Improving obstetric care in low-resource settings: implementation of facility-based maternal death reviews in five pilot hospitals in Senegal

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In sub-Saharan Africa, maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity are major problems. Service availability and quality of care in health facilities are heterogeneous and most often inadequate. In resource-poor settings, the facility-based maternal death review or audit is one of the most promising strategies to improve health service performance. We aim to explore and describe health workers' perceptions of facility-based maternal death reviews and to identify barriers to and facilitators of the implementation of this approach in pilot health facilities of Senegal.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study was conducted in five reference hospitals in Senegal with different characteristics. Data were collected from focus group discussions, participant observations of audit meetings, audit documents and interviews with the staff of the maternity unit. Data were analysed by means of both quantitative and qualitative approaches.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Health professionals and service administrators were receptive and adhered relatively well to the process and the results of the audits, although some considered the situation destabilizing or even threatening. The main barriers to the implementation of maternal deaths reviews were: (1) bad quality of information in medical files; (2) non-participation of the head of department in the audit meetings; (3) lack of feedback to the staff who did not attend the audit meetings. The main facilitators were: (1) high level of professional qualifications or experience of the data collector; (2) involvement of the head of the maternity unit, acting as a moderator during the audit meetings; (3) participation of managers in the audit session to plan appropriate and realistic actions to prevent other maternal deaths.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The identification of the barriers to and the facilitators of the implementation of maternal death reviews is an essential step for the future adaptation of this method in countries with few resources. We recommend for future implementation of this method a prior enhancement of the perinatal information system and initial training of the members of the audit committee – particularly the data collector and the head of the maternity unit. Local leadership is essential to promote, initiate and monitor the audit process in the health facilities.</p

Estimating the prevalence of obstetric fistula: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Obstetric fistula is a severe condition which has devastating consequences for a woman's life. The estimation of the burden of fistula at the population level has been impaired by the rarity of diagnosis and the lack of rigorous studies. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and incidence of fistula in low and middle income countries. METHODS: Six databases were searched, involving two separate searches: one on fistula specifically and one on broader maternal and reproductive morbidities. Studies including estimates of incidence and prevalence of fistula at the population level were included. We conducted meta-analyses of prevalence of fistula among women of reproductive age and the incidence of fistula among recently pregnant women. RESULTS: Nineteen studies were included in this review. The pooled prevalence in population-based studies was 0.29 (95% CI 0.00, 1.07) fistula per 1000 women of reproductive age in all regions. Separated by region we found 1.57 (95% CI 1.16, 2.06) in sub Saharan Africa and South Asia, 1.60 (95% CI 1.16, 2.10) per 1000 women of reproductive age in sub Saharan Africa and 1.20 (95% CI 0.10, 3.54) per 1000 in South Asia. The pooled incidence was 0.09 (95% CI 0.01, 0.25) per 1000 recently pregnant women. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the most comprehensive study of the burden of fistula to date. Our findings suggest that the prevalence of fistula is lower than previously reported. The low burden of fistula should not detract from their public health importance, however, given the preventability of the condition, and the devastating consequences of fistula

Knowledge of obstetric fistula prevention amongst young women in urban and rural Burkina Faso: a cross-sectional study

Obstetric fistula is a sequela of complicated labour, which, if untreated, leaves women handicapped and socially excluded. In Burkina Faso, incidence of obstetric fistula is 6/10,000 cases amongst gynaecological patients, with more patients affected in rural areas. This study aims to evaluate knowledge on obstetric fistula among young women in a health district of Burkina Faso, comparing rural and urban communities. This cross-sectional study employed multi-stage sampling to include 121 women aged 18-20 years residing in urban and rural communities of Boromo health district. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to compare differences between the groups and to identify predictors of observed knowledge levels. Rural women were more likely to be married (p<0.000) and had higher propensity to teenage pregnancy (p=0.006). The survey showed overall poor obstetric fistula awareness (36%). Rural residents were less likely to have adequate preventive knowledge than urban residents [OR=0.35 (95%-CI, 0.16–0.79)]. This effect was only slightly explained by lack of education [OR=0.41 (95%-CI, 0.18–0.93)] and only slightly underestimated due to previous pregnancy [OR=0.27 (95%-CI, 0.09–0.79)]. Media were the most popular source of awareness amongst urban young women in contrast to their rural counterparts (68% vs. 23%). Most rural young women became ‘aware’ through word-of-mouth (68% vs. 14%). All participants agreed that the hospital was safer for emergency obstetric care, but only 11.0% believed they could face pregnancy complications that would require emergency treatment. There is urgent need to increase emphasis on neglected health messages such as the risks of obstetric fistula. In this respect, obstetric fistula prevention programs need to be adapted to local contexts, whether urban or rural, and multi-sectoral efforts need to be exerted to maximise use of other sectoral resources and platforms, including existing routine health services and schools, to ensure sustainability of health literacy efforts

Obstetric fistulae: incidence estimates for sub-Saharan Africa

FLWNAinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Obstetric fistula in Southern Sudan: situational analysis and Key Informant Method to estimate prevalence.

BACKGROUND: Obstetric fistula is a severe condition which can have devastating consequences for a woman's life. Despite a considerable literature, very little is known about its prevalence. This project was conducted to carry out a situational analysis of fistula services in South Sudan and to pilot test the Key Informant Method (KIM) to estimate the prevalence of fistula in a region of South Sudan. METHODS: Key stakeholder interviews, document reviews and fistula surgery record reviews were undertaken. A KIM survey was conducted in a district of Western Bahr-el-Ghazal in January 2012. One hundred sixty-six community-based distributors, traditional birth attendants and village midwives were trained as key informants to identify women with fistula in the community. Women identified were subsequently examined by an obstetrician and nurse to verify whether they had a fistula. RESULTS: There were limited fistula repair services in South Sudan. Approximately 50-80 women per year attend periodic campaigns, with around half having a fistula and receiving a repair. On average a further 5 women a year received fistula repair from hospital services. Ten women with potential fistula were identified via KIM; all confirmed by the obstetrician. Of these, three were from the survey area, which had 8,865 women of reproductive age (15-49 years). This gives a minimal estimated prevalence of at least 30 fistulas per 100,000 women of reproductive age (95% CI 10-100). CONCLUSIONS: Routine fistula repair services available do not meet the population's needs. The pilot study suggests that KIM can be used to identify women with fistula in the community. Data on fistula are generally poor; the KIM methodology we used in South Sudan yielded a lower fistula prevalence than estimates reported previously in the region

Audit de la qualité de prise en charge des "échappées belle" (near miss) dans les maternités de référence du Sud Bénin

OBJECTIVES: Maternal mortality is highly associated with the provision of obstetric care. The provision of safe and timely emergency obstetric care (EOC) for women with severe obstetric complications is one of the main components of safe motherhood programs. In this research the objective was to determine the quality of EOC by examining its availability and its provision in a timely fashion. DESIGN: prospective observational study in qualified facilities providing EOC. SETTING: two teaching, two regional and three district hospitals in the southern part of Benin, West Africa. METHOD: The study was conducted from July to October 2003. Data collection tools used were based on the World Health organisation Guidelines for monitoring EOC. The midwives in charge of the survey started observation from the admission room and followed the provision of the care offered to the women admitted with near miss complications until they were discharged from hospital. The information about EOC, its availability, timeliness and patients' follow-up were recorded. RESULTS: The study sample included 557 women; immediate emergency care was given within 30 minutes for 61% of the patients. Surgical care (caesarean section and ectopic pregnancies surgery) was started within 60 minutes for 42% and 45 % of the women. In the near miss cases suffering anaemia, blood was not available for 12% of patients and blood transfusions were started within 60 minutes in 10% of cases. In the case of uterine rupture or pre-rupture, the time for starting caesarean section was 60 minutes for 58% of women. As to haemorrhagic near-miss cases, blood was not available in 44% of cases and if caesarean section was indicated, it was done within 60 minutes in 47% of the cases. Half of the patients with hypertension received treatment within 60 minutes after the decision to do so was taken. In infection cases, 53% of the patients received antibiotics treatment within 60 minutes. Generally, the quality of providing EOC in the facilities of the study was good in only 16.4% of cases. The quality of care was good in 31.4% of the cases with dystocia, 19% of the cases with hypertension, in 18% of the cases with haemorrhage, in 13.4% of the cases with infection, and in 6.4% of the cases with anaemia. CONCLUSION: Our study has shown that, often, EOC was not provided in a timely fashion. A reflection with all the health providers involved should lead to a better understanding of better ways to improve the quality of EOC