Uptake of, barriers and enablers to the utilization of postnatal care services in Thyolo, Malawi

Do socio-cultural practices by elderly women influence obstetric complications? A study in Limpopo province

BACKGROUND

 Worldwide, women continue to die from obstetric-related complications, despite the global progress made to reduce maternal mortality. Elderly women play a key role in using their own socio-cultural practices during pregnancy and childbirth.

OBJECTIVES

 The study aimed to explore the practices based on the beliefs of elderly women in Limpopo province.

METHOD

 A qualitative approach using descriptive, explorative and contextual design was employed. Audio recording of unstructured focus group discussions was conducted of the elderly women who were purposively sampled. Data were analysed and coded using thematic analysis approach following Tesch's method and co-coded to ensure trustworthiness. Ethical considerations were also adhered to.

RESULTS

 The findings discuss practices based on beliefs of elderly women and the need for them to be trained to participate in maternal health practices.

CONCLUSION

 The study concluded that practices based on beliefs of elderly women lead to delays in seeking medical intervention. Therefore, elderly women need to be trained to reduce maternal mortality.Contribution: This study adds knowledge to the need for training and the importance of elderly women to be trained in order to reduce maternal mortality.

Utilization of Antenatal Care and Skilled Birth Delivery Services in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Scoping Review

Daily, the number of women who die around the world reaches an average of 800; these deaths are a result of obstetric complications in pregnancy and childbirth, and 99% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. This review probes the use of antenatal care (ANC) and skilled birth delivery (SBD) services in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and highlights research gaps using Arksey and O'Malley's methodological approach. The screening of abstracts and full text was carried out by two independent authors who ensured the eligibility of data extraction from the included articles. An exploration of the data was undertaken with descriptive analyses. In total, 350 potentially eligible articles were screened, and 137 studies were included for data extraction and analysis. From the 137 included studies, the majority were from Ethiopia (n = 40, 29.2%), followed by Nigeria (n = 30, 21.9%). Most of the studies were published between 2019 and 2023 (n = 84, 61%). Significant trends and challenges with ANC and SBD services emerged from the studies. It is revealed that there are wide gaps in the utilization of ANC and SBD services. Policy attention, intervention strategies to improve access, resources, rural-urban disparity, and women's literacy are recommended to improve the utilization of ANC and SBD services in SSA countries.

Exploring and prioritising strategies for improving uptake of postnatal care services in Thyolo, Malawi: A qualitative study

Although postnatal care services form a critical component of the cascade of care in maternal, newborn, and child health the uptake of these services has remained low worldwide. This study explored and prioritised the strategies for optimising the uptake of postnatal care (PNC) services in Malawi. A qualitative descriptive study followed by nominal group techniques was conducted at three health facilities in Malawi from July to December 2020 and in October 2021. We conducted focus group discussions among postnatal mothers, fathers, healthcare workers, elderly women, and grandmothers. We conducted in-depth interviews with midwives and key health managers. Nominal group techniques were used to prioritise the main strategies for the provision of PNC. The demand strategies include appointment date reminders, provision of free health passport books, community awareness campaigns, and involvement of men in the services. The supply strategies included training health providers, improving clinic operations: task-shifting and hours of operation, having infrastructure for the services, and linkage to other services. Having services delivered near end-user residences was a crosscutting strategy. Refresher training and improvement in the clinic operations especially on hours of operation, appointment date reminders, and linkage to care were the prioritised strategies. There is a need to use acceptable and contextualised strategies to optimise the uptake and delivery of postnatal care services. Educating the healthcare workers and the community on postnatal services is key to increasing the demand and supply of the services.

Factors affecting the provision of high-quality postnatal care services in Zanzibar: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the postnatal period is associated with high mortality and accounts for a substantial proportion of maternal deaths. Although postnatal care has been identified as critical in reducing maternal mortality, the quality of care provided is often inadequate. Tanzania and Zanzibar have not made sufficient progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals on maternal health, and there is limited knowledge about the utilization and quality of postnatal follow-up. The aim of this study was therefore to explore factors affecting the provision of high-quality postnatal care services in the urban area of Zanzibar.

METHODS

Five focus group discussions were performed in Swahili with 25 healthcare providers from primary healthcare units in urban Zanzibar. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, translated into English, and analysed using qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach.

RESULTS

Factors affecting provision of high-quality postpartum care services could be divided into three generic categories. Difficulty achieving high attendance comprised three subcategories: long waiting times, low awareness among women, and out-of-pocket payment. Lack of basic resources also comprised three subcategories: shortage of healthcare providers, lack of adequate space, and inadequate medical equipment. Insufficient care routines comprised two subcategories: lack of guidelines and deficient chain of information.

CONCLUSIONS

The present findings suggest that the women's perceptions of postnatal care do not align with the intended purpose of routine postnatal care. Instead, the postnatal period primarily leads to visits to health facilities only when urgent care is required, and there is a lack of awareness about the importance of postnatal care. Moreover, limited resources, including equipment, staff, and space, as well as long waiting times, hinder the delivery of high-quality care and contribute to a negative reputation of postnatal care services. To effectively reach all women and improve postnatal care, it is necessary to increase basic resources, modify health education approaches, and enhance the flow of information between different levels of care using context-specific strategies.