Determinants of stillbirths occurred in health facilities in Zambezia province, Mozambique (2013-2014)

Determinants of stillbirths in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries have high stillbirth rates compared with high-income countries, yet research on risk factors for stillbirth in SSA remain scant.

OBJECTIVES

To identify the modifiable risk factors of stillbirths in SSA and investigate their strength of association using a systematic review.

SEARCH STRATEGY

CINAHL Plus, EMBASE, Global Health and MEDLINE databases were searched for literature.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Observational population- and facility-level studies exploring stillbirth risk factors, published in 2013-2019 were included.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

A narrative synthesis of data was undertaken and the potential risk factors were classified into subgroups.

MAIN RESULTS

Thirty-seven studies were included, encompassing 20 264 stillbirths. The risk factors were categorised as: maternal antepartum factors (0-4 antenatal care visits, multiple gestations, hypertension, birth interval of >3 years, history of perinatal death); socio-economic factors (maternal lower wealth index and basic education, advanced maternal age, grand multiparity of ≥5); intrapartum factors (direct obstetric complication); fetal factors (low birthweight and gestational age of <37 weeks) and health systems factors (poor quality of antenatal care, emergency referrals, ill-equipped facility). The proportion of unexplained stillbirths remained very high. No association was found between stillbirths and body mass index, diabetes, distance from the facility or HIV.

CONCLUSIONS

The overall quality of evidence was low, as many studies were facility based and did not adjust for confounding factors. This review identified preventable risk factors for stillbirth. Focused programmatic strategies to improve antenatal care, emergency obstetric care, maternal perinatal education, referral and outreach systems, and birth attendant training should be developed. More population-based, high-quality research is needed.

Factors Associated with Caesarean and Peripartum Complications at Southern Mozambique’s Rural Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study

Information about factors underlying peripartum complications is needed to inform health programs in Mozambique. This retrospective study covered the period from January 2013 to December 2018 and was performed at three rural-district hospitals in southern Mozambique, aiming at assessing factors associated with caesarean and peripartum complications. Data were extracted by clinical criteria-based audits on randomly select clients’ files. Logistical regression was used to identify factors associated with peripartum complications. Amongst 5068 audited files, women mean age was 25 years (Standard Deviation (SD) = 7), gestational age was 38 weeks (SD = 2), 25% had “high obstetric-risk” and 19% delivered by caesarean. Factors significantly associated with caesarean included being transferred [Adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) =1.8; 95% Confidence Interval (95%CI) = 1.3–2.6], preeclampsia [aOR (95%CI) = 2.0 (1.2–3.3)], age [aOR (95%CI) = 0.96 (0.93–0.99)] and “high obstetric-risk” [aOR (95%CI) = 0.54 (0.37–0.78)]. Factors significantly associated with neonatal complication included mother being transferred [aOR (95%CI) = 2.1 (1.8–2.6)], “high obstetric-risk” [aOR (95%CI) = 1.6 (1.3–1.96)], preeclampsia [aOR (95%CI) = 1.5 (1.2–1.8), mother’s age [aOR (95%CI) = −2% (−3%, −0.1%)] and gestational age [aOR (95%CI) = −8% (−13%, −6%)] increment. This study identified amendable factors associated with peripartum complications in rural referral health settings. Strengthening hospitals’ performance assurance is critical to address the identified factors and improve peripartum outcomes for mothers-neonate dyads.

Using routine health information data for research in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Routine health information systems (RHISs) support resource allocation and management decisions at all levels of the health system, as well as strategy development and policy-making in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although RHIS data represent a rich source of information, such data are currently underused for research purposes, largely due to concerns over data quality. Given that substantial investments have been made in strengthening RHISs in LMICs in recent years, and that there is a growing demand for more real-time data from researchers, this systematic review builds upon the existing literature to summarize the extent to which RHIS data have been used in peer-reviewed research publications.

METHODS

Using terms 'routine health information system', 'health information system', or 'health management information system' and a list of LMICs, four electronic peer-review literature databases were searched from inception to February 202,019: PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and EconLit. Articles were assessed for inclusion based on pre-determined eligibility criteria and study characteristics were extracted from included articles using a piloted data extraction form.

RESULTS

We identified 132 studies that met our inclusion criteria, originating in 37 different countries. Overall, the majority of the studies identified were from Sub-Saharan Africa and were published within the last 5 years. Malaria and maternal health were the most commonly studied health conditions, although a number of other health conditions and health services were also explored.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study identified an increasing use of RHIS data for research purposes, with many studies applying rigorous study designs and analytic methods to advance program evaluation, monitoring and assessing services, and epidemiological studies in LMICs. RHIS data represent an underused source of data and should be made more available and further embraced by the research community in LMIC health systems.