Family planning, antenatal and delivery care: cross‐sectional survey evidence on levels of coverage and inequalities by public and private sector in 57 low‐ and middle‐income countries

Harnessing private sector strategies for family planning to deliver the Dual Prevention Pill, the first multipurpose prevention technology with pre-exposure prophylaxis, in an expanding HIV prevention landscape

INTRODUCTION

The Dual Prevention Pill (DPP) combines oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with oral contraception (OC) to prevent HIV and pregnancy. Noting the significant role played by the private sector in delivering family planning (FP) services in countries with high HIV burden, high level of private sector OC uptake, and the recent growth in self-care and technology-based private sector channels, we undertook qualitative research in Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe to prioritize private sector service delivery approaches for the introduction of the DPP.

METHODS

Between March 2022 and February 2023, we conducted a literature review and key informant interviews with 34 donors and implementing partners, 19 government representatives, 17 private sector organizations, 13 pharmacy and drug shop representatives, and 12 telehealth agencies to assess the feasibility of DPP introduction in private sector channels. Channels were analysed thematically based on policies, level of coordination with the public sector, data systems, supply chain, need for subsidy, scalability, sustainability and geographic coverage.

RESULTS

Wide geographic reach, ongoing pharmacy-administered PrEP pilots in Kenya and South Africa, and over-the-counter OC availability in Zimbabwe make pharmacies a priority for DPP delivery, in addition to private networked clinics, already trusted for FP and HIV services. In Kenya and South Africa, newer, technology-based channels such as e-pharmacies, telehealth and telemedicine are prioritized as they have rapidly grown in popularity due to nationwide accessibility, convenience and privacy. Findings are limited by a lack of standardized data on service uptake in newer channels and gaps in information on commodity pricing and willingness-to-pay for all channels.

CONCLUSIONS

The private sector provides a significant proportion of FP services in countries with high HIV burden yet is an untapped delivery source for PrEP. Offering users a range of access options for the DPP in non-traditional channels that minimize stigma, enhance discretion and increase convenience could increase uptake and continuation. Preparing these channels for PrEP provision requires engagement with Ministries of Health and providers and further research on pricing and willingness-to-pay. Aligning FP and PrEP delivery to meet the needs of those who want both HIV and pregnancy prevention will facilitate integrated service delivery and eventual DPP rollout, creating a platform for the private sector introduction of multipurpose prevention technologies.

What Underlies State Government Performance in Scaling Family Planning Programming? A Study of The Challenge Initiative State Partnerships in Nigeria

INTRODUCTION

Relatively few studies rigorously examine the factors associated with health systems strengthening and scaling of interventions at subnational government levels. We aim to examine how The Challenge Initiative (TCI) coaches subnational (state government) actors to scale proven family planning and adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health approaches rapidly and sustainably through public health systems to respond to unmet need among the urban poor.

METHODS

This mixed-methods comparative case study draws on 32 semistructured interviews with subnational government leaders and managers, nongovernmental organization leaders, and TCI Nigeria staff, triangulated with project records and government health management information system (HMIS) data. Adapting the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), we contrast experience across 2 higher-performing states and 1 lower-performing state (identified through HMIS data and selected health systems strengthening criteria from 13 states) to identify modifiable factors linked with successful adoption and implementation of interventions and note lessons for supporting scale-up.

RESULTS

Informants reported that several TCI strategies overlapping with CFIR were critical to states' successful adoption and sustainment of interventions, most prominently external champions' contributions and strengthened state planning and coordination, especially in higher-performing states. Government stakeholders institutionalized new interventions through their annual operational plans. Higher-performing states incorporated mutually reinforcing interventions (including service delivery, demand generation, and advocacy). Although informants generally expressed confidence that newly introduced service delivery interventions would be sustained beyond donor support, they had concerns about government financing of demand-side social and behavior change work.

CONCLUSION

As political and managerial factors, even more than technical factors, were most linked with successful adoption and scale-up, these processes and systems should be assessed and prioritized from the start. Government leaders, TCI coaches, and other stakeholders can use these findings to shape similar initiatives to sustainably scale social service interventions.

District health management and stillbirth recording and reporting: a qualitative study in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

BACKGROUND

Despite global efforts to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality, stillbirths remain a significant public health challenge in many low- and middle-income countries. District health systems, largely seen as the backbone of health systems, are pivotal in addressing the data gaps reported for stillbirths. Available, accurate and complete data is essential for District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) to understand the burden of stillbirths, evaluate interventions and tailor health facility support to address the complex challenges that contribute to stillbirths. This study aims to understand stillbirth recording and reporting in the Ashanti Region of Ghana from the perspective of DHMTs.

METHODS

The study was conducted in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. 15 members of the regional and district health directorates (RHD/DHD) participated in semi-structured interviews. Sampling was purposive, focusing on RHD/DHD members who interact with maternity services or stillbirth data. Thematic analyses were informed by an a priori framework, including theme 1) experiences, perceptions and attitudes; theme 2) stillbirth data use; and theme 3) leadership and support mechanisms, for stillbirth recording and reporting.

RESULTS

Under theme 1, stillbirth definitions varied among respondents, with 20 and 28 weeks commonly used. Fresh and macerated skin appearance was used to classify timing with limited knowledge of antepartum and intrapartum stillbirths. For theme 2, data quality checks, audits, and the district health information management system (DHIMS-2) data entry and review are functions played by the DHD. Midwives were blamed for data quality issues on omissions and misclassifications. Manual entry of data, data transfer from the facility to the DHD, limited knowledge of stillbirth terminology and periodic closure of the DHIMS-2 were seen to proliferate gaps in stillbirth recording and reporting. Under theme 3, perinatal audits were acknowledged as an enabler for stillbirth recording and reporting by the DHD, though audits are mandated for only late-gestational stillbirths (> 28 weeks). Engagement of other sectors, e.g., civil/vital registration and private health facilities, was seen as key in understanding the true population-level burden of stillbirths.

CONCLUSION

Effective district health management ensures that every stillbirth is accurately recorded, reported, and acted upon to drive improvements. A large need exists for capacity building on stillbirth definitions and data use. Recommendations are made, for example, terminology standardization and private sector engagement, aimed at reducing stillbirth rates in high-mortality settings such as Ghana.

Is the quality of public health facilities always worse compared to private health facilities: Association between birthplace on neonatal deaths in the Indian states

BACKGROUND

The role of place of delivery on the neonatal health outcomes are very crucial. Although the quality of care is being improved, there is no consensus about who is the better healthcare provider in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), public or private facilities. The aim of this study is to assess the differentials in neonatal mortality by the type of healthcare providers in India and its states.

METHODS

We used the data from the fourth wave of the National Family Health Survey 2015-16 (NFHS-4). Information on 259,627 live births to women within the five years preceding the survey was examined. Neonatal mortality rates for state and national levels were calculated using DHS methodology. Multi-variate logistics regression was performed to find the effect of birthplace on neonatal deaths. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to evaluate the relationship between place of delivery and neonatal deaths to account for the bias attributable to observable covariates.

RESULTS

The rise in parity of the women and purchasing power influences the choice of healthcare providers. Increased neonatal mortality was found in private hospital delivery compared to public hospitals in Punjab, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Goa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka states using propensity score matching analysis. However, analysis on the standard of pre-natal and post-natal care indicates that private hospitals generally outperformed public hospitals.

CONCLUSIONS

The study observed a significant variation in neonatal mortality among public and private health care systems in India. Findings of the study urges that more attention be paid to the improve care at the place of delivery to improve neonatal health. There is a need of strengthened national health policy and public-private partnerships in order to improve maternal and child health care in both private and public health facilities.

Do private health providers help achieve Universal Health Coverage? A scoping review of the evidence from low-income countries

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is the dominant paradigm in health systems research, positing that everyone should have access to a range of affordable health services. Although private providers are an integral part of world health systems, their contribution to achieving UHC is unclear, particularly in low-income countries (LICs). We scoped the literature to map out the evidence on private providers' contribution to UHC progress in LICs. Literature searches of PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science were conducted in 2022. A total of 1049 documents published between 2002 and 2022 were screened for eligibility using predefined inclusion criteria, focusing on formal as well as informal private health sectors in 27 LICs. Primary qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods evidence was included, as well as original analysis of secondary data. The Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal tool was used to assess the quality of the studies. Relevant evidence was extracted and analysed using an adapted UHC framework. We identified 34 papers documenting how most basic health care services are already provided through the private sector in countries such as Uganda, Afghanistan and Somalia. A substantial proportion of primary care, mother, child and malaria services are available through non-public providers across all 27 LICs. Evidence exists that while formal private providers mostly operate in well-served urban settings, informal and not-for-profit ones cater for underserved rural and urban areas. Nonetheless, there is evidence that the quality of the services by informal providers is suboptimal. A few studies suggested that the private sector fails to advance financial protection against ill-health, as costs are higher than in public facilities and services are paid out of pocket. We conclude that despite their shortcomings, working with informal private providers to increase quality and financing of their services may be key to realizing UHC in LICs.

Engaging the private sector to deliver quality maternal and newborn health services for universal health coverage: lessons from policy dialogues

The private health sector is becoming increasingly important in discussions on improving the quality of care for maternal and newborn health (MNH). Yet information rarely addresses what engaging the private sector for MNH means and how to do it. In 2019, the Network for Improving Quality of Care for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (the Network) initiated exploratory research to better understand how to ensure that the private sector delivers quality care and what the public sector must do to facilitate and sustain this process. This article details the approach and lessons learnt from two Network countries, Ghana and Nigeria, where teams explored the mechanisms for engaging the private sector in delivering MNH services with quality. The situational analyses in Ghana and Nigeria revealed challenges in engaging the private sector, including lack of accurate data, mistrust and an unlevel playing field. Challenging market conditions hindered a greater private sector role in delivering quality MNH services. Based on these analyses, participants at multistakeholder workshops recommended actions addressing policy/administration, regulation and service delivery. The findings from this research help strengthen the evidence base on engaging the private sector to deliver quality MNH services and show that this likely requires engagement with broader health systems factors. In recognition of this need for a balanced approach and the new WHO private sector strategy, the WHO has updated the tools and process for countries interested in conducting this research. The Nigerian Ministry of Health is stewarding additional policy dialogues to further engage the private sector.

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

BACKGROUND

Approximately 25% of facility births take place in private health facilities. Recent national studies of maternal and newborn health (MNH) service availability and quality have focused solely on the status of public sector facilities, leaving a striking gap in information on the quality of maternal and newborn care services.

METHODS

A rapid cross-sectional assessment was conducted in November 2022 to assess the quality of MNH services at private hospitals in Iraq. Multi-stage sampling was used to select 15% of the country's 164 private hospitals. Assessment tools included a facility assessment checklist, a structured health worker interview tool, and a structured client exit interview tool. Data collection was conducted using KoboToolbox software on Android tablets, and analysis conducted using SPSS v28.

RESULTS

All hospitals visited provided MNH services and had skilled personnel present or on-call 24 h/day, 7 days/week. Most births (88%) documented between January and June 2022 were cesarean births. Findings indicate that nearly all hospitals have the human resources, equipment, medicines and supplies necessary for quality antenatal, intrapartum and early essential newborn care, and many are also equipped with special units and resources needed to care for small and sick babies. However, while resources are in place for basic and advanced care, there are gaps in knowledge and practice of high-impact interventions that require few or no resources to perform, including skin-to-skin thermal care and support for early initiation of breastfeeding. Person-centered maternity care scores suggest that private hospitals offer a positive experience of care for all clients, however there is room for improvement in provider-client communication.

CONCLUSIONS

This assessment highlights the need for deeper dives into factors that underly decisions about how and where to give birth, and both understanding and practice of early essential newborn care and pre-discharge examinations and counseling at private healthcare facilities in Iraq. Engaging private health facility staff in efforts to monitor and improve the quality of maternal and newborn care, with a focus on early essential newborn care and provider-client communication for all clients, will ensure that women and newborns benefit from the best care possible with available resources.

Tale of 22 cities: utilisation patterns and content of maternal care in large African cities

Introduction

Globally, the majority of births happen in urban areas. Ensuring that women and their newborns benefit from a complete package of high-quality care during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period present specific challenges in large cities. We examine health service utilisation and content of care along the maternal continuum of care (CoC) in 22 large African cities.

Methods

We analysed data from the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) since 2013 in any African country with at least one city of ≥1 million inhabitants in 2015. Women with live births from survey clusters in the most populous city per country were identified. We analysed 17 indicators capturing utilisation, sector and level of health facilities and content of three maternal care services: antenatal care (ANC), childbirth care and postnatal care (PNC), and a composite indicator capturing completion of the maternal CoC. We developed a categorisation of cities according to performance on utilisation and content within maternal CoC.

Results

The study sample included 25 326 live births reported by 19 217 women. Heterogeneity in the performance in the three services was observed across cities and across the three services within cities. ANC utilisation was high (>85%); facility-based childbirth and PNC ranged widely, 77%–99% and 29%–94%, respectively. Most cities showed inconsistent levels of utilisation and content across the maternal CoC, Cotonou and Accra showed relatively best and Nairobi and Ndjamena worst performance.

Conclusion

This exploratory analysis showed that many DHS can be analysed on the level of large African cities to provide actionable information about the utilisation and content of the three maternal health services. Our comparative analysis of 22 cities and proposed typology of best and worst-performing cities can provide a starting point for extracting lessons learnt and addressing critical gaps in maternal health in rapidly urbanising contexts.

Use of motorised transport and pathways to childbirth care in health facilities: Evidence from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey

In Nigeria, 59% of pregnant women deliver at home, despite evidence about the benefits of childbirth in health facilities. While different modes of transport can be used to access childbirth care, motorised transport guarantees quicker transfer compared to non-motorised forms. Our study uses the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) to describe the pathways to childbirth care and the determinants of using motorised transport to reach this care. The most recent live birth of women 15-49 years within the five years preceding the NDHS were included. The main outcome of the study was the use of motorised transport to childbirth. Explanatory variables were women's socio-demographic characteristics and pregnancy-related factors. Descriptive, crude, and adjusted logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the determinants of use of motorised transport. Overall, 31% of all women in Nigeria used motorised transport to get to their place of childbirth. Among women who delivered in health facilities, 77% used motorised transport; among women referred during childbirth from one facility to another, this was 98%. Among all women, adjusted odds of using motorised transport increased with increasing wealth quintile and educational level. Among women who gave birth in a health facility, there was no difference in the adjusted odds of motorised transport across wealth quintiles or educational status, but higher for women who were referred between health facilities (aOR = 8.87, 95% CI 1.90-41.40). Women who experienced at least one complication of labour/childbirth had higher odds of motorised transport use (aOR = 3.01, 95% CI 2.55-3.55, all women sample). Our study shows that women with higher education and wealth and women travelling to health facilities because of pregnancy complications were more likely to use motorised transport. Obstetric transport interventions targeting particularly vulnerable, less educated, and less privileged pregnant women should bridge the equity gap in accessing childbirth services.

Private sector delivery of maternal and newborn health care in low-income and middle-income countries: a scoping review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Recent studies have pointed to the substantial role of private health sector delivery of maternal and newborn health (MNH) care in low-/middle-income countries (LMICs). While this role has been partly documented, an evidence synthesis is missing. To analyse opportunities and challenges of private sector delivery of MNH care as they pertain to the new World Health Organization (WHO) strategy on engaging the private health service delivery sector through governance in mixed health systems, a more granular understanding of the private health sector's role and extent in MNH delivery is imperative. We developed a scoping review protocol to map and conceptualise interventions that were explicitly designed and implemented by formal private health sector providers to deliver MNH care in mixed health systems.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This protocol details our intended methodological and analytical approach following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews. Seven databases (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, Excerpta Medica Database, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, WHO Institutional Repository for Information Sharing) and two websites will be searched for studies published between 1 January 2002 and 1 June 2021. For inclusion, quantitative and/or qualitative studies in LMICs must report at least one of the following outcomes: maternal morbidity or mortality; newborn morbidity or mortality; experience of care; use of formal private sector care during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum; and stillbirth. Analyses will synthesise the evidence base and gaps on private sector MNH service delivery interventions for each of the six governance behaviours.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval is not required. Findings will be used to develop a menu of private sector interventions for MNH care by governance behaviour. This study will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication, working groups, webinars and partners.

mHealth-Based Health Promotion Intervention to Improve Use of Maternity Care Services Among Women in Rural Southwestern Uganda: Iterative Development Study

BACKGROUND

Antenatal care (ANC) prevents perinatal morbidity and mortality, but use of these services in Uganda remains low and maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the world. There is growing evidence that mobile health (mHealth) approaches improve timely communication of health-related information and produce positive health behavior change as well as health outcomes. However, there are limited data to guide development of such interventions in settings where ANC attendance and uptake of skilled maternity care are low.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to develop a novel patient-centered mHealth intervention to encourage and support women to use maternity care services in Mbarara district, southwestern Uganda.

METHODS

Using an iterative development approach, we conducted formative stakeholder interviews with 30 women and 5 health care providers (HCPs) to identify preferred key ANC topics and characterize the preferred messaging intervention; developed content for SMS text messaging and audio messaging with the help of 4 medical experts based on the identified topics; designed an app prototype through partnership with an mHealth development company; and pilot-tested the prototype and sought user experiences and feedback to refine the intervention through 3 sets of iterative interviews, a focus group discussion, and 5 cognitive interviews. Qualitative data were coded and analyzed using NVivo (version 12.0; QSR International).

RESULTS

Of the 75 women who completed interviews during the development of the prototype, 39 (52%) had at least a primary education and 75 (100%) had access to a mobile phone. The formative interviews identified 20 preferred perinatal health topics, ranging from native medicine use to comorbid disorders and danger signs during pregnancy. In all, 6 additional topics were identified by the interviewed HCPs, including birth preparedness, skilled delivery, male partner's involvement, HCP interaction, immunization, and caring for the baby. Positive audio messaging and SMS text messaging content without authoritative tones was developed as characterized by the interviewed women. The postpilot iterative interviews and focus group discussion revealed a preference for customized messaging, reflecting an individual need to be included and connected. The women preferred short, concise, clear actionable messages that guided, supported, and motivated them to keep alert and seek professional help. Complementary weekly reminders to the women's significant others were also preferred to encourage continuity or prompt the needed social support for care seeking.

CONCLUSIONS

We used an iterative approach with diffuse stakeholders to develop a patient-centered audio messaging and SMS text messaging app designed to communicate important targeted health-related information and support rural pregnant women in southwestern Uganda. Involving both HCPs and end users in developing and formulating the mHealth intervention allowed us to tailor the intervention characteristics to the women's preferences. Future work will address the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of this design approach.

Does subsidizing the private for-profit sector benefit the poor? Evidence from national antimalarial subsidies in Nigeria and Uganda

Subsidising quality-assured artemisinin combination therapies (QAACTs) for distribution in the for-profit sector is a controversial strategy for improving access. The Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria (AMFm) was the largest initiative of this kind. We assessed the equity of AMFm in two ways using nationally representative household survey data on care seeking for children from Nigeria and Uganda. First, the delivery of subsidized drugs through the for-profit sector via AMFm was compared with two alternative mechanisms: subsidized delivery in public health facilities and unsubsidized delivery in the for-profit sector. Second, we developed a novel extension of benefit incidence analysis (BIA) methods based on the concept of pass-through, and applied them to Uganda. In Nigeria, the use of subsidized QAACTs from both public health facilities and for-profit outlets was concentrated among the rich, while in Uganda, the use of QAACTs from both sources was concentrated among the poor. Similarly, the BIA of AMFm found that the intervention was pro-poor in Uganda. Unsubsidized antimalarials from for-profit outlets were distributed equally across wealth quintiles in both countries. Private sector subsidies may have a role in bolstering access to effective malaria treatments, including among the poor, but the equity impact of subsidies may depend on context.

The Provision of Private Healthcare Services in European Countries: Recent Data and Lessons for Universal Health Coverage in Other Settings

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) exists in all of the countries of Europe, despite variation on the ownership structure of health delivery systems. As countries around the world seek to advance UHC and manage the private sector within their health systems, the European experiences can offer useful insights. We found four different models for the provision of healthcare, with the private sector predominant in some countries, and of minimal importance in others. The European experiences indicate that UHC can be effectively provided with, or without, large-scale private sector provision in hospital, specialty, and primary care services, and that moreover it can be provided with high levels of patient satisfaction. These findings offer regulatory models for countries in other regions to review as they advance UHC.

Obstetric Violence in Spain (Part II): Interventionism and Medicalization during Birth

BACKGROUND

obstetric violence can partially be represented by the high number of interventions and medicalization rates during the birthing process. The objective of the present study was to determine the interventionism and medicalization levels during childbirth in Spain.

METHODS

a descriptive, retrospective, and cross-sectional study was conducted between January 2018 and June 2019.

RESULTS

the intervention percentages were 34.2% for Kristeller maneuver and 39.3% for episiotomy. Differences appeared in public, private, and mixed healthcare settings (p < 0.001). The mean satisfaction, with healthcare in the different settings, was estimated at 6.88 points (SD ± 2.146) in public healthcare, 4.76 points (SD ± 3.968) in private healthcare, and 8.03 points (SD ± 1.930) in mixed healthcare (p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences were found in Spanish autonomous communities.

CONCLUSIONS

births in Spain seem to be highly intervened. In this study, a certain equity criterion was found concerning interventionism during childbirth in Spain. Healthcare influenced female intervention, satisfaction, and perception levels for obstetric violence; this evidences that female empowerment plays an important role.

When Women Deliver at Home Without a Skilled Birth Attendant: A Qualitative Study on the Role of Health Care Systems in the Increasing Home Births Among Rural Women in Southwestern Uganda

Background

Uganda’s maternal mortality remains unacceptably high, with thousands of women and newborns still dying of preventable deaths from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications. Globally, Antenatal care (ANC) attendance has been associated with improved rates of skilled births. However, despite the fact that over 95% of women in Uganda attend at least one ANC, over 30% of women still deliver at home alone, or in the presence of an unskilled birth attendant, with many choosing to come to hospital after experiencing a complication. We explored barriers to women’s decisions to deliver in a health care facility among postpartum women in rural southwestern Uganda, to ultimately inform interventions aimed at improving skilled facility births.

Methods

Between December 2018 and March 2019, we conducted in-depth qualitative face-to-face interviews with 30 post-partum women in rural southwestern Uganda. The purposeful sample was intended to represent women with differing experiences of pregnancy, delivery, and antenatal care. We included 15 adult women who had delivered from their homes and 15 who had delivered from a health facility in the previous 3 months. Women were recruited from 10 villages within 20 km of a regional referral hospital. Interviews were conducted and digitally recorded in a private setting by a trained native speaker to elicit experiences of pregnancy and birth. Translated transcripts were generated and coded. Coded data were iteratively reviewed and sorted to derive descriptive categories using an inductive content analytic approach.

Results

Regardless of where they decided to give birth, women wished to deliver in a supportive, respectful, responsive and loving environment. The data revealed six key barriers to women’s decisions to deliver from a health care facility: 1) Fear of unresponsive care, fueling a fear of being neglected or abandoned while at the facility; 2) fear of embarrassment and mistreatment by health care providers; 3) low perception of risk associated with pregnancy and childbirth; 4) preferences for particular birthing positions and their outcome expectations; 5) perceived lack of privacy in public facilities; and 6) perceived poor clinical and interpersonal skills of health providers to adequately explain birthing procedures or support expectant or laboring women and their newborn.

Conclusion

Anticipation of unsupportive, unresponsive, disrespectful treatment, and a perceived lack of tolerance for simple, non-harmful traditions prevent women from delivering at health facilities. Building better interpersonal relationships between patients and providers within health systems could reinforce trust, improve patient–provider interaction, and facilitate useful information transfer during ANC and delivery visits. These expectations are important considerations in developing supportive health care systems that provide acceptable patient-friendly care. These findings are indicative of the vital need for midwives and other health care providers to have additional training in the role of communication and dignity in delivery of quality health care.

Exploring experiences and expectations of prenatal health care and genetic counseling/testing in immigrant Latinas

As the Latino population of the United States continues to increase, the specific needs of Latinos in genetic counseling continue to be unmet. Using culturally tailored genetic counseling responsive to the needs of the patient can assist in building rapport in genetic counseling sessions. We aimed to investigate the relationship between acculturation, prenatal care, genetic testing experiences, and expectations for prenatal care in an immigrant Latino population. A total of 20 Spanish-speaking, pregnant Latinas from various Latin American countries were interviewed after completing a prenatal genetic counseling session. The semi-structured phone interview included questions about the participants' experiences with genetic counseling/testing, prenatal health care in their home country, their current prenatal care in the United States, and information they felt to be important to know during their pregnancy. Although this study showed no statistically significant associations between acculturation, prenatal care, and genetic counseling/testing experiences, six significant content domains were identified as relevant to the participants. Overall, we found that immigrant Latinas desire to know prenatal risk information to help them prepare, relieve guilt, and help make screening/testing/family planning decisions. These Latinas reported the genetic counselor provided confidence, a sense of autonomy, and empowerment, for them to make their own decisions regarding prenatal screening/testing. The participants also spoke about stressors unique to the immigrant population, most notably being away from their older children and other family members. Identifying relevant factors about the lived experience of this population can help genetic counselors better address possible needs, feelings of guilt, and/or isolation and identifying women who could benefit from group-based prenatal care, support groups, or referrals to social work.

Demand for family planning satisfied with modern methods and its associated factors among married women of reproductive age in rural Jordan: A cross-sectional study

Background

A novel indicator, ‘percentage of women of reproductive age who are sexually active and who have their demands for FP satisfied with modern contraceptive methods (mDFPS)’, was developed in 2012 to accelerate the reduction of unmet needs of family planning (FP). In Jordan, unmet needs for modern contraception remain high. To address this situation, this study measured the mDFPS and identified its associated factors in rural Jordan.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included married women of reproductive age (15–49 years) from ten villages in Irbid Governorate, Jordan, where advanced health facilities are difficult to reach. A two-stage stratified sampling with random sampling at the household stage was used for this field survey which was conducted between September and October 2016. Univariate analysis was used to assess the differences between mDFPS and unmet mDFPS groups. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the correlates of mDFPS.

Results

Of 1019 participants, 762 were identified as needing modern contraception. mDFPS coverage accounted for 54.7%. The most significant factors associated with mDFPS were the husband’s agreement on FP (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 15.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.26–45.25), knowledge of modern contraceptives (AOR: 8.76, 95% CI: 5.72–13.40), and lack of awareness of the high risk of conception in the postpartum period (AOR: 2.21, 95% CI: 1.41–3.47). Duration of current residence, receipt of FP counselling at health centres and number of living children were also correlated. In addition, 95.3% of local women were aware of the presence of health centres that were mostly located in a 10-minute walking distance.

Conclusion

To increase mDFPS, this study suggested that accelerating male involvement in FP decision-making is necessary through community-based health education. Furthermore, expanding FP services in village health centres and improving the quality of FP counselling in public health facilities are required to correct misconceptions about modern methods among rural women.

Childbirth care in Egypt: a repeat cross-sectional analysis using Demographic and Health Surveys between 1995 and 2014 examining use of care, provider mix and immediate postpartum care content

Background

Egypt has achieved important reductions in maternal and neonatal mortality and experienced increases in the proportion of births attended by skilled professionals. However, substandard care has been highlighted as one of the avoidable causes behind persisting maternal deaths. This paper describes changes over time in the use of childbirth care in Egypt, focusing on location and sector of provision (public versus private) and the content of immediate postpartum care.

Methods

We used five Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in Egypt between 1995 and 2014 to explore national and regional trends in childbirth care. To assess content of care in 2014, we calculated the caesarean section rate and the percentage of women delivering in a facility who reported receiving four components of immediate postpartum care for themselves and their newborn.

Results

Between 1995 and 2014, the percentage of women delivering in health facilities increased from 35 to 87% and women delivering with a skilled birth attendant from 49 to 92%. The percentage of women delivering in a private facility nearly quadrupled from 16 to 63%. In 2010–2014, fewer than 2% of women delivering in public or private facilities received all four immediate postpartum care components measured.

Conclusions

Egypt achieved large increases in the percentage of women delivering in facilities and with skilled birth attendants. However, most women and newborns did not receive essential elements of high quality immediate postpartum care. The large shift to private facilities may highlight failures of public providers to meet women’s expectations. Additionally, the content (quality) of childbirth care needs to improve in both sectors. Immediate action is required to understand and address the drivers of poor quality, including insufficient resources, perverse incentives, poor compliance and enforcement of existing standards, and providers’ behaviours moving between private and public sectors. Otherwise, Egypt risks undermining the benefits of high coverage because of substandard quality childbirth care.

Equitable coverage? The roles of the private and public sectors in providing maternal, newborn and child health interventions in South Asia

Introduction

The private sector accounts for an important share of health services available in South Asia. It is not known to what extent socioeconomic and urban–rural inequalities in maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) interventions are being affected by the presence of private providers.

Methods

Nationally representative surveys carried out from 2009 to 2015 were analysed for seven of the eight countries in South Asia, as data for Sri Lanka were not available. The outcomes studied included antenatal care (four or more visits), institutional delivery, early initiation of breast feeding, postnatal care for babies, and careseeking for diarrhoea and pneumonia. Results were stratified according to quintiles of household wealth and urban–rural residence.

Results

At regional level, the public sector played a larger role than the private sector in providing antenatal (24.8% vs 15.6% coverage), delivery (51.9% vs 26.8%) and postnatal care (15.7% vs 8.2%), as well as in the early initiation of breast feeding (26.1% vs 11.1%). The reverse was observed in careseeking for diarrhoea (15.0% and 46.2%) and pneumonia (18.2% and 50.5%). In 28 out of 37 possible analyses of coverage by country, socioeconomic inequalities were significantly wider in the private than in the public sector, and in only four cases the reverse pattern was observed. In 20 of the 37 analyses, the public sector was also more likely to be used by the wealthiest women and children.

Conclusion

The private sector plays a substantial role in delivering MNCH interventions in South Asia but is more inequitable than the public sector.

Investigating the nature of competition facing private healthcare facilities: the case of maternity care in Uttar Pradesh, India

The private healthcare sector in low- and middle-income countries is increasingly seen as of public health importance, with widespread interest in improving private provider engagement. However, there is relatively little literature providing an in-depth understanding of the operation of private providers. We conducted a mixed methods analysis of the nature of competition faced by private delivery providers in Uttar Pradesh, India, where maternal mortality remains very high. We mapped health facilities in five contrasting districts, surveyed private facilities providing deliveries and conducted in-depth interviews with facility staff, allied providers (e.g. ambulance drivers, pathology laboratories) and other key informants. Over 3800 private facilities were mapped, of which 8% reported providing deliveries, mostly clustered in cities and larger towns. 89% of delivery facilities provided C-sections, but over half were not registered. Facilities were generally small, and the majority were independently owned, mostly by medical doctors and, to a lesser extent, AYUSH (non-biomedical) providers and others without formal qualifications. Recent growth in facility numbers had led to intense competition, particularly among mid-level facilities where customers were more price sensitive. In all facilities, nearly all payment was out-of-pocket, with very low-insurance coverage. Non-price competition was a key feature of the market and included location (preferably on highways or close to government facilities), medical infrastructure, hotel features, staff qualifications and reputation, and marketing. There was heavy reliance on visiting consultants such as obstetricians, surgeons and anaesthetists, and payment of hefty commission payments to agents who brought clients to the facility, for both new patients and those transferring from public facilities. Building on these insights, strategies for private sector engagement could include a foundation of universal facility registration, adaptation of accreditation schemes to lower-level facilities, improved third-party payment mechanisms and strategic purchasing, and enhanced patient information on facility availability, costs and quality.

Geographic access to emergency obstetric services: a model incorporating patient bypassing using data from Mozambique

Introduction

Targeted approaches to further reduce maternal mortality require thorough understanding of the geographic barriers that women face when seeking care. Common measures of geographic access do not account for the time needed to reach services, despite substantial evidence that links proximity with greater use of facility services. Further, methods for measuring access often ignore the evidence that women frequently bypass close facilities based on perceptions of service quality. This paper aims to adapt existing approaches for measuring geographic access to better reflect women's bypassing behaviour, using data from Mozambique.

Methods

Using multiple data sources and modelling within a geographic information system, we calculated two segments of a patient's time to care: (1) home to the first preferred facility, assuming a woman might travel longer to reach a facility she perceived to be of higher quality; and (2) referral between the first preferred facility and facilities providing the highest level of care (eg, surgery). Combined, these two segments are total travel time to highest care. We then modelled the impact of expanding services and emergency referral infrastructure.

Results

The combination of upgrading geographically strategic facilities to provide the highest level of care and providing transportation to midlevel facilities modestly increased the percentage of the population with 2-hour access to the highest level of care (from 41% to 45%). The mean transfer time between facilities would be reduced by 39% (from 2.9 to 1.8 hours), and the mean total journey time by 18% (from 2.5 to 2.0 hours).

Conclusion

This adapted methodology is an effective tool for health planners at all levels of the health system, particularly to identify areas of very poor access. The modelled changes indicate substantial improvements in access and identify populations outside timely access for whom more innovative interventions are needed.

Antenatal care in rural Bangladesh: Gaps in adequate coverage and content

INTRODUCTION

Antenatal care (ANC) has long been considered a critical component of the continuum of care during pregnancy, with the potential to contribute to the survival and thriving of women and newborns. Although ANC utilization has increased in over the past decades, adequate coverage and content of ANC contacts have fallen under increased scrutiny. The objectives of this article are to describe the coverage and content of ANC contacts in the context of rural Bangladesh.

METHODS

A community-based, cross-sectional household survey was conducted in two sub-districts of Netrokona district, Bangladesh in 2016. A total of 737 women with a recent birth outcome were interviewed. Respondents reported on the ANC contacts and the content of these contacts. Descriptive statistics were used to report coverage and content of ANC contacts stratified by covariates. Chi-square tests were performed to explore whether the estimates are different among different categories and significant differences were reported at p<0.05.

RESULTS

Around 25% of women attended at least four ANC contacts, with only 11% initiating ANC in the first trimester of pregnancy. Blood pressure was measured in almost all of the ANC contacts (92%), and abdominal examination performed in 80% and weight measured in 85% of ANC contacts. Urine tests were conducted in less than half of the ANC contacts, whereas blood screening tests and ultrasound were conducted in 45% contacts. Health care providers counselled women on danger signs in only 66% of the ANC contacts. Overall, the content of facility-based ANC contacts were better than home-based ANC contacts across all components.

CONCLUSIONS

Adequate coverage of ANC remains poor in Netrokona, Bangladesh and important gaps remain in the content of ANC contacts when women attend these services.

Meeting need vs. sharing the market: a systematic review of methods to measure the use of private sector family planning and childbirth services in sub-Saharan Africa

BACKGROUND

Ensuring universal access to maternal and reproductive health services is critical to the success of global efforts to reduce poverty and inequality. Engaging private providers has been proposed as a strategy for increasing access to healthcare in low- and middle-income countries; however, little consensus exists on how to estimate the extent of private sector use. Using research from sub-Saharan Africa, this study systematically compares and critiques quantitative measures of private sector family planning and childbirth service use and synthesizes evidence on the role of the private sector in the region.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of the Medline, Global Health, and Popline databases. All studies that estimated use of private sector of family planning or childbirth services in one or more sub-Saharan African countries were included in this review. For each study, we extracted data on the key study outcomes and information on the methods used to estimate private sector use.

RESULTS

Fifty-three papers met our inclusion criteria; 31 provided outcomes on family planning, and 26 provided childbirth service outcomes. We found substantial methodological variation between studies; for instance, while some reported on service use from any private sector source, others distinguished private sector providers either by their profit orientation or position within or outside the formal medical sector. Additionally, studies measured the use of private sector services differently, with some estimating the proportion of need met by the private sector and others examining the sector's share among the market of service users. Overall, the estimates suggest that the private sector makes up a considerable portion (> 20%) of the market for family planning and childbirth care, but its role in meeting women's need for these services is fairly low (< 10%).

CONCLUSIONS

Many studies have examined the extent of private sector family planning and childbirth service provision; however, inconsistent methodologies make it difficult to compare results across studies and contexts. Policymakers should consider the implications of both private market share and coverage estimates, and be cautious in interpreting data on the scale of private sector health service provision without a clear understanding of the methodology.

How equitable is social franchising? Case studies of three maternal healthcare franchises in Uganda and India

Substantial investments have been made in clinical social franchising to improve quality of care of private facilities in low- and middle-income countries but concerns have emerged that the benefits fail to reach poorer groups. We assessed the distribution of franchise utilization and content of care by socio-economic status (SES) in three maternal healthcare social franchises in Uganda and India (Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan). We surveyed 2179 women who had received antenatal care (ANC) and/or delivery services at franchise clinics (in Uttar Pradesh only ANC services were offered). Women were allocated to national (Uganda) or state (India) SES quintiles. Franchise users were concentrated in the higher SES quintiles in all settings. The percent in the top two quintiles was highest in Uganda (over 98% for both ANC and delivery), followed by Rajasthan (62.8% for ANC, 72.1% for delivery) and Uttar Pradesh (48.5% for ANC). The percent of clients in the lowest two quintiles was zero in Uganda, 7.1 and 3.1% for ANC and delivery, respectively, in Rajasthan and 16.3% in Uttar Pradesh. Differences in SES distribution across the programmes may reflect variation in user fees, the average SES of the national/state populations and the range of services covered. We found little variation in content of care by SES. Key factors limiting the ability of such maternal health social franchises to reach poorer groups may include the lack of suitable facilities in the poorest areas, the inability of the poorest women to afford any private sector fees and competition with free or even incentivized public sector services. Moreover, there are tensions between targeting poorer groups, and franchise objectives of improving quality and business performance and enhancing financial sustainability, meaning that middle income and poorer groups are unlikely to be reached in large numbers in the absence of additional subsidies.

Use of family planning and child health services in the private sector: an equity analysis of 12 DHS surveys

Background

A key component of universal health coverage is the ability to access quality healthcare without financial hardship. Poorer individuals are less likely to receive care than wealthier individuals, leading to important differences in health outcomes, and a needed focus on equity. To improve access to healthcare while minimizing financial hardships or inequitable service delivery we need to understand where individuals of different wealth seek care. To ensure progress toward SDG 3, we need to specifically understand where individuals seek reproductive, maternal, and child health services.

Methods

We analyzed Demographic and Health Survey data from Bangladesh, Cambodia, DRC, Dominican Republic, Ghana, Haiti, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Zambia. We conducted weighted descriptive analyses on current users of modern FP and the youngest household child under age 5 to understand and compare country-specific care seeking patterns in use of public or private facilities based on urban/rural residence and wealth quintile.

Results

Modern contraceptive prevalence rate ranged from 8.1% to 52.6% across countries, generally rising with increasing wealth within countries. For relatively wealthy women in all countries except Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Senegal and Zambia, the private sector was the dominant source. Source of FP and type of method sought across facilities types differed widely across countries. Across all countries women were more likely to use the public sector for permanent and long-acting reversible contraceptive methods. Wealthier women demonstrated greater use of the private sector for FP services than poorer women.

Overall prevalence rates for diarrhea and fever/ARI were similar, and generally not associated with wealth. The majority of sick children in Haiti did not seek treatment for either diarrhea or fever/ARI, while over 40% of children with cough or fever did not seek treatment in DRC, Haiti, Mali, and Senegal. Of all children who sought care for diarrhea, more than half visited the public sector and just over 30% visited the private sector; differences are more pronounced in the lower wealth quintiles.

Conclusions

Use of the private sector varies widely by reason for visit, country and wealth status. Given these differences, country-specific examination of the role of the private sector furthers our understanding of its utility in expanding access to services across wealth quintiles and providing equitable care.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12939-018-0763-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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

INTRODUCTION

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

METHODS

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

RESULTS

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

CONCLUSION

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

Equity dimensions of the availability and quality of reproductive, maternal and neonatal health services in Zambia

OBJECTIVE

To assess how quality and availability of reproductive, maternal, neonatal (RMNH) services vary by district wealth and urban/rural status in Zambia.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from the Millennium Development Goal Acceleration Initiative baseline assessment of 117 health facilities in 9 districts. Quality was assessed through a composite score of 23 individual RMNH indicators, ranging from 0 to 1. Availability was evaluated by density of providers and facilities. Districts were divided into wealth groups based on the multidimensional poverty index (MPI). Relative inequity was calculated using the concentration index for quality indicators (positive favours rich, negative favours poor). Multivariable linear regression was performed for the dependent variable composite quality indicator using MPI, urban/rural, and facility level of care as independent variables.

RESULTS

13 hospitals, 85 health centres and 19 health posts were included. The RMNH composite quality indicator was 0.64. Availability of facilities and providers was universally low. The concentration index for the composite quality indicator was -0.015 [-0.043, 0.013], suggesting no clustering to favour either rich or poor districts. Rich districts had the highest absolute numbers of health facilities and providers, but lowest numbers per facility per 1 000 000 population. Urban districts had slightly better service quality, but not availability. Using regression analysis, only facility level of care was significantly associated with quality outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Composite quality of RMNH services did not vary by district wealth, but was slightly higher in urban districts. The availability data suggest that the higher population in richer districts outpaces health infrastructure.

Characteristics of private partners in Chiranjeevi Yojana, a public-private-partnership to promote institutional births in Gujarat, India - Lessons for universal health coverage

Background

The Chiranjeevi Yojana (CY) is a Public-Private-Partnership between the state and private obstetricians in Gujarat, India, since 2007. The state pays for institutional births of the most vulnerable households (below-poverty-line and tribal) in private hospitals. An innovative remuneration package has been designed to disincentivise unnecessary cesareans. This study examines characteristics of private facilities which participated in the program.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of all facilities which had conducted any births between June 2012 and April 2013 in three districts. We identified 111 private and 47 public facilities. Ninety of the 111 private facilities did caesarean sections in the last three months and were eligible to participate in the CY program. Of these, 40 (44%) participated in the CY program. We conducted descriptive and bivariate analyses followed by a Poisson regression model to estimate prevalence ratios of facility characteristics that predicted participation.

Results

We found that facilities participating in the CY program had a significantly higher likelihood of being general facilities (PR 1.9, 95% CI 1.3–2.9), or conducting lower proportion of cesarean births (PR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2–3.5) or having obstetricians new in private practice (PR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2–3.1) or being less expensive (PR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–3.0). But none of these factors retained significance in a multi variable model.

Conclusion

Private obstetricians who participate in the CY program tend to be new to private practice, provide general services, conduct fewer caesareans and are also less expensive. This is advantageous to the PPP and widens the target beneficiary groups that can be serviced by the PPP. The state should design remuneration packages with the aim of attracting relatively new obstetricians to set up practices in more remote areas. It is possible that the CY remuneration package design is effective in keeping caesarean rates in check, and needs to be studied further.

A look back on how far to walk: Systematic review and meta-analysis of physical access to skilled care for childbirth in Sub-Saharan Africa

OBJECTIVES

To (i) summarize the methods undertaken to measure physical accessibility as the spatial separation between women and health services, and (ii) establish the extent to which distance to skilled care for childbirth affects utilization in Sub-Saharan Africa.

METHOD

We defined spatial separation as the distance/travel time between women and skilled care services. The use of skilled care at birth referred to either the location or attendant of childbirth. The main criterion for inclusion was any quantification of the relationship between spatial separation and use of skilled care at birth. The approaches undertaken to measure distance/travel time were summarized in a narrative format. We obtained pooled adjusted odds ratios (aOR) from studies that controlled for financial means, education and (perceived) need of care in a meta-analysis.

RESULTS

57 articles were included (40 studied distance and 25 travel time), in which distance/travel time were found predominately self-reported or estimated in a geographic information system based on geographic coordinates. Approaches of distance/travel time measurement were generally poorly detailed, especially for self-reported data. Crucial features such as start point of origin and the mode of transportation for travel time were most often unspecified. Meta-analysis showed that increased distance to maternity care had an inverse association with utilization (n = 10, pooled aOR = 0.90/1km, 95%CI = 0.85-0.94). Distance from a hospital for rural women showed an even more pronounced effect on utilization (n = 2, pooled aOR = 0.58/1km increase, 95%CI = 0.31,1.09). The effect of spatial separation appears to level off beyond critical point when utilization was generally low.

CONCLUSION

Although the reporting and measurements of spatial separation in low-resource settings needs further development, we found evidence that a lack of geographic access impedes use. Utilization is conditioned on access, researchers and policy makers should therefore prioritize quality data for the evidence-base to ensure that women everywhere have the potential to access obstetric care.

Attendance at antenatal clinics in inner-city Johannesburg, South Africa and its associations with birth outcomes: analysis of data from birth registers at three facilities

Background

Antenatal care (ANC) clinics serve as key gateways to screening and treatment interventions that improve pregnancy outcomes, and are especially important for HIV-infected women. By disaggregating data on access to ANC, we aimed to identify variation in ANC attendance by level of care and across vulnerable groups in inner-city Johannesburg, and document the impact of non-attendance on birth outcomes.

Methods

This record review of routine health service data involved manual extraction of 2 years of data from birth registers at a primary-, secondary- and tertiary-level facility within inner-city Johannesburg. Information was gathered on ANC attendance, HIV testing and status, pregnancy duration, delivery mode and birth outcomes. Women with an unknown attendance status were considered as not having attended clinic, but effects of this assumption were tested in sensitivity analyses. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify associations between ANC attendance and birth outcomes.

Results

Of 31,179 women who delivered, 88.7% (27,651) had attended ANC (95% CI = 88.3–89.0). Attendance was only 77% at primary care (5813/7543), compared to 89% at secondary (3661/4113) and 93% at tertiary level (18,177/19,523). Adolescents had lower ANC attendance than adults (85%, 1951/2295 versus 89%, 22,039/24,771). Only 37% of women not attending ANC had an HIV test (1308/3528), compared with 93% of ANC attenders (25,756/27,651). Caesarean section rates were considerably higher in women who had attended ANC (40%, 10,866/27,344) than non-attenders (13%, 422/3360). Compared to those who had attended ANC, non-attenders were 1.6 fold more likely to have a preterm delivery (95% CI adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.4–1.8) and 1.4 fold more likely to have a stillbirth (aOR 95% CI = 1.1–1.9). Similar results were seen in analyses where missing data on ANC attendance was classified in different ways.

Conclusion

Inner-city Johannesburg has an almost 5% lower ANC attendance rate than national levels. Attendance is particularly concerning in the primary care clinic that serves a predominantly migrant population. Adolescents had especially low rates, perhaps owing to stigma when seeking care. Interventions to raise ANC attendance, especially among adolescents, may help improve birth outcomes and HIV testing rates, bringing the country closer to achieving maternal and child health targets and eliminating HIV in children.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4347-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Quality of routine essential care during childbirth: clinical observations of uncomplicated births in Uttar Pradesh, India

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the quality of essential care during normal labour and childbirth in maternity facilities in Uttar Pradesh, India.

METHODS

Between 26 May and 8 July 2015, we used clinical observations to assess care provision for 275 mother-neonate pairs at 26 hospitals. Data on 42 items of care were collected, summarized into 17 clinical practices and three aggregate scores and then weighted to obtain population-based estimates. We examined unadjusted differences in quality between the public and private facilities. Multilevel linear mixed-effects models were used to adjust for birth attendant, facility and maternal characteristics.

FINDINGS

The quality of care we observed was generally poor in both private and public facilities; the mean percentage of essential clinical care practices completed for each woman was 35.7%. Weighted estimates indicate that unqualified personnel provided care for 73.0% and 27.0% of the mother-neonate pairs in public and private facilities, respectively. Obstetric, neonatal and overall care at birth appeared better in the private facilities than in the public ones. In the adjusted analysis, the score for overall quality of care in private facilities was found to be six percentage points higher than the corresponding score for public facilities.

CONCLUSION

In 2015, the personnel providing labour and childbirth care in maternity facilities were often unqualified and adherence to care protocols was generally poor. Initiatives to measure and improve the quality of care during labour and childbirth need to be developed in the private and public facilities in Uttar Pradesh.

Strategies to reduce the global burden of direct maternal deaths

The leading direct causes of the estimated 196 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births globally are postpartum haemorrhage, the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, obstructed labour, unsafe abortion and obstetric sepsis. Of the Sustainable Development Goals, one (Sustainable Development Goal 3.1) specifically addresses maternal mortality; by 2030, the goal is to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births. Eleven other Sustainable Development Goals provide opportunities to intervene. Unapologetically, this review focusses the reader's attention on health advocacy and its central role in altering the risks that many of the world's women face from direct obstetric causes of mortality. Hard work to alter social determinants of health and health outcomes remains. That work needs to start today to improve the health and social equality of today's girls who will be the women delivering their babies in 2030.

The scale, scope, coverage, and capability of childbirth care

All women should have access to high quality maternity services-but what do we know about the health care available to and used by women? With a focus on low-income and middle-income countries, we present data that policy makers and planners can use to evaluate whether maternal health services are functioning to meet needs of women nationally, and potentially subnationally. We describe configurations of intrapartum care systems, and focus in particular on where, and with whom, deliveries take place. The necessity of ascertaining actual facility capability and providers' skills is highlighted, as is the paucity of information on maternity waiting homes and transport as mechanisms to link women to care. Furthermore, we stress the importance of assessment of routine provision of care (not just emergency care), and contextualise this importance within geographic circumstances (eg, in sparsely-populated regions vs dense urban areas). Although no single model-of-care fits all contexts, we discuss implications of the models we observe, and consider changes that might improve services and accelerate response to future challenges. Areas that need attention include minimisation of overintervention while responding to the changing disease burden. Conceptualisation, systematic measurement, and effective tackling of coverage and configuration challenges to implement high quality, respectful maternal health-care services are key to ensure that every woman can give birth without risk to her life, or that of her baby.

Role of the private sector in childbirth care: cross-sectional survey evidence from 57 low- and middle-income countries using Demographic and Health Surveys

OBJECTIVE

Maternal mortality rates have decreased globally but remain off track for Millennium Development Goals. Good-quality delivery care is one recognised strategy to address this gap. This study examines the role of the private (non-public) sector in providing delivery care and compares the equity and quality of the sectors.

METHODS

The most recent Demographic and Health Survey (2000-2013) for 57 countries was used to analyse delivery care for most recent birth among >330 000 women. Wealth quintiles were used for equity analysis; skilled birth attendant (SBA) and Caesarean section rates served as proxies for quality of care in cross-sectoral comparisons.

RESULTS

The proportion of women who used appropriate delivery care (non-facility with a SBA or facility-based births) varied across regions (49-84%), but wealth-related inequalities were seen in both sectors in all regions. One-fifth of all deliveries occurred in the private sector. Overall, 36% of deliveries with appropriate care occurred in the private sector, ranging from 9% to 46% across regions. The presence of a SBA was comparable between sectors (≥93%) in all regions. In every region, Caesarean section rate was higher in the private compared to public sector. The private sector provided between 13% (Latin America) and 66% (Asia) of Caesarean section deliveries.

CONCLUSION

This study is the most comprehensive assessment to date of coverage, equity and quality indicators of delivery care by sector. The private sector provided a substantial proportion of delivery care in low- and middle-income countries. Further research is necessary to better understand this heterogeneous group of providers and their potential to equitably increase the coverage of good-quality intrapartum care.