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Fernandez Turienzo C, Kamara M, November L, Kamara P, Kingsford AM, Ridout A, Thomas S, Seed PT, Shennan AH, Sandall J, Williams PT. A community-based mentoring scheme for pregnant and parenting adolescents in Sierra Leone: Protocol for a hybrid pilot cluster randomised controlled trial. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0294538. [PMID: 38527029 PMCID: PMC10962822 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sierra Leone has a very high maternal mortality rate, and this burden falls heavily on adolescents, a particularly vulnerable group; this is usually driven by poverty, lack of education and employment opportunities. In 2017, a local grassroots organisation, Lifeline Nehemiah Projects, developed a community-based mentoring intervention '2YoungLives' (2YLs) for adolescent girls in Eastern Freetown. We aim to formally assess the feasibility and implementation of the 2YL mentorship scheme in new communities in Sierra Leone. METHODS A hybrid type 2 pilot cluster randomised controlled trial of the 2YL mentoring scheme in urban and rural communities living around twelve peripheral health units (PHU) across five districts in Sierra Leone. Clusters will be matched into pairs and randomisation will be determined by computer-generated random numbers via a secure web-based system hosted by MedSciNet. All under-eighteen adolescents identified as pregnant in the community and/or the PHU are included. Feasibility (recruitment, retention, and attrition rates; data collection and completeness; sample calculation) and primary clinical outcome data (composite of maternal deaths, stillbirths, neonatal deaths) will be collected. A mixed-methods process evaluation will explore implementation outcomes, mechanisms of change, contextual factors, experiences of care, and health and wellbeing. A concurrent cost-consequence analysis will be undertaken. Main trial analysis will be pragmatic, by intention to treat, and a complementary per protocol analysis will also be included. DISCUSSION Improving health and wellbeing for adolescent girls (including sexual and reproductive health) remains a top priority in Sierra Leone indicated by several government policies targeted to this group, in which maternal and infant mortality are still persistently high. Supporting these girls and facilitating their wellbeing is imperative, along with sensitisation of communities, strengthening of youth friendly services and collaboration with stakeholders at all levels (government, regional, community, family). We believe 2YL supports the global holistic agenda to integrate and implement interventions across health, education, and social systems in order to protect, nurture, and support the health and development potential of every adolescent girl, and thus become a model of good practice for adolescent pregnancy, to be adopted more widely in Sierra Leone and elsewhere. TRIAL REGISTRATION ISRCTN registry ISRCTN32414369. Prospectively registered on 14/03/2022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Fernandez Turienzo
- Department of Women and Children’s Health, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Lucy November
- Department of Women and Children’s Health, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Alexandra Ridout
- Department of Women and Children’s Health, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Paul T. Seed
- Department of Women and Children’s Health, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew H. Shennan
- Department of Women and Children’s Health, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jane Sandall
- Department of Women and Children’s Health, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
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Gupta C, Suri J, Bachani S, Bharti R, Pandey D, Mittal P. Carle's obstetric early warning score as a screening tool for critical care admission. Indian J Med Res 2023; 158:339-346. [PMID: 37988032 DOI: 10.4103/ijmr.ijmr_2478_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES Early warning systems (EWS) involve serial observations (track) with criteria (trigger) to timely identify patients at risk of complications. Carle designed a statistically based clinically modified obstetric early warning score (Carle's OEWS). This study evaluated Carle's OEWS and its individual components for predicting admission to the obstetric critical care unit (OCCU). Maternal near-miss and maternal mortality were the secondary outcomes. METHODS A prospective observational study was conducted among 1250 pregnant women with a period of gestation ≥28 week admitted in the labour wards of a tertiary centre over 18 months. The physiological parameters of OEWS were recorded and aggregate score was calculated at admission and at regular intervals thereafter, till discharge or OCCU admission. RESULTS The area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of OEWS was 0.975 for predicting OCCU admission, 0.971 for near-miss, and 0.996 for predicting maternal mortality and was significant for all outcomes. All individual parameters, except diastolic blood pressure, had a significant relative risk for predicting OCCU requirement. INTERPRETATION CONCLUSIONS Carle's OEWS is a useful screening tool for predicting obstetric OCCU admission and can be routinely used in labour wards to ensure timely intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chhavi Gupta
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India
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Ridout AE, Moses FL, Herm-Singh S, Turienzo CF, Seed PT, Goodhart V, Vousden N, Sam B, Momoh M, Kamara D, Kuhrt K, Samura S, Beoku-Betts C, Hurrell A, Bramham K, Kenneh S, Smart F, Chappell L, Sandall J, Shennan A. CRADLE-5: a stepped-wedge type 2 hybrid implementation-effectiveness cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the real-world scale-up of the CRADLE Vital Signs Alert intervention into routine maternity care in Sierra Leone-study protocol. Trials 2023; 24:590. [PMID: 37723530 PMCID: PMC10506317 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-023-07587-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The CRADLE Vital Signs Alert intervention (an accurate easy-to-use device that measures blood pressure and pulse with inbuilt traffic-light early warning system, and focused training package) was associated with reduced rates of eclampsia and maternal death when trialled in urban areas in Sierra Leone. Subsequently, implementation was successfully piloted as evidenced by measures of fidelity, feasibility and adoption. The CRADLE-5 trial will examine whether national scale-up, including in the most rural areas, will reduce a composite outcome of maternal and fetal mortality and maternal morbidity and will evaluate how the CRADLE package can be embedded sustainably into routine clinical pathways. METHODS CRADLE-5 is a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised controlled trial of the CRADLE intervention compared to routine maternity care across eight rural districts in Sierra Leone (Bonthe, Falaba, Karene, Kailahun, Koinadugu, Kono, Moyamba, Tonkolili). Each district will cross from control to intervention at six-weekly intervals over the course of 1 year (May 2022 to June 2023). All women identified as pregnant or within six-weeks postpartum presenting for maternity care in the district are included. Primary outcome data (composite rate of maternal death, stillbirth, eclampsia and emergency hysterectomy) will be collected. A mixed-methods process and scale-up evaluation (informed by Medical Research Council guidance for complex interventions and the World Health Organization ExpandNet tools) will explore implementation outcomes of fidelity, adoption, adaptation and scale-up outcomes of reach, maintenance, sustainability and integration. Mechanisms of change and contextual factors (barriers and facilitators) will be assessed. A concurrent cost-effectiveness analysis will be undertaken. DISCUSSION International guidance recommends that all pregnant and postpartum women have regular blood pressure assessment, and healthcare staff are adequately trained to respond to abnormalities. Clinical effectiveness to improve maternal and perinatal health in more rural areas, and ease of integration and sustainability of the CRADLE intervention at scale has yet to be investigated. This trial will explore whether national scale-up of the CRADLE intervention reduces maternal and fetal mortality and severe maternal adverse outcomes and understand the strategies for adoption, integration and sustainability in low-resource settings. If successful, the aim is to develop an adaptable, evidence-based scale-up roadmap to improve maternal and infant outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ISRCTN 94429427. Registered on 20 April 2022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra E Ridout
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK.
| | - Francis L Moses
- Reproductive Health and Family Planning, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | | | - Cristina Fernandez Turienzo
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Paul T Seed
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | | | - Nicola Vousden
- National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Betty Sam
- Welbodi Partnership, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Mariama Momoh
- Reproductive Health and Family Planning, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | | | - Katy Kuhrt
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Sorie Samura
- National Emergency Medical Service, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Candace Beoku-Betts
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Alice Hurrell
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Kate Bramham
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Sartie Kenneh
- Reproductive Health and Family Planning, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Francis Smart
- Reproductive Health and Family Planning, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Lucy Chappell
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Jane Sandall
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Andrew Shennan
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, UK
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Ma L, Hu X, Song L, Chen X, Ouyang M, Billot L, Li Q, Malavera A, Li X, Muñoz-Venturelli P, de Silva A, Thang NH, Wahab KW, Pandian JD, Wasay M, Pontes-Neto OM, Abanto C, Arauz A, Shi H, Tang G, Zhu S, She X, Liu L, Sakamoto Y, You S, Han Q, Crutzen B, Cheung E, Li Y, Wang X, Chen C, Liu F, Zhao Y, Li H, Liu Y, Jiang Y, Chen L, Wu B, Liu M, Xu J, You C, Anderson CS. The third Intensive Care Bundle with Blood Pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral Haemorrhage Trial (INTERACT3): an international, stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2023; 402:27-40. [PMID: 37245517 PMCID: PMC10401723 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(23)00806-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early control of elevated blood pressure is the most promising treatment for acute intracerebral haemorrhage. We aimed to establish whether implementing a goal-directed care bundle incorporating protocols for early intensive blood pressure lowering and management algorithms for hyperglycaemia, pyrexia, and abnormal anticoagulation, implemented in a hospital setting, could improve outcomes for patients with acute spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage. METHODS We performed a pragmatic, international, multicentre, blinded endpoint, stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial at hospitals in nine low-income and middle-income countries (Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Sri Lanka, and Viet Nam) and one high-income country (Chile). Hospitals were eligible if they had no or inconsistent relevant, disease-specific protocols, and were willing to implement the care bundle to consecutive patients (aged ≥18 years) with imaging-confirmed spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage presenting within 6 h of the onset of symptoms, had a local champion, and could provide the required study data. Hospitals were centrally randomly allocated using permuted blocks to three sequences of implementation, stratified by country and the projected number of patients to be recruited over the 12 months of the study period. These sequences had four periods that dictated the order in which the hospitals were to switch from the control usual care procedure to the intervention implementation of the care bundle procedure to different clusters of patients in a stepped manner. To avoid contamination, details of the intervention, sequence, and allocation periods were concealed from sites until they had completed the usual care control periods. The care bundle protocol included the early intensive lowering of systolic blood pressure (target <140 mm Hg), strict glucose control (target 6·1-7·8 mmol/L in those without diabetes and 7·8-10·0 mmol/L in those with diabetes), antipyrexia treatment (target body temperature ≤37·5°C), and rapid reversal of warfarin-related anticoagulation (target international normalised ratio <1·5) within 1 h of treatment, in patients where these variables were abnormal. Analyses were performed according to a modified intention-to-treat population with available outcome data (ie, excluding sites that withdrew during the study). The primary outcome was functional recovery, measured with the modified Rankin scale (mRS; range 0 [no symptoms] to 6 [death]) at 6 months by masked research staff, analysed using proportional ordinal logistic regression to assess the distribution in scores on the mRS, with adjustments for cluster (hospital site), group assignment of cluster per period, and time (6-month periods from Dec 12, 2017). This trial is registered at Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03209258) and the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-IOC-17011787) and is completed. FINDINGS Between May 27, 2017, and July 8, 2021, 206 hospitals were assessed for eligibility, of which 144 hospitals in ten countries agreed to join and were randomly assigned in the trial, but 22 hospitals withdrew before starting to enrol patients and another hospital was withdrawn and their data on enrolled patients was deleted because regulatory approval was not obtained. Between Dec 12, 2017, and Dec 31, 2021, 10 857 patients were screened but 3821 were excluded. Overall, the modified intention-to-treat population included 7036 patients enrolled at 121 hospitals, with 3221 assigned to the care bundle group and 3815 to the usual care group, with primary outcome data available in 2892 patients in the care bundle group and 3363 patients in the usual care group. The likelihood of a poor functional outcome was lower in the care bundle group (common odds ratio 0·86; 95% CI 0·76-0·97; p=0·015). The favourable shift in mRS scores in the care bundle group was generally consistent across a range of sensitivity analyses that included additional adjustments for country and patient variables (0·84; 0·73-0·97; p=0·017), and with different approaches to the use of multiple imputations for missing data. Patients in the care bundle group had fewer serious adverse events than those in the usual care group (16·0% vs 20·1%; p=0·0098). INTERPRETATION Implementation of a care bundle protocol for intensive blood pressure lowering and other management algorithms for physiological control within several hours of the onset of symptoms resulted in improved functional outcome for patients with acute intracerebral haemorrhage. Hospitals should incorporate this approach into clinical practice as part of active management for this serious condition. FUNDING Joint Global Health Trials scheme from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and the Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust; West China Hospital; the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia; Sichuan Credit Pharmaceutic and Takeda China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Ma
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xin Hu
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Lili Song
- The George Institute for Global Health China, Beijing, China; The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Xiaoying Chen
- The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Menglu Ouyang
- The George Institute for Global Health China, Beijing, China; The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Laurent Billot
- The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Qiang Li
- The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Alejandra Malavera
- The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Xi Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Paula Muñoz-Venturelli
- The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Clinical Research Center, Faculty of Medicine Clinica Alemana Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
| | - Asita de Silva
- Clinical Trials Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | | | - Kolawole W Wahab
- Department of Medicine, University of Ilorin & University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Jeyaraj D Pandian
- Neurology Department, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, India
| | - Mohammad Wasay
- Department of Medicine, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Octavio M Pontes-Neto
- Department of Neurology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carlos Abanto
- The Cerebrovascular Disease Research Center, National Institute of Neurological Sciences, Lima, Peru
| | - Antonio Arauz
- Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugia Manuel Velasco Suarez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Haiping Shi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Suining Central Hospital, Suining, China
| | - Guanghai Tang
- Department of Neurology, Liaoning Thrombus Treatment Centre of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Shenyang, China
| | - Sheng Zhu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Dazhu County People's Hospital, Dazhou, China
| | - Xiaochun She
- Department of Neurosurgery, Jiangsu Rudong County People's Hospital, Nantong, China
| | - Leibo Liu
- The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Yuki Sakamoto
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shoujiang You
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Research Center of Neurological Disease, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Qiao Han
- Department of Neurology, Suzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Suzhou, China
| | - Bernard Crutzen
- Department of Radiology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Radiology, Grand Hôpital de Charleroi, Charleroi, Belgium
| | - Emily Cheung
- Neurology Department, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - Yunke Li
- The George Institute for Global Health China, Beijing, China
| | - Xia Wang
- The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Chen Chen
- The George Institute for Global Health China, Beijing, China; The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Department of Neurology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Feifeng Liu
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yang Zhao
- The George Institute for Global Health China, Beijing, China
| | - Hao Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yi Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yan Jiang
- Department of Nursing and Evidence-based Nursing Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Lei Chen
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Bo Wu
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ming Liu
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jianguo Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Chao You
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
| | - Craig S Anderson
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; The George Institute for Global Health China, Beijing, China; The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Clinical Research Center, Faculty of Medicine Clinica Alemana Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile; Neurology Department, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia; Heart Health Research Center, Beijing, China.
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Robbins T, Kuhrt K, Vousden N, Seed P, Shennan A. Household air pollution and incidence of eclampsia in eight low- and middle-income countries. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2023; 160:449-450. [PMID: 36181287 PMCID: PMC10092445 DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.14484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tanya Robbins
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Science, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Katy Kuhrt
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Science, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Nicola Vousden
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Science, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Paul Seed
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Science, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Andrew Shennan
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Science, King's College London, London, UK
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Bright S, Moses F, Ridout A, Sam B, Momoh M, Goodhart V, Smart F, Mannah M, Issa S, Herm-Singh S, Reid F, Seed PT, Bunn J, Shennan A, Augustin K, Sandall J. Scale-up of a novel vital signs alert device to improve maternity care in Sierra Leone: a mixed methods evaluation of adoption. Reprod Health 2023; 20:6. [PMID: 36609353 PMCID: PMC9817393 DOI: 10.1186/s12978-022-01551-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The CRADLE (Community blood pressure monitoring in Rural Africa: Detection of underLying pre-Eclampsia) Vital Signs Alert device-designed specifically to improve maternity care in low resource settings-had varying impact when trialled in different countries. To better understand the contextual factors that may contribute to this variation, this study retrospectively evaluated the adoption of CRADLE, during scale-up in Sierra Leone. METHODS This was a mixed methods study. A quantitative indicator of adoption (the proportion of facilities trained per district) was calculated from existing training records, then focus groups were held with 'CRADLE Champions' in each district (n = 32), to explore adoption qualitatively. Template Analysis was used to deductively interpret qualitative data, guided by the NASSS (non-adoption, abandonment, scale-up, spread, sustainability) Framework. FINDINGS Substantial but non-significant variation was found in the proportion of facilities trained in each district (range 59-90%) [X2 (7, N = 8) = 10.419, p = 0.166]. Qualitative data identified complexity in two NASSS domains that may have contributed to this variation: 'the technology' (for example, charging issues, difficulty interpreting device output and concerns about ongoing procurement) and 'the organisation' (for example, logistical barriers to implementing training, infighting and high staff turnover). Key strategies mentioned to mitigate against these issues included: transparent communication at all levels; encouraging localised adaptations during implementation (including the involvement of community leaders); and selecting Champions with strong soft skills (particularly conflict resolution and problem solving). CONCLUSIONS Complexity related to the technology and the organisational context were found to influence the adoption of CRADLE in Sierra Leone, with substantial inter-district variation. These findings emphasise the importance of gaining an in-depth understanding of the specific system and context in which a new healthcare technology is being implemented. This study has implications for the ongoing scale-up of CRADLE, and for those implementing or evaluating other health technologies in similar contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Bright
- grid.11835.3e0000 0004 1936 9262School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England
| | - Francis Moses
- Reproductive Health and Family Planning, MoHS, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
| | - Alex Ridout
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764King’s College London (KCL), London, England
| | - Betty Sam
- Welbodi Partnership, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Mariama Momoh
- grid.463455.50000 0004 1799 2069Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS), Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | | | - Francis Smart
- Planning and Information, MoHS, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | | | - Sattu Issa
- Reproductive Health and Family Planning, MoHS, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | | | - Fiona Reid
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Population Health Sciences, KCL, London, England
| | - Paul T. Seed
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Women and Children’s Health, KCL, London, England
| | - James Bunn
- World Health Organization, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Andrew Shennan
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Women and Children’s Health, KCL, London, England
| | - Katrin Augustin
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764School of Population Health and Environmental Sciences, KCL, London, England
| | - Jane Sandall
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Women’s Health Academic Centre, KCL, London, England
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Matovu B, Takuwa M, Mpaata CN, Denison F, Kiwanuka N, Lewis S, Norrie J, Ononge S, Muhimbise O, Tuck S, Etuket MD, Ssekitoleko RT. Review of investigational medical devices' clinical trials and regulations in Africa as a benchmark for new innovations. FRONTIERS IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY 2022; 4:952767. [PMID: 35968546 PMCID: PMC9368574 DOI: 10.3389/fmedt.2022.952767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Medical technologies present a huge potential in improving global health playing a key role toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 by 2030. A number of clinicians, innovators, business entities and biomedical engineers among others have developed a number of innovative medical devices and technologies to address the healthcare challenges especially in Africa. Globally, medical devices clinical trials present the most acceptable method for determining the risks and benefits of medical device innovations with the aim of ascertaining their effectiveness and safety as compared with established medical practice. However, there are very few medical device clinical trials reported in Africa compared to other regions like USA, UK and Europe. Most of the medical device clinical trials reported in Africa are addressing challenges around HIV/AIDS, maternal health and NCDs. In this mini review, we report about some of the published medical device clinical trials in Africa PubMed and Google Scholar and their associated challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Matovu
- Biomedical Engineering Unit, Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Mercy Takuwa
- Biomedical Engineering Unit, Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Charles Norman Mpaata
- Biomedical Engineering Unit, Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Fiona Denison
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Noah Kiwanuka
- Edinburgh Medical School, Clinical Trials Unit, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Steff Lewis
- Usher Institute, Edinburgh Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - John Norrie
- Usher Institute, Edinburgh Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Sam Ononge
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Owen Muhimbise
- Biomedical Engineering Unit, Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Sharon Tuck
- Usher Institute, Edinburgh Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Maureen Dimitri Etuket
- Biomedical Engineering Unit, Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Robert T. Ssekitoleko
- Biomedical Engineering Unit, Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda,*Correspondence: Robert T. Ssekitoleko
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Hurrell A, Webster L, Chappell LC, Shennan AH. The assessment of blood pressure in pregnant women: pitfalls and novel approaches. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2022; 226:S804-S818. [PMID: 33514455 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2020.10.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Accurate assessment of blood pressure is fundamental to the provision of safe obstetrical care. It is simple, cost effective, and life-saving. Treatments for preeclampsia, including antihypertensive drugs, magnesium sulfate, and delivery, are available in many settings. However, the instigation of appropriate treatment relies on prompt and accurate recognition of hypertension. There are a number of different techniques for blood pressure assessment, including the auscultatory method, automated oscillometric devices, home blood pressure monitoring, ambulatory monitoring, and invasive monitoring. The auscultatory method with a mercury sphygmomanometer and the use of Korotkoff sounds was previously recommended as the gold standard technique. Mercury sphygmomanometers have been withdrawn owing to safety concerns and replaced with aneroid devices, but these are particularly prone to calibration errors and regular calibration is imperative to ensure accuracy. Automated oscillometric devices are straightforward to use, but the physiological changes in healthy pregnancy and pathologic changes in preeclampsia may affect the accuracy of a device and monitors must be validated. Validation protocols classify pregnant women as a "special population," and protocols must include 15 women in each category of normotensive pregnancy, hypertensive pregnancy, and preeclampsia. In addition to a scarcity of devices validated for pregnancy and preeclampsia, other pitfalls that cause inaccuracy include the lack of training and poor technique. Blood pressure assessment can be affected by maternal position, inappropriate cuff size, conversation, caffeine, smoking, and irregular heart rate. For home blood pressure monitoring, appropriate instruction should be given on how to use the device. The classification of hypertension and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy has recently been revised. These are classified as preeclampsia, transient gestational hypertension, gestational hypertension, white-coat hypertension, masked hypertension, chronic hypertension, and chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia. Blood pressure varies across gestation and by ethnicity, but gestation-specific thresholds have not been adopted. Hypertension is defined as a sustained systolic blood pressure of ≥140 mm Hg or a sustained diastolic blood pressure of ≥90 mm Hg. In some guidelines, the threshold of diagnosis depends on the setting in which blood pressure measurement is taken, with a threshold of 140/90 mm Hg in a healthcare setting, 135/85 mm Hg at home, or a 24-hour average blood pressure on ambulatory monitoring of >126/76 mm Hg. Some differences exist among organizations with respect to the criteria for the diagnosis of preeclampsia and the correct threshold for intervention and target blood pressure once treatment has been instigated. Home blood pressure monitoring is currently a focus for research. Novel technologies, including early warning devices (such as the CRADLE Vital Signs Alert device) and telemedicine, may provide strategies that prompt earlier recognition of abnormal blood pressure and therefore improve management. The purpose of this review is to provide an update on methods to assess blood pressure in pregnancy and appropriate technique to optimize accuracy. The importance of accurate blood pressure assessment is emphasized with a discussion of preeclampsia prediction and treatment of severe hypertension. Classification of hypertensive disorders and thresholds for treatment will be discussed, including novel developments in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Hurrell
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Louise Webster
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy C Chappell
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew H Shennan
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
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9
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Akuze J, Annerstedt KS, Benova L, Chipeta E, Dossou JP, Gross MM, Kidanto H, Marchal B, Alvesson HM, Pembe AB, van Damme W, Waiswa P, Hanson C. Action leveraging evidence to reduce perinatal mortality and morbidity (ALERT): study protocol for a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised trial in Benin, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda. BMC Health Serv Res 2021; 21:1324. [PMID: 34895216 PMCID: PMC8665312 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-07155-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Insufficient reductions in maternal and neonatal deaths and stillbirths in the past decade are a deterrence to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 3. The majority of deaths occur during the intrapartum and immediate postnatal period. Overcoming the knowledge-do-gap to ensure implementation of known evidence-based interventions during this period has the potential to avert at least 2.5 million deaths in mothers and their offspring annually. This paper describes a study protocol for implementing and evaluating a multi-faceted health care system intervention to strengthen the implementation of evidence-based interventions and responsive care during this crucial period. Methods This is a cluster randomised stepped-wedge trial with a nested realist process evaluation across 16 hospitals in Benin, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda. The ALERT intervention will include four main components: i) end-user participation through narratives of women, families and midwifery providers to ensure co-design of the intervention; ii) competency-based training; iii) quality improvement supported by data from a clinical perinatal e-registry and iv) empowerment and leadership mentoring of maternity unit leaders complemented by district based bi-annual coordination and accountability meetings. The trial’s primary outcome is in-facility perinatal (stillbirths and early neonatal) mortality, in which we expect a 25% reduction. A perinatal e-registry will be implemented to monitor the trial. Our nested realist process evaluation will help to understand what works, for whom, and under which conditions. We will apply a gender lens to explore constraints to the provision of evidence-based care by health workers providing maternity services. An economic evaluation will assess the scalability and cost-effectiveness of ALERT intervention. Discussion There is evidence that each of the ALERT intervention components improves health providers’ practices and has modest to moderate effects. We aim to test if the innovative packaging, including addressing specific health systems constraints in these settings, will have a synergistic effect and produce more considerable perinatal mortality reductions. Trial registration Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (www.pactr.org): PACTR202006793783148. Registered on 17th June 2020. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-021-07155-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Akuze
- Centre of Excellence for Maternal Newborn and Child Health, Department of Health Policy Planning and Management, School of Public Health, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.,Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | | | - Lenka Benova
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Effie Chipeta
- College of Medicine, The Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Malawi, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Jean-Paul Dossou
- Centre de Recherche en Reproduction Humaine et en Démographie (CERRHUD), Cotonou, Benin
| | - Mechthild M Gross
- Midwifery Research and Education Unit, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Hussein Kidanto
- Aga Khan University, Medical College, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Bruno Marchal
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Andrea B Pembe
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Wim van Damme
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Peter Waiswa
- Centre of Excellence for Maternal Newborn and Child Health, Department of Health Policy Planning and Management, School of Public Health, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Claudia Hanson
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.,Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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10
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Seward N, Hanlon C, Hinrichs-Kraples S, Lund C, Murdoch J, Taylor Salisbury T, Verhey R, Shidhaye R, Thornicroft G, Araya R, Sevdalis N. A guide to systems-level, participatory, theory-informed implementation research in global health. BMJ Glob Health 2021; 6:e005365. [PMID: 34969685 PMCID: PMC8718460 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-005365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Implementation research is a multidisciplinary field that addresses the complex phenomenon of how context influences our ability to deliver evidence-informed healthcare. There is increasing realisation of the importance of applying robust implementation research to scale-up life-saving interventions that meet health-related sustainable development goals. However, the lack of high-quality implementation research is impeding our ability to meet these targets, globally. Within implementation research, theory refers to the proposed hypothesis and/or explanation of how an intervention is expected to interact with the local context and actors to bring about change. Although there is increasing interest in applying theory to understand how and why implementation programmes work in real-world settings, global health actors still tend to favour impact evaluations conducted in controlled environments. This may, in part, be due to the relative novelty as well as methodological complexity of implementation research and the need to draw on divergent disciplines, including epidemiology, implementation science and social sciences. Because of this, implementation research is faced with a particular set of challenges about how to reconcile different ways of thinking and constructing knowledge about healthcare interventions. To help translate some of the ambiguity surrounding how divergent theoretical approaches and methods contribute to implementation research, we draw on our multidisciplinary expertise in the field, particularly in global health. We offer an overview of the different theoretical approaches and describe how they are applied to continuously select, monitor and evaluate implementation strategies throughout the different phases of implementation research. In doing so, we offer a relatively brief, user-focused guide to help global health actors implement and report on evaluation of evidence-based and scalable interventions, programmes and practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Seward
- Centre for Implementation Science, Department of Health Service and Population Research, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Charlotte Hanlon
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Health Service and Population Research Department, Centre for Global Mental Health, King's College London, London, UK
- Centre for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa), College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Crick Lund
- King's College London, London, UK
- University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Jamie Murdoch
- University of East Anglia Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwich, UK
| | | | - Ruth Verhey
- Research Support Centre, College of Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Rahul Shidhaye
- Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences, Loni, Maharashtra, India
| | | | | | - Nick Sevdalis
- Health Service & Population Research Department, King's College London, London, UK
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11
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Winters M, Oppenheim B, Sengeh P, Jalloh MB, Webber N, Pratt SA, Leigh B, Molsted-Alvesson H, Zeebari Z, Sundberg CJ, Jalloh MF, Nordenstedt H. Debunking highly prevalent health misinformation using audio dramas delivered by WhatsApp: evidence from a randomised controlled trial in Sierra Leone. BMJ Glob Health 2021; 6:bmjgh-2021-006954. [PMID: 34758970 PMCID: PMC8578963 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Infectious disease misinformation is widespread and poses challenges to disease control. There is limited evidence on how to effectively counter health misinformation in a community setting, particularly in low-income regions, and unsettled scientific debate about whether misinformation should be directly discussed and debunked, or implicitly countered by providing scientifically correct information. Methods The Contagious Misinformation Trial developed and tested interventions designed to counter highly prevalent infectious disease misinformation in Sierra Leone, namely the beliefs that (1) mosquitoes cause typhoid and (2) typhoid co-occurs with malaria. The information intervention for group A (n=246) explicitly discussed misinformation and explained why it was incorrect and then provided the scientifically correct information. The intervention for group B (n=245) only focused on providing correct information, without directly discussing related misinformation. Both interventions were delivered via audio dramas on WhatsApp that incorporated local cultural understandings of typhoid. Participants were randomised 1:1:1 to the intervention groups or the control group (n=245), who received two episodes about breast feeding. Results At baseline 51% believed that typhoid is caused by mosquitoes and 59% believed that typhoid and malaria always co-occur. The endline survey was completed by 91% of participants. Results from the intention-to-treat, per-protocol and as-treated analyses show that both interventions substantially reduced belief in misinformation compared with the control group. Estimates from these analyses, as well as an exploratory dose–response analysis, suggest that direct debunking may be more effective at countering misinformation. Both interventions improved people’s knowledge and self-reported behaviour around typhoid risk reduction, and yielded self-reported increases in an important preventive method, drinking treated water. Conclusion These results from a field experiment in a community setting show that highly prevalent health misinformation can be countered, and that direct, detailed debunking may be most effective. Trial registration number NCT04112680.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maike Winters
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ben Oppenheim
- Center on International Cooperation, New York University, New York, New York, USA.,Metabiota, San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Bailah Leigh
- College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | | | - Zangin Zeebari
- Department of Economics, Finance and Statistics, Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping, Sweden
| | - Carl Johan Sundberg
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mohamed F Jalloh
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Helena Nordenstedt
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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12
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Smith V, Kenny LC, Sandall J, Devane D, Noonan M. Physiological track-and-trigger/early warning systems for use in maternity care. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2021; 9:CD013276. [PMID: 34515991 PMCID: PMC8436732 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd013276.pub2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A considerable challenge for maternity care providers is recognising clinical deterioration early in pregnant women. Professional bodies recommend the use of clinical assessment protocols or evaluation tools, commonly referred to as physiological track-and-trigger systems (TTS) or early warning systems (EWS), as a means of helping maternity care providers recognise actual or potential clinical deterioration early. TTS/EWS are clinician-administered (midwife, obstetrician), bedside physiological assessment protocols, charts or tools designed to record routinely assessed clinical parameters; that is, blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, urine output and mental/neurological alertness. In general, these systems involve the application of scores or alert indicators to the observed physiological parameters based on their prespecified limits of normality. The overall system score or alert limit is then used to assist the maternity care provider identify a need to escalate care. This, in turn, may allow for earlier intervention(s) to alter the course of the emerging critical illness and ultimately reduce or avoid mortality and morbidity sequelae. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of maternal physiological TTS/EWS on pregnancy, labour and birth, postpartum (up to 42 days) and neonatal outcomes. SEARCH METHODS We searched Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth's Trials Register (28 May 2021), ClinicalTrials.gov, the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (7 June 2021), OpenGrey, the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database (7 June 2021), and reference lists of retrieved studies. SELECTION CRITERIA We included randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials (RCTs), including cluster-RCTs, comparing physiological TTS/EWS with no system or another system. Participants were women who were pregnant or had given birth within the previous 42 days, at high risk and low risk for pregnancy, labour and birth, and postpartum complications. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors (VS and MN) independently assessed all identified papers for inclusion and performed risk of bias assessments. Any discrepancies were resolved through discussion and consensus. Data extraction was also conducted independently by two review authors (VS and MN) and checked for accuracy. We used the summary odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to present the results for dichotomous data and the mean difference (MD) with 95% CI to present the results for continuous data. MAIN RESULTS We included two studies, a parallel RCT involving 700 women and a stepped-wedge cluster trial involving 536,233 women. Both studies were published in 2019, and both were conducted in low-resource settings. The interventions were the 'Saving Mothers Score' (SMS) and the CRADLE Vital Sign Alert (VSA) device, and both interventions were compared with standard care. Both studies had low or unclear risk of bias on all seven risk of bias criteria. Evidence certainty, assessed using GRADE, ranged from very low to moderate certainty, mainly due to other bias as well as inconsistency and imprecision. For women randomised to TTS/EWS compared to standard care there is probably little to no difference in maternal death (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.30 to 2.11; 1 study, 536,233 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Use of TTS/EWS compared to standard care may reduce total haemorrhage (OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.69; 1 study, 700 participants; low-certainty evidence). For women randomised to TTS/EWS compared to standard care there may be little to no difference in sepsis (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.02 to 1.80; 1 study, 700 participants; low-certainty evidence), eclampsia (OR 1.50, 95% CI 0.74 to 3.03; 2 studies, 536,933 participants; low-certainty evidence) and HELLP (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.01 to 4.40; 1 study, 700 participants; very low-certainty evidence), and probably little to no difference in maternal admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.53 to 1.15; 2 studies, 536,933 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Use of TTS/EWS compared to standard care may reduce a woman's length of hospital stay (MD -1.21, 95% CI -1.78 to -0.64; 1 study, 700 participants; low-certainty evidence) but may result in little to no difference in neonatal death (OR 1.06, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.84; 1 study, 700 participants; low-certainty evidence). Cost-effectiveness measures were not measured in either of the two studies. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Use of TTS/EWS in maternity care may be helpful in reducing some maternal outcomes such as haemorrhage and maternal length of hospital stay, possibly through early identification of clinical deterioration and escalation of care. The evidence suggests that the use of TTS/EWS compared to standard care probably results in little to no difference in maternal death and may result in little to no difference in neonatal death. Both of the included studies were conducted in low-resource settings where the use of TTS/EWS might potentially confer a different effect to TTS/EWS use in high-resource settings. Further high-quality trials in high- and middle-resource settings, as well as in discrete populations of high- and low-risk women, are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Smith
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Louise C Kenny
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jane Sandall
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Science, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Declan Devane
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Maria Noonan
- Department of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
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13
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Poon LC, Magee LA, Verlohren S, Shennan A, von Dadelszen P, Sheiner E, Hadar E, Visser G, Da Silva Costa F, Kapur A, McAuliffe F, Nazareth A, Tahlak M, Kihara AB, Divakar H, McIntyre HD, Berghella V, Yang H, Romero R, Nicolaides KH, Melamed N, Hod M. A literature review and best practice advice for second and third trimester risk stratification, monitoring, and management of pre-eclampsia: Compiled by the Pregnancy and Non-Communicable Diseases Committee of FIGO (the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics). Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2021; 154 Suppl 1:3-31. [PMID: 34327714 PMCID: PMC9290930 DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.13763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Liona C Poon
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Laura A Magee
- Department of Women and Children's Health, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Andrew Shennan
- Department of Women and Children's Health, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Peter von Dadelszen
- Department of Women and Children's Health, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Eyal Sheiner
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology B, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Eran Hadar
- Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Petach Tikva, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Gerard Visser
- Department of Obstetrics, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Fabricio Da Silva Costa
- Maternal Fetal Medicine Unit, Gold Coast University Hospital and School of Medicine, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Anil Kapur
- World Diabetes Foundation, Bagsvaerd, Denmark
| | - Fionnuala McAuliffe
- UCD Perinatal Research Centre, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Amala Nazareth
- Jumeira Prime Healthcare Group, Emirates Medical Association, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Muna Tahlak
- Latifa Hospital for Women and Children, Dubai Health Authority, Emirates Medical Association, Mohammed Bin Rashid University for Medica Sciences, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Anne B Kihara
- African Federation of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Khartoum, Sudan
| | | | - H David McIntyre
- University of Queensland Mater Clinical School, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Vincenzo Berghella
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Huixia Yang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Roberto Romero
- Perinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, and Detroit, MI, USA
| | | | - Nir Melamed
- Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Moshe Hod
- Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, Petach Tikva, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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14
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Seward N, Hanlon C, Murdoch J, Colbourn T, Prince MJ, Venkatapuram S, Sevdalis N. Contextual equipoise: a novel concept to inform ethical implications for implementation research in low-income and middle-income countries. BMJ Glob Health 2021; 5:bmjgh-2020-003456. [PMID: 33355266 PMCID: PMC7757476 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The call for universal health coverage requires the urgent implementation and scale-up of interventions that are known to be effective, in resource-poor settings. Achieving this objective requires high-quality implementation research (IR) that evaluates the complex phenomenon of the influence of context on the ability to effectively deliver evidence-based practice. Nevertheless, IR for global health is failing to apply a robust, theoretically driven approach, leading to ethical concerns associated with research that is not methodologically sound. Inappropriate methods are often used in IR to address and report on context. This may result in a lack in understanding of how to effectively adapt the intervention to the new setting and a lack of clarity in conceptualising whether there is sufficient evidence to generalise findings from previous IR to a new setting, or if a randomised controlled trial (RCT) is needed. Some of the ethical issues arising from this shortcoming include poor-quality research that may needlessly expose vulnerable participants to research that has not been adapted to suit local needs and priorities, and the inappropriate use of RCTs that denies participants in the control arm access to treatment that is effective within the local context. To address these concerns, we propose a complementary approach to clinical equipoise for IR, known as contextual equipoise. We discuss challenges in the evaluation of context and also with assessing the certainty of evidence to justify an RCT. Finally, we describe methods that can be applied to improve the evaluation and reporting of context and to help understand if contextual equipoise can be justified or if significant adaptations are required. We hope our analysis offers helpful insight to better understand and ensure that the ethical principle of beneficence is upheld in the real-world contexts of IR in low-resource settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Seward
- Centre for Implementation Science, Department of Health Service and Population Research, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Charlotte Hanlon
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Centre for Global Mental Health, King's College London, London, UK.,Centre for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa), College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.,Health Service and Population Research Department, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Jamie Murdoch
- Norwich Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of East Anglia Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwich, UK
| | - Tim Colbourn
- Institute of Global Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Martin James Prince
- Health Service and Population Research Department, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Nick Sevdalis
- Health Service and Population Research Department, King's College London, London, UK
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15
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Giblin L, Vousden N, Nathan H, Gidiri F, Goudar S, Charantimath U, Sandall J, Seed PT, Chappell LC, Shennan AH. Effect of the CRADLE vital signs alert device intervention on referrals for obstetric haemorrhage in low-middle income countries: a secondary analysis of a stepped- wedge cluster-randomised control trial. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2021; 21:317. [PMID: 33882864 PMCID: PMC8061003 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-021-03796-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Obstetric haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide, 99% of which occur in low and middle income countries. The majority of deaths and adverse events are associated with delays in identifying compromise and escalating care. Management of severely compromised pregnant women may require transfer to tertiary centres for specialised treatment, therefore early recognition is vital for efficient management. The CRADLE vital signs alert device accurately measures blood pressure and heart rate, calculates the shock index (heart rate divided by systolic blood pressure) and alerts the user to compromise through a traffic light system reflecting previously validated shock index thresholds. METHODS This is a planned secondary analysis of data from the CRADLE-3 trial from ten clusters across Africa, India and Haiti where the device and training package were randomly introduced. Referral data were prospectively collected for a 4-week period before, and a 4-week period 3 months after implementation. Referrals from primary or secondary care facilities to higher level care for any cause were recorded. The denominator was the number of women seen for maternity care in these facilities. RESULTS Between April 1 2016 and Nov 30th, 2017 536,223 women attended maternity care facilities. Overall, 3.7% (n = 2784/74,828) of women seen in peripheral maternity facilities were referred to higher level care in the control period compared to 4.4% (n = 3212/73,371) in the intervention period (OR 0.89; 0.39-2.05) (data for nine sites that were able to collect denominator). Of these 0.29% (n = 212) pre-intervention and 0.16% (n = 120) post-intervention were referred to higher-level facilities for maternal haemorrhage. Although overall referrals did not significantly reduce there was a significant reduction in referrals for obstetric haemorrhage (OR 0.56 (0.39-0.65) following introduction of the device with homogeneity (i-squared 26.1) between sites. There was no increase in any bleeding-related morbidity (maternal death or emergency hysterectomy). CONCLUSIONS Referrals for obstetric haemorrhage reduced following implementation of the CRADLE Vital Signs Alert Device, occurring without an increase in maternal death or emergency hysterectomy. This demonstrates the potential benefit of shock index in management pathways for obstetric haemorrhage and targeting limited resources in low- middle- income settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION This study is registered with the ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN41244132 (02/02/2016).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Giblin
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Nicola Vousden
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Hannah Nathan
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Francis Gidiri
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Shivaprasad Goudar
- Women's and Children's Health Research Unit, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belgaum, Karnataka, India
| | - Umesh Charantimath
- Women's and Children's Health Research Unit, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belgaum, Karnataka, India
| | - Jane Sandall
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Paul T Seed
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Lucy C Chappell
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Andrew H Shennan
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK.
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von Dadelszen P, Vidler M, Tsigas E, Magee LA. Management of Preeclampsia in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Lessons to Date, and Questions Arising, from the PRE-EMPT and Related Initiatives. MATERNAL-FETAL MEDICINE 2021. [DOI: 10.1097/fm9.0000000000000096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
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Boatin AA, Ngonzi J, Wylie BJ, Lugobe HM, Bebell LM, Mugyenyi G, Mohamed S, Martinez K, Musinguzi N, Psaros C, Metlay JP, Haberer JE. Wireless versus routine physiologic monitoring after cesarean delivery to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality in a resource-limited setting: protocol of type 2 hybrid effectiveness-implementation study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2021; 21:124. [PMID: 33579213 PMCID: PMC7880025 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-021-03550-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Women in sub-Saharan Africa have the highest rates of morbidity and mortality during childbirth globally. Despite increases in facility-based childbirth, gaps in quality of care at facilities have limited reductions in maternal deaths. Infrequent physiologic monitoring of women around childbirth is a major gap in care that leads to delays in life-saving interventions for women experiencing complications. METHODS We will conduct a type-2 hybrid effectiveness-implementation study over 12 months to evaluate using a wireless physiologic monitoring system to detect and alert clinicians of abnormal vital signs in women for 24 h after undergoing emergency cesarean delivery at a tertiary care facility in Uganda. We will provide physiologic data (heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature and blood pressure) to clinicians via a smartphone-based application with alert notifications if monitored women develop predefined abnormalities in monitored physiologic signs. We will alternate two-week intervention and control time periods where women and clinicians use the wireless monitoring system during intervention periods and current standard of care (i.e., manual vital sign measurement when clinically indicated) during control periods. Our primary outcome for effectiveness is a composite of severe maternal outcomes per World Health Organization criteria (e.g. death, cardiac arrest, jaundice, shock, prolonged unconsciousness, paralysis, hysterectomy). Secondary outcomes include maternal mortality rate, and case fatality rates for postpartum hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, and sepsis. We will use the RE-AIM implementation framework to measure implementation metrics of the wireless physiologic system including Reach (proportion of eligible women monitored, length of time women monitored), Efficacy (proportion of women with monitoring according to Uganda Ministry of Health guidelines, number of appropriate alerts sent), Adoption (proportion of clinicians utilizing physiologic data per shift, clinical actions in response to alerts), Implementation (fidelity to monitoring protocol), Maintenance (sustainability of implementation over time). We will also perform in-depth qualitative interviews with up to 30 women and 30 clinicians participating in the study. DISCUSSION This is the first hybrid-effectiveness study of wireless physiologic monitoring in an obstetric population. This study offers insights into use of wireless monitoring systems in low resource-settings, as well as normal and abnormal physiologic parameters among women delivering by cesarean. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT04060667 . Registered on 08/01/2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adeline A Boatin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Founders 5, Boston, MA, USA.
- Center for Global Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
- Program for Global Surgery and Social Change, Boston, USA.
| | - Joseph Ngonzi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda
| | - Blair J Wylie
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Henry M Lugobe
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda
| | - Lisa M Bebell
- Center for Global Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Godfrey Mugyenyi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda
| | - Sudi Mohamed
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda
| | - Kenia Martinez
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda
| | - Nicholas Musinguzi
- Global Health Collaborative, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda
| | - Christina Psaros
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joshua P Metlay
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jessica E Haberer
- Center for Global Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
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Diaz-Quijano FA. Estimating and testing an index of bias attributable to composite outcomes in comparative studies. J Clin Epidemiol 2020; 132:1-9. [PMID: 33309888 DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2020.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aimed to develop an index to evaluate the bias attributable to composite outcomes (BACOs) in comparative clinical studies. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING The author defined the BACO index as the ratio of the logarithm of the association measure (e.g., relative risk) of the composite outcome to that of its most relevant component endpoint (e.g., mortality). Methods to calculate the confidence intervals and test the null hypotheses (BACO index = 1) were described and applied in systematically selected clinical trials. Two other preselected trials were included as "positive controls" for being examples of primary composite outcomes disregarded because of inconsistency with the treatment effect on mortality. RESULTS The BACO index values different from 1 were classified according to whether the use of composite outcomes overestimated (BACO index >1), underestimated (BACO index between 0 and <1), or inverted (BACO index <0) the association between exposure and prognosis. In 3 of 23 systematically selected trials and the two positive controls, the BACO indices were significantly lower than 1 (P < 0.005). CONCLUSION BACO index can warn that the composite outcome association is stronger, weaker, or even opposite than that of its most critical component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fredi Alexander Diaz-Quijano
- Department of Epidemiology, Laboratório de Inferência Causal em Epidemiologia (LINCE-USP), School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Shobo OG, Okoro A, Okolo M, Longtoe P, Omale I, Ofiemu E, Anyanti J. Implementing a community-level intervention to control hypertensive disorders in pregnancy using village health workers: lessons learned. Implement Sci Commun 2020; 1:84. [PMID: 33024958 PMCID: PMC7531128 DOI: 10.1186/s43058-020-00076-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy result in about 76,000 maternal deaths per year worldwide. Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia cause the most deaths. Interventions for managing these disorders are available in health facilities. We assess the effect of monitoring pregnant women’s blood pressure (BP) in their homes using village health workers (VHWs) equipped with a BP-measuring device on hypertension in pregnancy, in a resource-poor setting. Also, we assess the VHWs’ competence with the BP device, acceptability and appropriateness of the intervention, and factors that affect the implementation of the intervention. Method This is a mixed method study comprising quantitative and qualitative data collection. We implemented the intervention over 6 months across three local government areas in Gombe state, northeast Nigeria. The Replicating Effective Program (REP) framework guided the development of the implementation strategy. The quantitative data include routine measurement of pregnant women’s blood pressure and observation of 118 VHW-client interactions. The routine data collection occurred between February and June 2019, and the observation occurred in January and June 2019. The qualitative data collection occurred via six focus group discussions with VHWs and ten in-depth interviews with community health extension workers in June 2019. We analyzed the data from the quantitative arm with SPSS version 23. For the qualitative arm, we transcribed the audio files, coded the texts, and categorized them using thematic analysis. Result Nine thousand pregnant women were recruited into the program. We observed a significant reduction in the prevalence of hypertension in pregnancy from 1.5 to 0.8% (Z = 4.04; p < 0.00001) after starting the program. Also, we found that VHWs can assess pregnant women’s BP using a semi-automatic BP-measuring device. The intervention is acceptable and appropriate in resource-poor settings. Poor payment of VHW stipend and cooperation of local health staff are barriers to sustaining the intervention. Conclusion In resource-poor settings, health systems can train and equip non-technical people to identify and refer cases of high blood pressure in pregnancy to local health facilities on time. This may contribute to reducing maternal mortality and morbidity in these settings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anselm Okoro
- Society for Family Health, 8 Port Harcourt Crescent, Area 11, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria
| | - Magdalene Okolo
- Society for Family Health, 8 Port Harcourt Crescent, Area 11, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria
| | - Peter Longtoe
- Society for Family Health, 8 Port Harcourt Crescent, Area 11, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria
| | - Isaac Omale
- Society for Family Health, 8 Port Harcourt Crescent, Area 11, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria
| | - Endurance Ofiemu
- Society for Family Health, 8 Port Harcourt Crescent, Area 11, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria
| | - Jennifer Anyanti
- Society for Family Health, 8 Port Harcourt Crescent, Area 11, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria
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Ashworth DC, Maule SP, Stewart F, Nathan HL, Shennan AH, Chappell LC. Setting and techniques for monitoring blood pressure during pregnancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020; 8:CD012739. [PMID: 32748394 PMCID: PMC8409325 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd012739.pub2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Regular blood pressure (BP) measurement is crucial for the diagnosis and management of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, such as pre-eclampsia. BP can be measured in various settings, such as conventional clinics or self-measurement at home, and with different techniques, such as using auscultatory or automated BP devices. It is important to understand the impact of different settings and techniques of BP measurement on important outcomes for pregnant women. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of setting and technique of BP measurement for diagnosing hypertensive disorders in pregnancy on subsequent maternal and perinatal outcomes, women's quality of life, or use of health service resources. SEARCH METHODS We searched Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth's Trials Register, ClinicalTrials.gov, the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) on 22 April 2020, and reference lists of retrieved studies. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) involving pregnant women, using validated BP devices in different settings or using different techniques. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two authors independently extracted data, assessed risk of bias, and used the GRADE approach to assess the certainty of the evidence. MAIN RESULTS Of the 21 identified studies, we included three, and excluded 11; seven were ongoing. Of the three included RCTs (536,607 women), one was a cluster-RCT, with a substantially higher number of participants (536,233 deliveries) than the other two trials, but did not provide data for most of our outcomes. We generally judged the included studies at low risk of bias, however, the certainty of the evidence was low, due to indirectness and imprecision. Meta-analysis was not possible because each study investigated a different comparison. None of the included studies reported our primary outcome of systolic BP greater than or equal to 150 mmHg. None of the studies reported any of these important secondary outcomes: antenatal hospital admissions, neonatal unit length of stay, or neonatal endotracheal intubation and use of mechanical ventilation. Setting of BP measurement: self-measurement versus conventional clinic measurement (one study, 154 women) There were no maternal deaths in either the self-monitoring group or the usual care group. The study did not report perinatal mortality. Self-monitoring may lead to slightly more diagnoses of pre-eclampsia compared with usual care (risk ratio (RR) 1.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.87 to 2.54; 154 women; 1 study; low-certainty evidence) but the wide 95% CI is consistent with possible benefit and possible harm. Self-monitoring may have little to no effect on the likelihood of induction of labour compared with usual care (RR 1.09, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.45; 154 women; 1 study; low-certainty evidence). We are uncertain if self-monitoring BP has any effect on maternal admission to intensive care (RR 1.54, 95% CI 0.06 to 37.25; 154 women; 1 study; low-certainty evidence), stillbirth (RR 2.57, 95% CI 0.13 to 52.63; 154 women; 1 study; low-certainty evidence), neonatal death (RR 1.54, 95% CI 0.06 to 37.25; 154 women; 1 study; low-certainty evidence) or preterm birth (RR 1.15, 95% CI 0.37 to 3.55; 154 women; 1 study; low-certainty evidence), compared with usual care because the certainty of evidence is low and the 95% CI is consistent with appreciable harms and appreciable benefits. Self-monitoring may lead to slightly more neonatal unit admissions compared with usual care (RR 1.53, 95% CI 0.65 to 3.62; 154 women; 1 study; low-certainty evidence) but the wide 95% CI includes the possibility of slightly fewer admissions with self-monitoring. Technique of BP measurement: Korotkoff phase IV (K4, muffling sound) versus Korotkoff phase V (K5, disappearance of sound) to represent diastolic BP (one study, 220 women) There were no maternal deaths in either the K4 or K5 group. There may be little to no difference in the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia between using K4 or K5 for diastolic BP (RR 1.16; 95% CI 0.89 to 1.49; 1 study; 220 women; low-certainty evidence), since the wide 95% CI includes the possibility of more diagnoses with K4. We are uncertain if there is a difference in perinatal mortality between the groups because the quality of evidence is low and the 95% CI is consistent with appreciable harm and appreciable benefit (RR 1.14, 95% CI 0.16 to 7.92; 1 study, 220 women; low-certainty evidence). The trial did not report data on maternal admission to intensive care, induction of labour, stillbirth, neonatal death, preterm birth, or neonatal unit admissions. Technique of BP measurement: CRADLE intervention (CRADLE device, a semi-automated BP monitor with additional features, and an education package) versus usual care (one study, 536,233 deliveries) There may be little to no difference between the use of the CRADLE device and usual care in the number of maternal deaths (adjusted RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.30 to 2.11; 536,233 women; 1 study; low-certainty evidence), but the 95% CI is consistent with appreciable harm and appreciable benefit. The trial did not report pre-eclampsia, induction of labour, perinatal mortality, preterm birth, or neonatal unit admissions. Maternal admission to intensive care and perinatal outcomes (stillbirths and neonatal deaths) were only collected for a small proportion of the women, identified by an outcome not by baseline characteristics, thereby breaking the random allocation. Therefore, any differences between the groups could not be attributed to the intervention, and we did not extract data for these outcomes. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS The benefit, if any, of self-monitoring BP in hypertensive pregnancies remains uncertain, as the evidence is limited to one feasibility study. Current practice of using K5 to measure diastolic BP is supported for women with pregnancy hypertension. The benefit, if any, of using the CRADLE device to measure BP in pregnancy remains uncertain, due to the limitations and instability of the trial study design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle C Ashworth
- Department of Women and Children's Health, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Sophie P Maule
- Department of Women and Children's Health, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Fiona Stewart
- Cochrane Children and Families Network, c/o Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth, Department of Women's and Children's Health, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Hannah L Nathan
- Department of Women and Children's Health, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Andrew H Shennan
- Department of Women and Children's Health, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Lucy C Chappell
- Department of Women and Children's Health, King's College London, London, UK
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22
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Incidence and characteristics of pregnancy‐related death across ten low‐ and middle‐income geographical regions: secondary analysis of a cluster randomised controlled trial. BJOG 2020; 127:1082-1089. [DOI: 10.1111/1471-0528.16309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Nagraj S, Kennedy SH, Norton R, Jha V, Praveen D, Hinton L, Hirst JE. Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Pregnancy and Implications for Long-Term Health: Identifying the Research Priorities for Low-Resource Settings. Front Cardiovasc Med 2020; 7:40. [PMID: 32266293 PMCID: PMC7099403 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2020.00040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiometabolic disorders (CMDs), including ischemic heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in women worldwide. The burden of CMDs falls disproportionately on low and middle-income countries (LMICs), placing substantial demands on already pressured health systems. Cardiometabolic disorders may present up to a decade earlier in some LMIC settings, and are associated with high-case fatality rates. Early identification and ongoing postpartum follow-up of women with pregnancy complications such as hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs), and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) may offer opportunities for prevention, or help delay onset of CMDs. This mini-review paper presents an overview of the key challenges faced in the early identification, referral and management of pregnant women at increased risk of CMDs, in low-resource settings worldwide. Evidence-based strategies, including novel diagnostics, technology and innovations for early detection, screening and management for pregnant women at high-risk of CMDs are presented. The review highlights the key research priorities for addressing cardiometabolic risk in pregnancy in low-resource settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shobhana Nagraj
- Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.,The George Institute for Global Health, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen H Kennedy
- Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Robyn Norton
- The George Institute for Global Health, Oxford, United Kingdom.,The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Vivekananda Jha
- Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.,The George Institute for Global Health, New Delhi, India.,Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | | | - Lisa Hinton
- The Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.,THIS Institute (The Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute), University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jane E Hirst
- Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.,The George Institute for Global Health, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Nakitende I, Nabiryo J, Namujwiga T, Wasingya-Kasereka L, Kellett J. Do different patient populations need different early warning scores? The performance of nine different early warning scores used on acutely ill patients admitted to a low-resource hospital in sub-Saharan Africa. Clin Med (Lond) 2019; 20:67-73. [PMID: 31704729 DOI: 10.7861/clinmed.2019-0196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early warning scores (EWS) generated in a developed healthcare setting may not perform as well in low-resource settings in sub-Saharan Africa. METHOD The performance of EWS used in developed world was compared with those generated in low-resource settings in sub-Saharan Africa. RESULTS When tested on 1,266 acutely ill patients consecutively admitted to a low-resource Ugandan hospital there was no statistical difference in the performance of any of the EWS tested. The performance of all the scores appeared to be improved by the addition of mobility assessment. Although statistically insignificant, the National Early Warning Score with extra points added for impaired mobility had the highest discrimination and sensitivity. CONCLUSION There were only marginal and no statistical differences in the performance of EWS generated in low- and high-resource healthcare settings in a cohort of unselected acutely ill medical patients admitted to a low-resource hospital in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - John Kellett
- Hospital of South West Jutland, Esbjerg, Denmark; on behalf of the Kitovu Hospital Study Group
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Robbins T, Vousden N, Shennan A, Chappell L, Tatenda Makanga P, Downward G. Correlating deaths due to household pollution from solid fuel and incidence of eclampsia in eight low and middle-income countries. Pregnancy Hypertens 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.preghy.2019.08.146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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KC A, Ewald U, Basnet O, Gurung A, Pyakuryal SN, Jha BK, Bergström A, Eriksson L, Paudel P, Karki S, Gajurel S, Brunell O, Wrammert J, Litorp H, Målqvist M. Effect of a scaled-up neonatal resuscitation quality improvement package on intrapartum-related mortality in Nepal: A stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial. PLoS Med 2019; 16:e1002900. [PMID: 31498784 PMCID: PMC6733443 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Improving quality of intrapartum care will reduce intrapartum stillbirth and neonatal mortality, especially in resource-poor settings. Basic neonatal resuscitation can reduce intrapartum stillbirth and early neonatal mortality, if delivered in a high-quality health system, but there is a dearth of evidence on how to scale up such evidence-based interventions. We evaluated the scaling up of a quality improvement (QI) package for neonatal resuscitation on intrapartum-related mortality (intrapartum stillbirth and first day mortality) at hospitals in Nepal. METHODS AND FINDINGS We conducted a stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial in 12 hospitals over a period of 18 months from April 14, 2017, to October 17, 2018. The hospitals were assigned to one of four wedges through random allocation. The QI package was implemented in a stepped-wedge manner with a delay of three months for each step. The QI package included improving hospital leadership on intrapartum care, building health workers' competency on neonatal resuscitation, and continuous facilitated QI processes in clinical units. An independent data collection system was set up at each hospital to gather data on mortality through patient case note review and demographic characteristics of women using semi-structured exit interviews. The generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) and multivariate logistic regression were used for analyses. During this study period, a total of 89,014 women-infant pairs were enrolled. The mean age of the mother in the study period was 24.0 ± 4.3 years, with 54.9% from disadvantaged ethnic groups and 4.0% of them illiterate. Of the total birth cohort, 54.4% were boys, 16.7% had gestational age less than 37 weeks, and 17.1% had birth weight less than 2,500 grams. The incidence of intrapartum-related mortality was 11.0 per 1,000 births during the control period and 8.0 per 1,000 births during the intervention period (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.79; 95% CI, 0.69-0.92; p = 0.002; intra-cluster correlation coefficient [ICC], 0.0286). The incidence of early neonatal mortality was 12.7 per 1,000 live births during the control period and 10.1 per 1,000 live births during the intervention period (aOR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.78-1.02; p = 0.09; ICC, 0.1538). The use of bag-and-mask ventilation for babies with low Apgar score (<7 at 1 minute) increased from 3.2% in the control period to 4.0% in the intervention period (aOR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.32-1.77, p = 0.003). There were two major limitations to the study; although a large sample of women-infant pairs were enrolled in the study, the clustering reduced the power of the study. Secondly, the study was not sufficiently powered to detect reduction in early neonatal mortality with the number of clusters provided. CONCLUSION These results suggest scaled-up implementation of a QI package for neonatal resuscitation can reduce intrapartum-related mortality and improve clinical care. The QI intervention package is likely to be effective in similar settings. More implementation research is required to assess the sustainability of QI interventions and quality of care. TRIAL REGISTRATION ISRCTN30829654.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashish KC
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health; Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Society of Public Health Physician Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal
- * E-mail:
| | - Uwe Ewald
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health; Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | | | | | - Bijay Kumar Jha
- Ministry of Health and Population, Government of Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Anna Bergström
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health; Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- UCL Institute for Global Health (IGH), University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Leif Eriksson
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Prajwal Paudel
- Nepal Health Research Council, RamshahPath, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | | | | | - Olivia Brunell
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health; Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Johan Wrammert
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health; Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Helena Litorp
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health; Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mats Målqvist
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health; Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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Watson HA, Tribe RM, Shennan AH. The role of medical smartphone apps in clinical decision-support: A literature review. Artif Intell Med 2019; 100:101707. [PMID: 31607347 DOI: 10.1016/j.artmed.2019.101707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The now ubiquitous smartphone has huge potential to assist clinical decision-making across the globe. However, the rapid pace of digitalisation contrasts starkly with the slower rate of medical research and publication. This review explores the evidence base that exists to validate and evaluate the use of medical decision-support apps. The resultant findings will inform appropriate and pragmatic evaluation strategies for future clinical app developers and provide a scientific and cultural context for research priorities in this field. METHOD Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched for clinical trials concerning decision support and smart phones from 2007 (introduction of first smartphone iPhone) until January 2019. RESULTS Following exclusions, 48 trials and one Cochrane review were included for final analysis. Whilst diagnostic accuracy studies are plentiful, clinical trials are scarce. App research methodology was further interrogated according to setting and decision-support modality: e.g. camera-based, guideline-based, predictive models. Description of app development pathways and regulation were highly varied. Global health emerged as an early adopter of decision-support apps and this field is leading implementation and evaluation. CONCLUSION Clinical decision-support apps have considerable potential to enhance access to care and quality of care, but the medical community must rise to the challenge of modernising its approach if it is truly committed to capitalising on the opportunities of digitalisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena A Watson
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, 10th Floor, North Wing, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom.
| | - Rachel M Tribe
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, 10th Floor, North Wing, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew H Shennan
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, King's College London, 10th Floor, North Wing, St Thomas' Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, United Kingdom
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Vousden N, Lawley E, Seed PT, Gidiri MF, Charantimath U, Makonyola G, Brown A, Yadeta L, Best R, Chinkoyo S, Vwalika B, Nakimuli A, Ditai J, Greene G, Chappell LC, Sandall J, Shennan AH. Exploring the effect of implementation and context on a stepped-wedge randomised controlled trial of a vital sign triage device in routine maternity care in low-resource settings. Implement Sci 2019; 14:38. [PMID: 30999963 PMCID: PMC6471783 DOI: 10.1186/s13012-019-0885-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Interventions aimed at reducing maternal mortality are increasingly complex. Understanding how complex interventions are delivered, to whom, and how they work is key in ensuring their rapid scale-up. We delivered a vital signs triage intervention into routine maternity care in eight low- and middle-income countries with the aim of reducing a composite outcome of morbidity and mortality. This was a pragmatic, hybrid effectiveness-implementation stepped-wedge randomised controlled trial. In this study, we present the results of the mixed-methods process evaluation. The aim was to describe implementation and local context and integrate results to determine whether differences in the effect of the intervention across sites could be explained. Methods The duration and content of implementation, uptake of the intervention and its impact on clinical management were recorded. These were integrated with interviews (n = 36) and focus groups (n = 19) at 3 months and 6–9 months after implementation. In order to determine the effect of implementation on effectiveness, measures were ranked and averaged across implementation domains to create a composite implementation strength score and then correlated with the primary outcome. Results Overall, 61.1% (n = 2747) of health care providers were trained in the intervention (range 16.5% to 89.2%) over a mean of 10.8 days. Uptake and acceptability of the intervention was good. All clusters demonstrated improved availability of vital signs equipment. There was an increase in the proportion of women having their blood pressure measured in pregnancy following the intervention (79.2% vs. 97.6%; OR 1.30 (1.29–1.31)) and no significant change in referral rates (3.7% vs. 4.4% OR 0.89; (0.39–2.05)). Availability of resources and acceptable, effective referral systems influenced health care provider interaction with the intervention. There was no correlation between process measures within or between domains, or between the composite score and the primary outcome. Conclusions This process evaluation has successfully described the quantity and quality of implementation. Variation in implementation and context did not explain differences in the effectiveness of the intervention on maternal mortality and morbidity. We suggest future trials should prioritise in-depth evaluation of local context and clinical pathways. Trial registration Trial registration: ISRCTN41244132. Registered on 2 Feb 2016 Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13012-019-0885-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Vousden
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK.
| | - Elodie Lawley
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Paul T Seed
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Muchabayiwa Francis Gidiri
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Umesh Charantimath
- Women's and Children's Health Research Unit, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belgaum, Karnataka, 590010, India
| | - Grace Makonyola
- Maternity Worldwide, Community Base, 113 Queens Rd, Brighton, BN1 3XG, UK
| | - Adrian Brown
- Maternity Worldwide, Community Base, 113 Queens Rd, Brighton, BN1 3XG, UK
| | - Lomi Yadeta
- Maternity Worldwide, Community Base, 113 Queens Rd, Brighton, BN1 3XG, UK
| | - Rebecca Best
- Welbodi Partnership, Ola During Childrens Hospital, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Sebastian Chinkoyo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ndola Teaching Hospital, Ndola, Zambia
| | - Bellington Vwalika
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Annettee Nakimuli
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mulago Hospital, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - James Ditai
- Sanyu Africa Research Institute, Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, Mbale, Uganda
| | - Grace Greene
- Hope Health Action, Hopital Convention Baptiste d'Haiti, Cap Haitien, Haiti
| | - Lucy C Chappell
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Jane Sandall
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Andrew H Shennan
- Department of Women and Children's Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
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Vousden N, Lawley E, Seed PT, Gidiri MF, Goudar S, Sandall J, Chappell LC, Shennan AH. Incidence of eclampsia and related complications across 10 low- and middle-resource geographical regions: Secondary analysis of a cluster randomised controlled trial. PLoS Med 2019; 16:e1002775. [PMID: 30925157 PMCID: PMC6440614 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In 2015, approximately 42,000 women died as a result of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy worldwide; over 99% of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this paper is to describe the incidence and characteristics of eclampsia and related complications from hypertensive disorders of pregnancy across 10 low- and middle-income geographical regions in 8 countries, in relation to magnesium sulfate availability. METHODS AND FINDINGS This is a secondary analysis of a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial undertaken in sub-Saharan Africa, India, and Haiti. This trial implemented a novel vital sign device and training package in routine maternity care with the aim of reducing a composite outcome of maternal mortality and morbidity. Institutional-level consent was obtained, and all women presenting for maternity care were eligible for inclusion. Data on eclampsia, stroke, admission to intensive care with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, and maternal death from a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy were prospectively collected from routine data sources and active case finding, together with data on perinatal outcomes in women with these outcomes. In 536,233 deliveries between 1 April 2016 and 30 November 2017, there were 2,692 women with eclampsia (0.5%). In total 6.9% (n = 186; 3.47/10,000 deliveries) of women with eclampsia died, and a further 51 died from other complications of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (0.95/10,000). After planned adjustments, the implementation of the CRADLE intervention was not associated with any significant change in the rates of eclampsia, stroke, or maternal death or intensive care admission with a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. Nearly 1 in 5 (17.9%) women with eclampsia, stroke, or a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy causing intensive care admission or maternal death experienced a stillbirth or neonatal death. A third of eclampsia cases (33.2%; n = 894) occurred in women under 20 years of age, 60.0% in women aged 20-34 years (n = 1,616), and 6.8% (n = 182) in women aged 35 years or over. Rates of eclampsia varied approximately 7-fold between sites (range 19.6/10,000 in Zambia Centre 1 to 142.0/10,000 in Sierra Leone). Over half (55.1%) of first eclamptic fits occurred in a health-care facility, with the remainder in the community. Place of first fit varied substantially between sites (from 5.9% in the central referral facility in Sierra Leone to 85% in Uganda Centre 2). On average, magnesium sulfate was available in 74.7% of facilities (range 25% in Haiti to 100% in Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe). There was no detectable association between magnesium sulfate availability and the rate of eclampsia across sites (p = 0.12). This analysis may have been influenced by the selection of predominantly urban and peri-urban settings, and by collection of only monthly data on availability of magnesium sulfate, and is limited by the lack of demographic data in the population of women delivering in the trial areas. CONCLUSIONS The large variation in eclampsia and maternal and neonatal fatality from hypertensive disorders of pregnancy between countries emphasises that inequality and inequity persist in healthcare for women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Alongside the growing interest in improving community detection and health education for these disorders, efforts to improve quality of care within healthcare facilities are key. Strategies to prevent eclampsia should be informed by local data. TRIAL REGISTRATION ISRCTN: 41244132.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Vousden
- Department of Women and Children’s Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elodie Lawley
- Department of Women and Children’s Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paul T. Seed
- Department of Women and Children’s Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Muchabayiwa Francis Gidiri
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Shivaprasad Goudar
- Women’s and Children’s Health Research Unit, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belgaum, Karnataka, India
| | - Jane Sandall
- Department of Women and Children’s Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy C. Chappell
- Department of Women and Children’s Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew H. Shennan
- Department of Women and Children’s Health, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
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Roberts JM, Assibey-Mensah V. The challenge of measuring blood pressure in low-resource settings. Lancet Glob Health 2019; 7:e290-e291. [PMID: 30784622 DOI: 10.1016/s2214-109x(19)30019-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James M Roberts
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Department of Clinical and Translational Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| | - Vanessa Assibey-Mensah
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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