Abortion-related near-miss morbidity and mortality in 43 health facilities with differences in readiness to provide abortion care in Uganda

Measuring availability of and facility readiness to deliver comprehensive abortion care: experiences and lessons learnt from integrating abortion into WHO's health facility assessments

Routine assessment of health facility capacity to provide abortion and post-abortion care can inform policy and programmes to expand access and improve quality. Since 2018, abortion and/or post-abortion care have been integrated into two WHO health facility assessment tools: the Service Availability and Readiness Assessment and the Harmonised Health Facility Assessment. We discuss lessons learnt through experiences integrating abortion into these standardised tools. Our experiences highlight the feasibility of including abortion in health facility assessments across a range of legal contexts. Factors facilitating the integration of abortion include cross-country collaboration and experience sharing, timely inputs into tool adaptations, clear leadership, close relationships among key stakeholders as in assessment coordination groups, use of locally appropriate terminology to refer to abortion and reference to national policies and guidelines. To facilitate high-quality data collection, we identify considerations around question sequencing in tool design, appropriate terminology and the need to balance the normalisation of abortion with adequate sensitisation and education of data collectors. To facilitate appropriate and consistent analysis, future work must ensure adequate disaggregation of recommended and non-recommended abortion methods, alignment with national guidelines and development of a standardised approach for measuring abortion service readiness. Measurement of abortion service availability and readiness should be a routine practice and a standardised component of health facility assessment tools. Evidence generated by health facility assessments that include abortion monitoring can guide efforts to expand access to timely and effective care and help normalise abortion as a core component of sexual and reproductive healthcare.

"I have come to remove it because of heavy bleeding": a mixed-methods study on early contraceptive implant removal and the underlying factors in eastern Uganda

BACKGROUND

Early contraceptive implant removal without intentions to conceive predisposes women to unintended pregnancies.. Some of the unintended pregnancies end in unsafe abortions which further increases the risk of maternal mortality and morbidity. Therefore, we assessed the proportion of women who had early contraceptive implant removal. We also explored the reasons for early contraceptive implant removalamong women at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital in eastern Uganda.

METHODS

We conducted a sequential explanatory mixed methods study at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital between November 2022 to December 2022. For quantitative data, we performed a secondary analysis on data extracted from the integrated family planning registers. We used systematic random sampling to select 600 clients' serial numbers from the registers. The outcome variable was early contraceptive implant removal defined as removal of the implant by the woman before 18 months from the time of insertion. For qualitative data, we conducted 11 in-depth interviews among women who had come for contraceptive implant removal at the family planning clinic. We also conducted two key informant interviews with midwives working at the family planning unit. Quantitative data were analysed using Stata version 14.0 (Stata Corp LLC, College Station, Texas, USA) while qualitative data were analysed by thematic content analysis.

RESULTS

In this study, 15% (91/600) of the women discontinued contraceptive implants within 12 months, 29% (175/600) within 18 months, 38% (230/600) within 24 months and 40% (240/600) within 36 months of insertion. Among the women who discontinued contraceptive implant use, only 6.7% (40/600) switched to another family planning method. Out of the 175 women who removed contraceptive implants early, side effects 61.1% (107/175) desire to conceive 53.1% ( 93/175),, and gender-based violence 8.6% (15/175) were the major reasons for removal. From the qualitative interviews, the major reasons for early contraceptive implant removal were side effects such as heavy menstrualbleeding.

CONCLUSION

A third of women discontinued contraceptive implant use within 18 months. Addressing concerns regarding side effects and male partner disapproval of modern contraceptives may improve continued use of implants.

Disproportionate impact of abortion restriction: Implications for emergency department clinicians

Individuals experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) and/or human trafficking (HT) are at increased risk of severe health consequences as a result of legislation criminalizing and/or restricting abortion, which is expected to increase as a result of the Supreme Court decision Dobbs v. Jackson. These risks are further stratified by race, socioeconomics, and other marginalizing demographic attributes. IPV and HT introduce barriers to maintaining physical and mental health, due to control of access to transportation and funds by the abuser, fear of retribution for seeking healthcare, and other barriers. Individuals experiencing IPV or HT often lack reproductive autonomy, as a result of facing reproductive coercion at the hands of their abusers. Following the Dobbs decision, these vulnerable patient populations will face further limitations on their reproductive autonomy and increased obstacles to obtaining an abortion if they medically need or desire one. This will likely result in more patients presenting to the emergency department due to complications from unsafe or unsupervised self-managed abortions, as well as patients being reluctant to report having obtained an unlawful abortion due to fear of legal consequences. This is particularly relevant to individuals experiencing IPV and HT, as they may be more likely to use these methods for obtaining an abortion due to numerous barriers. Emergency medicine clinicians are vital in providing care to these patients, as they frequently present to emergency departments. A multi-pronged approach to better support these patients is essential, involving an increased index of suspicion for IPV, HT or the complications of unsupervised abortion, improved organizational structures, specialized training for staff, improved screening methods, reflection on implicit bias, and recommendations for mindful documentation and legal considerations.

Postabortion and safe abortion care coverage, capacity, and caseloads during the global gag rule policy period in Ethiopia and Uganda

BACKGROUND

Abortion-related complications contribute to preventable maternal mortality, accounting for 9.8% of maternal deaths globally, and 15.6% in sub-Saharan Africa. High-quality postabortion care (PAC) can mitigate the negative health outcomes associated with unsafe abortion. While the expanded Global Gag Rule policy did not prohibit the provision of PAC, other research has suggested that over-implementation of the policy has resulted in impacts on these services. The purpose of this study was to assess health facilities' capacity to provide PAC services in Uganda and PAC and safe abortion care (SAC) in Ethiopia during the time in which the policy was in effect.

METHODS

We collected abortion care data between 2018 and 2020 from public health facilities in Ethiopia (N = 282) and Uganda (N = 223). We adapted a signal functions approach to create composite indicators of health facilities' capacity to provide basic and comprehensive PAC and SAC and present descriptive statistics documenting the state of service provision both before and after the GGR went into effect. We also investigate trends in caseloads over the time-period.

RESULTS

In both countries, service coverage was high and improved over time, but facilities' capacity to provide basic PAC services was low in Uganda (17.8% in 2019) and Ethiopia (15.0% in 2020). The number of PAC cases increased by 15.5% over time in Uganda and decreased by 7% in Ethiopia. Basic SAC capacity increased substantially in Ethiopia from 66.7 to 82.8% overall, due in part to an increase in the provision of medication abortion, and the number of safe abortions increased in Ethiopia by 9.7%.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings from this analysis suggest that public health systems in both Ethiopia and Uganda were able to maintain essential PAC/SAC services during the GGR period. In Ethiopia, there were improvements in the availability of safe abortion services and an overall improvement in the safety of abortion during this time-period. Despite loss of partnerships and potential disruptions in referral chains, lower-level facilities were able to expand their capacity to provide PAC services. However, PAC caseloads increased in Uganda which could indicate that, as hypothesized, abortion became more stigmatized, less accessible and less safe.

Reproductive materialism and justice for women with abortion care needs in Uganda

While reproductive health justice is often assumed to be inherent in reproductive health interventions, the nature of injustices, and the reasons for and mechanisms of concealment, are often unclear. In this article, we draw on an ethnography of priority setting and healthcare practice in eastern Uganda to illuminate these injustices and the mechanisms of concealement. We focus on discursive practices as the mechanisms through which power is activated and navigated, such that health practitioners are able to evade state surveillance and retribution. While language discourses conceal and normalise reproductive health injustices, discursive practices of care and priority setting enable reproductive controls to be navigated in ways that amplify these injustices and create new ones. In interventions, precarious conditions that impact women's reproductive health and living circumstances are often overlooked or concealed. We illustrate the convergence of biopower and necropolitical strategies to illuminate these conditions. Using the concept of reproductive materialism, we show how neoliberalism cultivates particular conditions of everyday life, in which populations are positioned as instruments for pecuniary motives, and normative controls are used to further financial gain.

Evaluating women’s acceptability of treatment of incomplete second trimester abortion using misoprostol provided by midwives compared with physicians: a mixed methods study

Background

Studies evaluating task sharing in postabortion care have mainly focused on women in first trimester and many lack a qualitative component. We aimed to evaluate patient acceptability of treatment of incomplete second trimester abortion using misoprostol provided by midwives compared with physicians and also gained a deeper understanding of the patients’ lived treatment experiences in Uganda.

Methods

Our mixed methods study combined 1140 structured interview data from a randomized controlled equivalence trial and in-depth interviews (n = 28) among women managed with misoprostol for second trimester incomplete abortion at 14 public health facilities in Uganda. Acceptability, our main outcome, was measured at the 14-day follow-up visit using a structured questionnaire as a composite variable of: 1) treatment experience (as expected/ better than expected/ worse than expected), and 2) satisfaction - if patient would recommend the treatment to a friend or choose the method again. We used generalized mixed effects models to obtain the risk difference in acceptable post abortion care between midwife and physician groups. We used inductive content analysis for qualitative data.

Results

From 14th August 2018 to 16th November 2021, we assessed 7190 women for eligibility and randomized 1191 (593 to midwife and 598 to physician). We successfully followed up 1140 women and 1071 (94%) found the treatment acceptable. The adjusted risk difference was 1.2% (95% CI, − 1.2 to 3.6%) between the two groups, and within our predefined equivalence range of − 5 to + 5%. Treatment success and feeling calm and safe after treatment enhanced acceptability while experience of side effects and worrying bleeding patterns reduced satisfaction.

Conclusions

Misoprostol treatment of uncomplicated second trimester incomplete abortion was equally and highly acceptable to women when care was provided by midwives compared with physicians. In settings that lack adequate staffing levels of physicians or where midwives are available to provide misoprostol, task sharing second trimester medical PAC with midwives increases patient’s access to postabortion care services.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03622073.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12905-022-02027-y.

Approximately 9.6% of abortion-related deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. These deaths can be prevented if unintended pregnancies are avoided, women can access safe abortions within the expectations of the country’s laws, and post abortion care (PAC) services are provided equitably. Previous research shows that women with abortion complications in the first trimester of pregnancy can be treated with misoprostol by either midwives or physicians. This sharing of tasks between the midwives and physicians is safe, effective, and acceptable. However, there is a gap in evidence on task sharing in the second trimester. To check practicability of task sharing in second trimester, we aimed to evaluate patient acceptability of treatment of incomplete second trimester abortion using misoprostol provided by midwives compared with physicians and also gained a deeper understanding of the patients’ lived treatment experiences. Our study therefore combined quantitative and qualitative approaches. Women’s acceptability of misoprostol treatment for incomplete second trimester abortion was found to be equally acceptable when provided by midwives compared with physicians. Treatment success, feeling calm and safe after treatment increased acceptability, while experience of side effects and worrying bleeding patterns reduced satisfaction. Counselling of women may address some of these problems since it provides reassurance and reduces anxiety. In settings that lack adequate staffing levels of physicians or where midwives are available to provide misoprostol, task sharing second trimester medical PAC with midwives increases patient’s access to PAC services.

Determinants of Obstetric Near Miss in a Tertiary Hospital in Kenya: A Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND

Kenya has a high burden of facility maternal deaths but there is scarce utilization of the near miss approach to understand facility related determinants of maternal mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate determinants of near miss in a major refferal hospital in Kenya using the World Health Organization near miss approach.

METHODS

A retrospective study design was used in a referral hospital in Kenya. Prevalence, direct and indirect causes of near miss were determined. Binomial logistic regression was used to determine associations between maternal characteristics and maternal near miss.

RESULTS

Maternal near miss ratio was 8.7 per 1000 live births. The most prevalent direct factors were: Severe post-partum hemorrhage (35%), eclampsia (18.9%) severe pre-eclampsia (17.4%), blood transfusion (79%), and hepatic dysfunction (3.7%). Anemia, previous ceaserean section and prolonged/obstructed labor were the most important contributory factors. The prevalence of organ dysfunction at admission was 39%. Only 74% of eclampsia cases had received magnesium sulphate on referral. Higher gestation at delivery (AOR = 0.640, 95% C.I =0.477–0.858) and those who received antenatal care from a level two or three facility (AOR = 0.190, 95% CI = 0.042–0.856) were less likely to experience a near miss.

CONCLUSION

Obstetric hemorrhage and pregnancy induced hypertension were the most important direct determinants of near miss, while anemia was the most important indirect determinant. Organ dysfunction on admission to the tertiary referral facility was high, suggesting delays in interventions at lower level facilities. Interventions addressing obstetric hemorrhage, pregnancy induced hypertension and pre-natal anemia may reduce the burden of near miss and mortality.

Comparison of the effectiveness and safety of treatment of incomplete second trimester abortion with misoprostol provided by midwives and physicians: a randomised, controlled, equivalence trial in Uganda

Background

To address the knowledge gaps in the provision of post-abortion care by midwives for women in the second trimester, we investigated the effectiveness and safety of treatment for incomplete second trimester abortion with misoprostol, comparing care provision by midwives with that provided by physicians in Uganda.

Methods

Our multicentre, randomised, controlled, equivalence trial undertaken in 14 health facilities in Uganda recruited women with incomplete abortion of uterine size 13–18 weeks. We randomly assigned (1:1) women to clinical assessment and treatment by either midwife or physician. The randomisation sequence was computer generated, in blocks of four to 12, and stratified for study site. Participants received sublingual misoprostol (400 μg once every 3 h for up to five doses). The study was not concealed from the health-care providers and study participants. Primary outcome was complete abortion within 24 h that did not require surgical evacuation. Analysis was per-protocol and intention to treat; the intention-to-treat population consisted of women who were randomised, received at least one dose of misoprostol, and reported primary outcome data, and the per-protocol population excluded women with unexplained discontinuation of treatment. We used generalised mixed-effects models to obtain the risk difference. The predefined equivalence range was –5% to 5%. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03622073.

Findings

Between Aug 14, 2018, and Nov 16, 2021, 1191 eligible women were randomly assigned to each group (593 women to the midwife group and 598 to the physician group). 1164 women were included in the per-protocol analysis, and 530 (92%) of 577 women in the midwife group and 553 (94%) of 587 women in the physician group had a complete abortion within 24 h. The model-based risk difference for the midwife versus physician group was –2·3% (95% CI –4·4 to –0·3), and within our predefined equivalence range (–5% to 5%). Two women in the midwife group received blood transfusion.

Interpretation

Clinical assessment and treatment of second trimester incomplete abortion with misoprostol provided by midwives was equally effective and safe as when provided by physicians. In low-income settings, inclusion of midwives in the medical management of uncomplicated second trimester incomplete abortion has potential to increase women's access to safe post-abortion care.

Funding

Swedish Research Council and THRiVE-2.

Exploring health care providers’ experiences of and perceptions towards the use of misoprostol for management of second trimester incomplete abortion in Central Uganda

Introduction

Women living in low- and middle-income countries still have limited access to quality second trimester post abortion care. We aim to explore health care providers’ experiences of and perceptions towards the use of misoprostol for management of second trimester incomplete abortion.

Methods

This qualitative study used the phenomenology approach. We conducted 48 in-depth interviews for doctors and midwives at 14 public health facilities in central Uganda using a flexible interview guide. We used inductive content analysis and made code frequencies based on health care provider cadre, and health facility level and then abstracted themes from categories.

Results

Well trained midwives were perceived as competent to manage second trimester post abortion care stable patients, however doctor’s supervision in case of complications was considered important. Sometimes, midwives were seen as offering better care than doctors given their stronger presence in the facilities. Misoprostol received unanimous support and viewed as: safe, effective, cheap, convenient, readily available, maintained patient privacy, and saved resources. Challenges faced included: side effects, prolonged hospital stay, treatment failure, inclination to surgical evacuation, heavy work load, inadequate space, lack of medical commodities, frequent staff rotations which affects the quality of patient care. To address these challenges, respondents coped by: giving patients psychological support, analgesics, close patient monitoring, staff mentorship, commitment to work, team work and patient involvement in care.

Conclusion

Misoprostol is perceived as an ideal uterine evacuation method for second trimester post abortion care of uncomplicated patients and trained midwives are considered competent managing these patients in a health facility setting with a back-up of a doctor. Health care providers require institutional and policy environment support for improved service delivery.

Preventing death following unsafe abortion: a case series from urban Uganda

BACKGROUND

Maternal deaths from unsafe abortion continue to occur globally, with particularly high rates in Sub-Saharan Africa where most abortions are classified as unsafe. Maternal death reviews are an effective part of cohesive strategies to prevent future deaths while abortion remains illegal.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to conduct maternal death reviews for all deaths occurring following unsafe abortion during the study period, to assess preventability, and to synthesize key learning points that may help to prevent future maternal deaths following unsafe abortions.

STUDY DESIGN

Full case reviews of all maternal deaths (350 cases from Jan 2016 to Dec 2018) at the study center (a national referral hospital in urban Uganda) were conducted by specially trained multidisciplinary panels of obstetricians and midwives. We extracted the reviews of women who died following unsafe abortions (13 [2.6%]) for further analysis.

RESULTS

Most maternal deaths owing to unsafe abortion were found to be preventable. The key recommendations that emerged from the reviews were (1) that clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for delayed presentation and rapid decompensation in cases where unsafe abortion has occurred, (2) that a low threshold for early intravenous antibiotic therapy should be applied, and (3) that any admission with complications following an unsafe abortion merits review by an experienced clinician as soon as possible.

CONCLUSION

Postabortion care is part of essential emergency medical care and should be provided with high standards, especially in areas where there is limited or no legal access to abortion care. Implementing the recommended learning points is likely to be feasible even in low-resource obstetrical settings and, given the high rates of preventability found in maternal deaths owing to unsafe abortion, is likely to be effective.

The relationship between insecurity and the quality of hospital care provided to women with abortion-related complications in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A cross-sectional analysis

OBJECTIVE

To examine the relationship between insecurity and quality of care provided for abortion complications in high-volume hospitals in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

METHODS

Using the WHO Multi-Country Survey on Abortion complications, we analyzed data for 1007 women who received care in 24 facilities in DRC. For inputs of care, we calculated the percentage of facilities in secure and insecure areas meeting 12 readiness criteria for infrastructure and capability. For process and outcomes of care, we estimated the association between security and eight indicators using generalized estimating equation models.

RESULTS

Facilities in secure areas were more likely to report functioning electricity (93.3% vs 66.7%), availability of an obstetrician 24/7 (42.9% vs 28.6%), and the ability to offer several short-acting contraceptives (83.3% vs 57.1%). However, a higher percentage of facilities in insecure areas reported the availability of a telephone or radio (100% vs 80.0%). Women in insecure areas appeared more likely to experience poor quality clinical care overall than women in secure areas (aOR 2.56; 95% CI, 1.13-5.82, P = 0.03). However, there was no association between security and incomplete medical records (P = 0.20), use of dilatation and curettage (D&C) (P = 0.84), women reporting poor experience of care (P = 0.22), satisfaction with care (P = 0.25), and severe maternal outcomes (P = 0.56). There was weak evidence of an association between security and nonreceipt of contraceptives (P = 0.07), with women in insecure areas 70% less likely to report no contraception (aOR 0.31, 95% CI, 0.09-1.09). Use of D&C was high in secure (43.7%) and insecure (60.4%) areas.

CONCLUSION

Quality of care did not seem to be very different in secure and insecure areas in DRC, except for some key infrastructure, supply, and human resources elements. The frequent use of D&C for uterine evacuation, the lack of good record keeping, and the lack of contraceptives should be urgently addressed.

Maternal Mortality from Induced Abortion in Malawi: What Does the Latest Evidence Suggest?

It is commonly claimed that thousands of women die every year from unsafe abortion in Malawi. This commentary critically assesses those claims, demonstrating that these estimates are not supported by the evidence. On the contrary, the latest evidence—itself from 15 to 20 years ago—suggests that 6–7% of maternal deaths in Malawi are attributable to induced and spontaneous abortion combined, totalling approximately 70–150 deaths per year. I then offer some evidence suggesting that a substantial proportion of these are attributable to spontaneous abortion. To reduce maternal mortality by large margins, emergency obstetric care should be prioritised, which will also save women from complications of induced and spontaneous abortion.