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Amster E, Jessani G, Gupta G, Hlyva O, Rae C. Mapping maternal and infant health in Morocco: A global scoping review of themes, gaps, and the "unseen" in the published health research literature, 2000-2022. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2024; 4:e0003488. [PMID: 39024351 PMCID: PMC11257357 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0003488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Global efforts to reduce Maternal Mortality Rates (MMR) have been significant, but researchers are exploring new approaches to address stalled progress and enduring health inequities. This scoping review offers an analytic synthesis of maternal and infant health (MIH) research in the low-middle income North African Islamic country of Morocco over 22 years, a mapping of the themes, research gaps, geographies, and methodologies, 2000-2022. Morocco is an official MIH success story with excellent health indicators, yet indicators do not address local contexts, gender issues, or health disparities. To understand how medical research has reflected social reality over the past 22 years, we explored not just what is known, but how it is known, where it is known, what remained unseen, and why. Four databases were searched: OVID: MEDLINE, Embase, APA PsycINFO, and EBSCO: CINAHL. 4590 abstracts were identified, 3131 abstracts screened, and 402 full MIH articles and 128 sub-group articles identified and subject to data extraction. The 402 full MIH articles were subject to qualitative thematic analysis, classified by 34 primary research themes and explored especially for gender, health equity, and methodology. Findings included significant geographic research disparities; four regions were the location of 75% of research and many regions remained virtually "unseen" by research. The best-equipped urban public hospitals in higher-income regions produced the most research, creating an urban, hospital-based research perspective. Maternal health articles predominated, often >50% more than articles published about infant health. Infants studied were mostly neonates. Socially marginalized women were often invisible to research, as were private healthcare, NGO care (non-governmental civic organizations), and healthcare in community. In articles, researchers recommended new policies, new laws, health system reform, and government actions to advocate for patients. Three solutions emerged to broaden the research perspective: increase geographic breadth, address missing topics and populations, and embrace interdisciplinary methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Amster
- Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ghazal Jessani
- Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gauri Gupta
- Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Oksana Hlyva
- Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Charlene Rae
- Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Joiner A, Lee A, Chowa P, Kharel R, Kumar L, Caruzzo NM, Ramirez T, Reynolds L, Sakita F, Van Vleet L, von Isenburg M, Yaffee AQ, Staton C, Vissoci JRN. Access to care solutions in healthcare for obstetric care in Africa: A systematic review. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0252583. [PMID: 34086753 PMCID: PMC8177460 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems exist to reduce death and disability from life-threatening medical emergencies. Less than 9% of the African population is serviced by an emergency medical services transportation system, and nearly two-thirds of African countries do not have any known EMS system in place. One of the leading reasons for EMS utilization in Africa is for obstetric emergencies. The purpose of this systematic review is to provide a qualitative description and summation of previously described interventions to improve access to care for patients with maternal obstetric emergencies in Africa with the intent of identifying interventions that can innovatively be translated to a broader emergency context. METHODS The protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) under the number CRD42018105371. We searched the following electronic databases for all abstracts up to 10/19/2020 in accordance to PRISMA guidelines: PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus and African Index Medicus. Articles were included if they were focused on a specific mode of transportation or an access-to-care solution for hospital or outpatient clinic care in Africa for maternal or traumatic emergency conditions. Exclusion criteria included in-hospital solutions intended to address a lack of access. Reference and citation analyses were performed, and a data quality assessment was conducted. Data analysis was performed using a qualitative metasynthesis approach. FINDINGS A total of 6,457 references were imported for screening and 1,757 duplicates were removed. Of the 4,700 studies that were screened against title and abstract, 4,485 studies were excluded. Finally, 215 studies were assessed for full-text eligibility and 152 studies were excluded. A final count of 63 studies were included in the systematic review. In the 63 studies that were included, there was representation from 20 countries in Africa. The three most common interventions included specific transportation solutions (n = 39), community engagement (n = 28) and education or training initiatives (n = 27). Over half of the studies included more than one category of intervention. INTERPRETATION Emergency care systems across Africa are understudied and interventions to improve access to care for obstetric emergencies provides important insight into existing solutions for other types of emergency conditions. Physical access to means of transportation, efforts to increase layperson knowledge and recognition of emergent conditions, and community engagement hold the most promise for future efforts at improving emergency access to care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjni Joiner
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Austin Lee
- Division of Global Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States of America
| | - Phindile Chowa
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Ramu Kharel
- Division of Global Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States of America
| | - Lekshmi Kumar
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Nayara Malheiros Caruzzo
- Physical Education Department, State University of Maringá, Maringá, PR, United States of America
| | - Thais Ramirez
- Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Lindy Reynolds
- University of Alabama School of Public Health, Birmingham, AL, United States of America
| | - Francis Sakita
- Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
| | - Lee Van Vleet
- Durham County Emergency Services, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Megan von Isenburg
- Medical Center Library, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Anna Quay Yaffee
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Catherine Staton
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Joao Ricardo Nickenig Vissoci
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC, United States of America
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Avortri GS, Nabukalu JB, Nabyonga-Orem J. Supportive supervision to improve service delivery in low-income countries: is there a conceptual problem or a strategy problem? BMJ Glob Health 2019; 4:e001151. [PMID: 31673434 PMCID: PMC6797347 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2018-001151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2018] [Revised: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Supportive supervision is perceived as an intervention that strengthens the health system, enables health workers to offer quality services and improve performance. Unfortunately, numerous studies show that supervisory mechanisms in many low-income countries (LICs) are suboptimal. Further, the understanding of the concept and its implementation is still shrouded in misinterpretations and inconsistencies. This analysis contributes to a deeper understanding of the concept of supportive supervision and how reorganisation of the approach can contribute to improved performance. The effectiveness of supportive supervision is mixed, with some studies noting that evidence on its role, especially in LICs is inconclusive. Quality of care is a core component of universal health coverage which, accentuates the need for supportive supervision. In the context of LICs, it is imperative for supportive supervision to be implemented as an on-going approach. Factors that affect supportive supervision encompass cultural, social, organizational and context dimensions but the capacity of majority of LIC to address these is limited. To this end, we underscore the need to review the supportive supervision approach to improve its effectiveness, and ensure that facility-based supervision embodies as many of the envisioned qualities as possible. We thus make a case for a stronger focus on internal supportive supervision where internal refers to health facility/unit/ward level. Inherent in the approach is what we refer to as ‘supervisee initiated supportive supervision’. The success of this approach must be anchored on a strong system for monitoring, data and information management at the health facility level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gertrude Sika Avortri
- Health Systems and Services Cluster, World Health Organization, Inter-Country Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | | | - Juliet Nabyonga-Orem
- Health Systems and Services Cluster, World Health Organization, Inter-Country Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa, Harare, Zimbabwe
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