established to guide ambitions for universal health care by 2030. However, no Pan-African database of where hospitals are located exists; therefore, we aimed to complete a geocoded inventory of hospital services in Africa in relation to how populations might access these services in 2015, with focus on women of child bearing age.

METHODS

We assembled a geocoded inventory of public hospitals across 48 countries and islands of sub-Saharan Africa, including Zanzibar, using data from various sources. We only included public hospitals with emergency services that were managed by governments at national or local levels and faith-based or non-governmental organisations. For hospital listings without geographical coordinates, we geocoded each facility using Microsoft Encarta (version 2009), Google Earth (version 7.3), Geonames, Fallingrain, OpenStreetMap, and other national digital gazetteers. We obtained estimates for total population and women of child bearing age (15-49 years) at a 1 km2 spatial resolution from the WorldPop database for 2015. Additionally, we assembled road network data from Google Map Maker Project and OpenStreetMap using ArcMap (version 10.5). We then combined the road network and the population locations to form a travel impedance surface. Subsequently, we formulated a cost distance algorithm based on the location of public hospitals and the travel impedance surface in AccessMod (version 5) to compute the proportion of populations living within a combined walking and motorised travel time of 2 h to emergency hospital services.

FINDINGS

We consulted 100 databases from 48 sub-Saharan countries and islands, including Zanzibar, and identified 4908 public hospitals. 2701 hospitals had either full or partial information about their geographical coordinates. We estimated that 287 282 013 (29·0%) people and 64 495 526 (28·2%) women of child bearing age are located more than 2-h travel time from the nearest hospital. Marked differences were observed within and between countries, ranging from less than 25% of the population within 2-h travel time of a public hospital in South Sudan to more than 90% in Nigeria, Kenya, Cape Verde, Swaziland, South Africa, Burundi, Comoros, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Zanzibar. Only 16 countries reached the international benchmark of more than 80% of their populations living within a 2-h travel time of the nearest hospital.

INTERPRETATION

Physical access to emergency hospital care provided by the public sector in Africa remains poor and varies substantially within and between countries. Innovative targeting of emergency care services is necessary to reduce these inequities. This study provides the first spatial census of public hospital services in Africa.

FUNDING

Wellcome Trust and the UK Department for International Development.

Early antenatal care visit: a systematic analysis of regional and global levels and trends of coverage from 1990 to 2013

BACKGROUND

The timing of the first antenatal care visit is paramount for ensuring optimal health outcomes for women and children, and it is recommended that all pregnant women initiate antenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy (early antenatal care visit). Systematic global analysis of early antenatal care visits has not been done previously. This study reports on regional and global estimates of the coverage of early antenatal care visits from 1990 to 2013.

METHODS

Data were obtained from nationally representative surveys and national health information systems. Estimates of coverage of early antenatal care visits were generated with linear regression analysis and based on 516 logit-transformed observations from 132 countries. The model accounted for differences by data sources in reporting the cutoff for the early antenatal care visit.

FINDINGS

The estimated worldwide coverage of early antenatal care visits increased from 40·9% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 34·6-46·7) in 1990 to 58·6% (52·1-64·3) in 2013, corresponding to a 43·3% increase. Overall coverage in the developing regions was 48·1% (95% UI 43·4-52·4) in 2013 compared with 84·8% (81·6-87·7) in the developed regions. In 2013, the estimated coverage of early antenatal care visits was 24·0% (95% UI 21·7-26·5) in low-income countries compared with 81·9% (76·5-87·1) in high-income countries.

INTERPRETATION

Progress in the coverage of early antenatal care visits has been achieved but coverage is still far from universal. Substantial inequity exists in coverage both within regions and between income groups. The absence of data in many countries is of concern and efforts should be made to collect and report coverage of early antenatal care visits to enable better monitoring and evaluation.

FUNDING

Department of Reproductive Health and Research, WHO and UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction.

Quality of life 1 year after a maternal near-miss event

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate quality of life (QoL) parameters among women categorized with a maternal near-miss during pregnancy.

METHODS

The present prospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary referral hospital in South Africa between April 1, 2013, and March 31, 2016. Patients who experienced maternal near-miss events were included and patients with uncomplicated low-risk pregnancies were enrolled as a control group. Various parameters were assessed using a WHO QoL questionnaire.

RESULTS

The maternal near-miss and uncomplicated low-risk pregnancy (control) groups comprised 95 and 51 women. The maternal near-miss group scored lower than the control group in all four domains of the questionnaire (P<0.001). Overall, 42 (82%) women in the control group and 41 (43%) women in the maternal near-miss group desired future fertility (P<0.001). Women in the maternal near-miss group who had experienced perinatal loss scored lower in the physical health and well-being (P=0.009), psychological health and well-being (P=0.007), and environment (P=0.031) domains compared with women in the maternal near-miss group who experienced a live delivery. Nonetheless, QoL scores among women in the maternal near-miss group who had experienced perinatal loss remained lower than those reported by women in the control group (P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

A maternal near-miss event during pregnancy was associated with reduced QoL, especially among women who had experienced perinatal loss.

Modelling stillbirth mortality reduction with the Lives Saved Tool

BACKGROUND

The worldwide burden of stillbirths is large, with an estimated 2.6 million babies stillborn in 2015 including 1.3 million dying during labour. The Every Newborn Action Plan set a stillbirth target of ≤12 per 1000 in all countries by 2030. Planning tools will be essential as countries set policy and plan investment to scale up interventions to meet this target. This paper summarises the approach taken for modelling the impact of scaling-up health interventions on stillbirths in the Lives Saved tool (LiST), and potential future refinements.

METHODS

The specific application to stillbirths of the general method for modelling the impact of interventions in LiST is described. The evidence for the effectiveness of potential interventions to reduce stillbirths are reviewed and the assumptions of the affected fraction of stillbirths who could potentially benefit from these interventions are presented. The current assumptions and their effects on stillbirth reduction are described and potential future improvements discussed.

RESULTS

High quality evidence are not available for all parameters in the LiST stillbirth model. Cause-specific mortality data is not available for stillbirths, therefore stillbirths are modelled in LiST using an attributable fraction approach by timing of stillbirths (antepartum/ intrapartum). Of 35 potential interventions to reduce stillbirths identified, eight interventions are currently modelled in LiST. These include childbirth care, induction for prolonged pregnancy, multiple micronutrient and balanced energy supplementation, malaria prevention and detection and management of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, diabetes and syphilis. For three of the interventions, childbirth care, detection and management of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and diabetes the estimate of effectiveness is based on expert opinion through a Delphi process. Only for malaria is coverage information available, with coverage estimated using expert opinion for all other interventions. Going forward, potential improvements identified include improving of effectiveness and coverage estimates for included interventions and addition of further interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

Known effective interventions have the potential to reduce stillbirths and can be modelled using the LiST tool. Data for stillbirths are improving. Going forward the LiST tool should seek, where possible, to incorporate these improving data, and to continually be refined to provide an increasingly reliable tool for policy and programming purposes.

Estimates of the Burden of Group B Streptococcal Disease Worldwide for Pregnant Women, Stillbirths, and Children

BACKGROUND

We aimed to provide the first comprehensive estimates of the burden of group B Streptococcus (GBS), including invasive disease in pregnant and postpartum women, fetal infection/stillbirth, and infants. Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis is the current mainstay of prevention, reducing early-onset infant disease in high-income contexts. Maternal GBS vaccines are in development.

METHODS

For 2015 live births, we used a compartmental model to estimate (1) exposure to maternal GBS colonization, (2) cases of infant invasive GBS disease, (3) deaths, and (4) disabilities. We applied incidence or prevalence data to estimate cases of maternal and fetal infection/stillbirth, and infants with invasive GBS disease presenting with neonatal encephalopathy. We applied risk ratios to estimate numbers of preterm births attributable to GBS. Uncertainty was also estimated.

RESULTS

Worldwide in 2015, we estimated 205000 (uncertainty range [UR], 101000-327000) infants with early-onset disease and 114000 (UR, 44000-326000) with late-onset disease, of whom a minimum of 7000 (UR, 0-19000) presented with neonatal encephalopathy. There were 90000 (UR, 36000-169000) deaths in infants <3 months age, and, at least 10000 (UR, 3000-27000) children with disability each year. There were 33000 (UR, 13000-52000) cases of invasive GBS disease in pregnant or postpartum women, and 57000 (UR, 12000-104000) fetal infections/stillbirths. Up to 3.5 million preterm births may be attributable to GBS. Africa accounted for 54% of estimated cases and 65% of all fetal/infant deaths. A maternal vaccine with 80% efficacy and 90% coverage could prevent 107000 (UR, 20000-198000) stillbirths and infant deaths.

CONCLUSIONS

Our conservative estimates suggest that GBS is a leading contributor to adverse maternal and newborn outcomes, with at least 409000 (UR, 144000-573000) maternal/fetal/infant cases and 147000 (UR, 47000-273000) stillbirths and infant deaths annually. An effective GBS vaccine could reduce disease in the mother, the fetus, and the infant.

Umbilical cord mesenchyme stem cell local intramuscular injection for treatment of uterine niche: Protocol for a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Uterine niche is defined as a triangular anechoic structure at the site of the scar or a gap in the myometrium at the site of a previous caesarean section. The main clinical manifestations are postmenstrual spotting and intrauterine infection, which may seriously affect the daily life of nonpregnant women. Trials have shown an excellent safety and efficacy for the potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a therapeutic option for scar reconstruction. Therefore, this study is designed to investigate the safety and efficacy of using MSCs in the treatment for the uterine niche.

METHODS/DESIGN

This phase II clinical trial is a single-center, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled with 2 arms. One hundred twenty primiparous participants will be randomly (1:1 ratio) assigned to receive direct intramuscular injection of MSCs (a dose of 1*10 cells in 1 mL of 0.9% saline) (MSCs group) or an identical-appearing 1 mL of 0.9% saline (placebo-controlled group) near the uterine incision. The primary outcome of this trial is to evaluate the proportion of participants at 6 months who is found uterine niche in the uterus by transvaginal utrasonography. Adverse events will be documented in a case report form. The study will be conducted at the Department of Obstetric of Southern Medical University Affiliated Maternal & Child Health Hospital of Foshan.

DISCUSSION

This trial is the first investigation of the potential for therapeutic use of MSCs for the management of uterine niche after cesarean delivery.

CONCLUSION

This protocol will help to determine the efficacy and safety of MSCs treatment in uterine niche and bridge the gap with regards to the current preclinical and clinical evidence.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT02968459 (Clinical Trials.gov: http://clinicaltrials.gov/).

Maternal Death Surveillance and Response: A Tall Order for Effectiveness in Resource-Poor Settings

Most countries with high maternal (and newborn) mortality have very limited resources, overstretched health workers, and relatively weak systems and governance. To make important progress in reducing mortality, therefore, they need to carefully prioritize where to invest effort and funds. Given the demanding requirements to effectively implement the maternal death surveillance and response (MDSR) approach, in many settings it makes more sense to focus effort on the known drivers of high mortality, e.g., reducing geographic, financial, and systems barriers to lifesaving maternal and newborn care.

Grand multiparity and the possible risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes: a dilemma to be deciphered

BACKGROUND

The relation between grand multiparity (GMP) and the possible adverse pregnancy outcomes is not well identified. GMP (parity ≥5 births) frequently occurs in the Arab nations; therefore, this study aimed to identify the correlation between GMP and the different adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in the Saudi population.

METHOD

This cohort study was conducted on a total of 3327 women from the labour ward in King Khaled University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Primiparous, multiparous and grand multiparous females were included. Socio-demographic data and pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes or hypertension, preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction were retrieved from the participants' files. In addition, the labour ward records were used to extract information about delivery events (e.g. spontaneous preterm delivery, caesarean section [CS]) and neonatal outcomes including anthropometric measurements, APGAR score and neonatal admission to the intensive care.

RESULTS

Primiparas responses were more frequent in comparison to multiparas and GMP (56.8% and 33%, and 10.2% respectively). In general, history of miscarriage was elevated (27.2%), and was significantly higher in GMP (58.3%, p < 0.01). Caesarean delivery was also elevated (19.5%) and was significantly high in the GMP subgroup (p < 0.01). However, after adjustment for age, GMP were less likely to deliver by CS (odds ratio: 0.6, 95% CI: 0.4-0.8; p < 0.01). The two most frequent pregnancy-associated complications were gestational diabetes and spontaneous preterm delivery (12.6% and 9.1%, respectively). The former was significantly more frequent in the GMP (p < 0.01). The main neonatal complication was low birth weight (10.7%); nevertheless, neonatal admission to ICU was significantly higher in GMP (p = 0.04), and low birth weight was more common in primiparas (p < 0.01). Furthermore, logistic regression analysis revealed an insignificant increase in the maternal or neonatal risks in GMP compared to multiparas after adjustment for age.

CONCLUSION

Grand multiparous Saudi females have similar risks of maternal and neonatal complications compared to the other parity groups. Advanced age might play a major role on pregnancy outcomes in GMP. Nevertheless, grand multiparty might not be discouraged as long as women are provided with good perinatal care.

Utilizing Datasets to Advance Perinatal Research

Many organizations collect and make available perinatal data for research and quality improvement initiatives. Analysis of existing data and use of retrospective study design has many advantages for perinatal researchers. These advantages include large samples, inclusion of women from diverse groups, data reflective of actual clinical processes and outcomes, and decreased risk of direct maternal and fetal harm. We review 11 publicly available datasets relevant to perinatal research and quality improvement, detail the availability of interactive websites, and discuss strategies to locate additional datasets. While analysis of existing data has limitations, it may provide statistical power to study rare perinatal outcomes, support research applicable to diverse populations, and facilitate timely and ethical well-woman research immediately relevant to clinical care.

Uterine balloon tamponade as an adjunct to misoprostol for the treatment of uncontrolled postpartum haemorrhage: a randomised controlled trial in Benin and Mali

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effectiveness of low-cost uterine tamponade as an adjunct to misoprostol for the treatment of uncontrolled postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) in low-resource settings.

DESIGN

Randomised controlled trial.

SETTING

Seven healthcare facilities in Cotonou, Benin and Bamako, Mali.

POPULATION

Women delivering vaginally who had clinically diagnosed PPH that was suspected to be due to uterine atony, who were unresponsive to oxytocin and who needed additional uterotonics.

METHODS

Women were randomly assigned to receive uterine balloon tamponade with a condom-catheter device or no tamponade; both groups were also given intrarectal or sublingual misoprostol.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Proportion of women with invasive surgery or who died before hospital discharge.

RESULTS

The proportion of primary composite outcome did not differ significantly between the tamponade arm (16%; 9/57) and the standard second line treatment arm (7%; 4/59): relative risk 2.33 (95% CI 0.76 to 7.14, p=0.238). A significantly increased proportion of women with tamponade and misoprostol versus misoprostol alone had total blood loss more than 1000 mL: relative risk 1.52 (95% CI 1.15 to 2.00, p=0.01). Case fatality rate was higher in the tamponade group (10%; 6/57) than in the control group (2%; 1/59) (p=0.059).

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ISRCT Registry Number 01202389; Post-results.

Consequences of maternal morbidity on health-related functioning: a systematic scoping review

OBJECTIVES

To assess the scope of the published literature on the consequences of maternal morbidity on health-related functioning at the global level and identify key substantive findings as well as research and methodological gaps.

METHODS

We searched for articles published between 2005 and 2014 using Medline, Embase, Popline, CINAHL Plus and three regional bibliographic databases in January 2015.

DESIGN

Systematic scoping review PRIMARY OUTCOME: Health-related functioning RESULTS: After screening 17 706 studies, 136 articles were identified for inclusion. While a substantial number of papers have documented mostly negative effects of morbidity on health-related functioning and well-being, the body of evidence is not spread evenly across conditions, domains or geographical regions. Over 60% of the studies focus on indirect conditions such as depression, diabetes and incontinence. Health-related functioning is often assessed by instruments designed for the general population including the 36-item Short Form or disease-specific tools. The functioning domains most frequently documented are physical and mental; studies that examined physical, mental, social, economic and specifically focused on marital, maternal and sexual functioning are rare. Only 16 studies were conducted in Africa.

CONCLUSIONS

Many assessments have not been comprehensive and have paid little attention to important functioning domains for pregnant and postpartum women. The development of a comprehensive instrument specific to maternal health would greatly advance our understanding of burden of ill health associated with maternal morbidity and help set priorities. The lack of attention to consequences on functioning associated with the main direct obstetric complications is of particular concern.

REVIEW REGISTRATION

CRD42015017774.

Computerized Childbirth Monitoring Tools for Health Care Providers Managing Labor: A Scoping Review

Background

Proper monitoring of labor and childbirth prevents many pregnancy-related complications. However, monitoring is still poor in many places partly due to the usability concerns of support tools such as the partograph. In 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for the development and evaluation of context-adaptable electronic health solutions to health challenges. Computerized tools have penetrated many areas of health care, but their influence in supporting health staff with childbirth seems limited.

Objective

The objective of this scoping review was to determine the scope and trends of research on computerized labor monitoring tools that could be used by health care providers in childbirth management.

Methods

We used key terms to search the Web for eligible peer-reviewed and gray literature. Eligibility criteria were a computerized labor monitoring tool for maternity service providers and dated 2006 to mid-2016. Retrieved papers were screened to eliminate ineligible papers, and consensus was reached on the papers included in the final analysis.

Results

We started with about 380,000 papers, of which 14 papers qualified for the final analysis. Most tools were at the design and implementation stages of development. Three papers addressed post-implementation evaluations of two tools. No documentation on clinical outcome studies was retrieved. The parameters targeted with the tools varied, but they included fetal heart (10 of 11 tools), labor progress (8 of 11), and maternal status (7 of 11). Most tools were designed for use in personal computers in low-resource settings and could be customized for different user needs.

Conclusions

Research on computerized labor monitoring tools is inadequate. Compared with other labor parameters, there was preponderance to fetal heart monitoring and hardly any summative evaluation of the available tools. More research, including clinical outcomes evaluation of computerized childbirth monitoring tools, is needed.

Use of Rapid Ascertainment Process for Institutional Deaths (RAPID) to identify pregnancy-related deaths in tertiary-care obstetric hospitals in three departments in Haiti

Background

Accurate assessment of maternal deaths is difficult in countries lacking standardized data sources for their review. As a first step to investigate suspected maternal deaths, WHO suggests surveillance of “pregnancy-related deaths”, defined as deaths of women while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of cause. Rapid Ascertainment Process for Institutional Deaths (RAPID), a surveillance tool, retrospectively identifies pregnancy-related deaths occurring in health facilities that may be missed by routine surveillance to assess gaps in reporting these deaths.

Methods

We used RAPID to review pregnancy-related deaths in six tertiary obstetric care facilities in three departments in Haiti. We reviewed registers and medical dossiers of deaths among women of reproductive age occurring in 2014 and 2015 from all wards, along with any additional available dossiers of deaths not appearing in registers, to capture pregnancy status, suspected cause of death, and timing of death in relation to the pregnancy. We used capture-recapture analyses to estimate the true number of in-hospital pregnancy-related deaths in these facilities.

Results

Among 373 deaths of women of reproductive age, we found 111 pregnancy-related deaths, 25.2% more than were reported through routine surveillance, and 22.5% of which were misclassified as non-pregnancy-related. Hemorrhage (27.0%) and hypertensive disorders (18.0%) were the most common categories of suspected causes of death, and deaths after termination of pregnancy were statistically significantly more common than deaths during pregnancy or delivery. Data were missing at multiple levels: 210 deaths had an undetermined pregnancy status, 48.7% of pregnancy-related deaths lacked specific information about timing of death in relation to the pregnancy, and capture-recapture analyses in three hospitals suggested that approximately one-quarter of pregnancy-related deaths were not captured by RAPID or routine surveillance.

Conclusions

Across six tertiary obstetric care facilities in Haiti, RAPID identified unreported pregnancy-related deaths, and showed that missing data was a widespread problem. RAPID is a useful tool to more completely identify facility-based pregnancy-related deaths, but its repeated use would require a concomitant effort to systematically improve documentation of clinical findings in medical records. Limitations of RAPID demonstrate the need to use it alongside other tools to more accurately measure and address maternal mortality.

Trends in Maternal Mortality by Sociodemographic Characteristics and Cause of Death in 27 States and the District of Columbia

OBJECTIVE

To analyze recent trends in maternal mortality by sociodemographic characteristics and cause of death and to evaluate data quality.

METHODS

This observational study compared data from 2008-2009 with 2013-2014 for 27 states and the District of Columbia that had comparable reporting of maternal mortality throughout the period. Maternal mortality rates were computed per 100,000 live births. Statistical significance of trends and differentials was evaluated using a two-proportion z-test.

RESULTS

The study population included 1,687 maternal deaths and 7,369,966 live births. The maternal mortality rate increased by 23% from 20.6 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2008-2009 to 25.4 in 2013-2014. However, most of the increase was among women aged 40 years or older and for nonspecific causes of death. From 2008-2009 to 2013-2014, maternal mortality rates increased by 90% for women 40 years of age or older but did not increase significantly for women younger than 40 years. The maternal mortality rate for nonspecific causes of death increased by 48%; however, the rate for specific causes of death did not increase significantly between 2008-2009 (13.5) and 2013-2014 (15.0).

CONCLUSION

Despite the United Nations Millennium Development Goal and a 44% decline in maternal mortality worldwide from 1990 to 2015, maternal mortality has not improved in the United States and appears to be increasing. Maternal mortality rates for women 40 years or older and for nonspecific causes of death were implausibly high and increased rapidly, suggesting possible overreporting of maternal deaths, which may be increasing over time. Efforts to improve reporting for the pregnancy checkbox and to modify coding procedures to place less reliance on the checkbox are essential to improving vital statistics maternal mortality data, the official data source for maternal mortality statistics used to monitor trends, identify at-risk populations, and evaluate the success of prevention efforts.

Assessing emergency obstetric and newborn care: can performance indicators capture health system weaknesses?

Background

Regular monitoring and assessment of performance indicators for emergency obstetric and newborn care can help to identify priorities to improve health services for women and newborns. The aim of this study was to perform a district wide assessment of emergency obstetric and newborn care performance and identify ways for improvement.

Methods

Facility assessment of 13 dispensaries, four health centers and one district hospital in a rural district in Tanzania was performed in two data collection periods in 2014. Assessment included a facility walk-through to observe facility infrastructure and interviews with facility in-charges to assess available services, staff and supplies. In addition facility statistics were collected for the year 2013. Results were discussed with district representatives.

Results

Approximately 65% of expected births took place in health facilities and 22% of women with complications were treated in facilities expected to provide emergency care. None of the facilities was, however, able to perform at the expected level for emergency obstetric and newborn care since not all required signal functions could be provided. Inadequate availability of essential drugs such as uterotonics, antibiotics and anticonvulsants as well as lack of ability to perform vacuum extraction and blood transfusion limited performance.

Conclusions

Performance of emergency obstetric and newborn care in Magu District was not in accordance with expected guidelines and highly influenced by lack of available resources and an insufficiently functioning health care system. Improving assessment approaches, to look beyond the signal functions, can capture weaknesses in the system and will help to understand poor performance and identify locally applicable ways for improvement.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12884-017-1282-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Maternal and Child Health of Internally Displaced Persons in Ukraine: A Qualitative Study

Due to the conflict that started in spring 2014 in Eastern Ukraine, a total of 1.75 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) fled the area and have been registered in government-controlled areas of the country. This paper explores perceived health, barriers to access to healthcare, caring practices, food security, and overall financial situation of mothers and young children displaced by the conflict in Ukraine. This is a qualitative study, which collected data through semi-structured in-depth interviews with nine IDP mothers via Skype and Viber with a convenience sample of participants selected through snowball technique. Contrary to the expectations, the perceived physical health of mothers and their children was found not to be affected by conflict and displacement, while psychological distress was often reported. A weak healthcare system, Ukraine’s proneness to informal payments, and heavy bureaucracy to register as an IDP were reported in our study. A precarious social safety net to IDP mothers in Ukraine, poor dietary diversity, and a generalized rupture of vaccine stocks, with halted or delayed vaccinations in children were identified. Increasing social allowances and their timely delivery to IDP mothers might be the most efficient policy measure to improve health and nutrition security. Reestablishment and sustainability of vaccine stocks in Ukraine is urgent to avoid the risks of a public health crisis. Offering psychological support for IDP mothers is recommended.

Quality maternity care for every woman, everywhere: a call to action

To improve maternal health requires action to ensure quality maternal health care for all women and girls, and to guarantee access to care for those outside the system. In this paper, we highlight some of the most pressing issues in maternal health and ask: what steps can be taken in the next 5 years to catalyse action toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goal target of less than 70 maternal deaths per 100 000 livebirths by 2030, with no single country exceeding 140? What steps can be taken to ensure that high-quality maternal health care is prioritised for every woman and girl everywhere? We call on all stakeholders to work together in securing a healthy, prosperous future for all women. National and local governments must be supported by development partners, civil society, and the private sector in leading efforts to improve maternal-perinatal health. This effort means dedicating needed policies and resources, and sustaining implementation to address the many factors influencing maternal health-care provision and use. Five priority actions emerge for all partners: prioritise quality maternal health services that respond to the local specificities of need, and meet emerging challenges; promote equity through universal coverage of quality maternal health services, including for the most vulnerable women; increase the resilience and strength of health systems by optimising the health workforce, and improve facility capability; guarantee sustainable finances for maternal-perinatal health; and accelerate progress through evidence, advocacy, and accountability.

Drivers of maternity care in high-income countries: can health systems support woman-centred care?

In high-income countries, medical interventions to address the known risks associated with pregnancy and birth have been largely successful and have resulted in very low levels of maternal and neonatal mortality. In this Series paper, we present the main care delivery models, with case studies of the USA and Sweden, and examine the main drivers of these models. Although nearly all births are attended by a skilled birth attendant and are in an institution, practice, cadre, facility size, and place of birth vary widely; for example, births occur in homes, birth centres, midwifery-led birthing units in hospitals, and in high intervention hospital birthing facilities. Not all care is evidenced-based, and some care provision may be harmful. Fear prevails among subsets of women and providers. In some settings, medical liability costs are enormous, human resource shortages are common, and costs of providing care can be very high. New challenges linked to alteration of epidemiology, such as obesity and older age during pregnancy, are also present. Data are often not readily available to inform policy and practice in a timely way and surveillance requires greater attention and investment. Outcomes are not equitable, and disadvantaged segments of the population face access issues and substantially elevated risks. At the same time, examples of excellence and progress exist, from clinical interventions to models of care and practice. Labourists (who provide care for all the facility's women for labour and delivery) are discussed as a potential solution. Quality and safety factors are informed by women's experiences, as well as medical evidence. Progress requires the ability to normalise birth for most women, with integrated services available if complications develop. We also discuss mechanisms to improve quality of care and highlight areas where research can address knowledge gaps with potential for impact. Evaluation of models that provide woman-centred care and the best outcomes without high costs is required to provide an impetus for change.

Beyond too little, too late and too much, too soon: a pathway towards evidence-based, respectful maternity care worldwide

On the continuum of maternal health care, two extreme situations exist: too little, too late (TLTL) and too much, too soon (TMTS). TLTL describes care with inadequate resources, below evidence-based standards, or care withheld or unavailable until too late to help. TLTL is an underlying problem associated with high maternal mortality and morbidity. TMTS describes the routine over-medicalisation of normal pregnancy and birth. TMTS includes unnecessary use of non-evidence-based interventions, as well as use of interventions that can be life saving when used appropriately, but harmful when applied routinely or overused. As facility births increase, so does the recognition that TMTS causes harm and increases health costs, and often concentrates disrespect and abuse. Although TMTS is typically ascribed to high-income countries and TLTL to low-income and middle-income ones, social and health inequities mean these extremes coexist in many countries. A global approach to quality and equitable maternal health, supporting the implementation of respectful, evidence-based care for all, is urgently needed. We present a systematic review of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for routine antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal care, categorising them as recommended, recommended only for clinical indications, and not recommended. We also present prevalence data from middle-income countries for specific clinical practices, which demonstrate TLTL and increasing TMTS. Health-care providers and health systems need to ensure that all women receive high-quality, evidence-based, equitable and respectful care. The right amount of care needs to be offered at the right time, and delivered in a manner that respects, protects, and promotes human rights.

Evidence to inform the future for maternal and newborn health

Despite the impressive progress gains for maternal and child health during the Millennium Development Goals era, over 5.6 million women and babies died in 2015 due to complications during pregnancy, birth and in the first month of life. In order to achieve the new mortality targets set out in the Sustainable Development Goals, there needs to be intentional efforts to maintain and accelerate action to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths and stillbirths. This paper outlines what progress is required to meet these new 2030 targets based on patterns of progress in the recent past; where the burden is the greatest; when to focus attention along the continuum of care; and what causes of death require concerted efforts. Priority actions include intentional and intensified political attention and investment in maternal-newborn health with particular focus on improving quality and experience of care around the time of birth with implementation at scale of integrated maternal-newborn health interventions across the continuum of care with commensurate investment targeted at the most vulnerable populations. Looking forward, improved data for decision making and accountability will be required. The health and survival of babies and their mothers are inextricably linked, and calls for coordinated efforts and innovation before and during pregnancy, in childbirth, and postnatally, in order to end preventable maternal, neonatal deaths and stillbirths.