'The clock keeps ticking' - the role of a community-based intervention in reducing delays in seeking emergency obstetric care in rural Bangladesh: a quasi-experimental study

Objective: To explore the role of a community-based intervention in reducing delays in accessing emergency obstetric care (EmOC) in rural Bangladesh, and the factors associated with delayed decision making, reaching the health facility and receiving treatment. Study design: Quasi-experimental study. Methods: Multistage random sampling was used to select 540 villages, from which 1200 women who reported obstetric complications in March–April 2010 were interviewed. Results: The median time taken to make the decisions to access health care was significantly lower in the intervention areas compared with the control areas (80 vs 90 min). In addition, the median time taken to reach the health facility was significantly lower in intervention areas compared with the control areas (110 vs 135 min). However, no difference was found in the median time taken to receive treatment. Multiple linear regressions demonstrated that community intervention significantly reduced decision making and time taken to reach the health facility when accessing EmOC in rural Bangladesh. However, for women experiencing haemorrhage, the delays were longer in the intervention areas. Protective factors against delayed decision making included access to television, previous medical exposure, knowledge, life-threatening complications during childbirth and use of primary health facility. Financial constraints and traditional perceptions were associated with delayed decision making. Complications during labour, use of a motorized vehicle and use of a primary health facility were associated with faster access to EmOC and poverty, distance, transportation difficulties and decision making by male guardian were associated with slower access to EmOC. Conclusions: The intervention appeared to reduce the time taken to make the decision to access health care and time taken to reach the health facility when accessing EmOC. This study provides support for a focus on emergency preparedness for timely referral from the community

Women-focused development intervention reduces delays in accessing emergency obstetric care in urban slums in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recognizing the burden of maternal mortality in urban slums, in 2007 BRAC (formally known as Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) has established a woman-focused development intervention, Manoshi (the Bangla abbreviation of mother, neonate and child), in urban slums of Bangladesh. The intervention emphasizes strengthening the continuum of maternal, newborn and child care through community, delivery centre (DC) and timely referral of the obstetric complications to the emergency obstetric care (EmOC) facilities. This study aimed to assess whether Manoshi DCs reduces delays in accessing EmOC.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This cross-sectional study was conducted during October 2008 to January 2009 in the slums of Dhaka city among 450 obstetric complicated cases referred either from DCs of Manoshi or from their home to the EmOC facilities. Trained female interviewers interviewed at their homestead with structured questionnaire. <it>Pearson's </it>chi-square test, <it>t</it>-test and Mann-Whitney test were performed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The median time for making the decision to seek care was significantly longer among women who were referred from home than referred from DCs (9.7 hours vs. 5.0 hours, p < 0.001). The median time to reach a facility and to receive treatment was found to be similar in both groups. Time taken to decide to seek care was significantly shorter in the case of life-threatening complications among those who were referred from DC than home (0.9 hours vs.2.3 hours, p = 0.002). Financial assistance from Manoshi significantly reduced the first delay in accessing EmOC services for life-threatening complications referred from DC (p = 0.006). Reasons for first delay include fear of medical intervention, inability to judge maternal condition, traditional beliefs and financial constraints. Role of gender was found to be an important issue in decision making. First delay was significantly higher among elderly women, multiparity, non life-threatening complications and who were not involved in income-generating activities.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Manoshi program reduces the first delay for life-threatening conditions but not non-life-threatening complications even though providing financial assistance. Programme should give more emphasis on raising awareness through couple/family-based education about maternal complications and dispel fear of clinical care to accelerate seeking EmOC.</p

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The Manoshi project is developed by BRAC to establish a community-based health programme targeted at reducing maternal, neonatal, and child, deaths and diseases in urban slums of Bangladesh. It is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation&apos;s Community Health Solutions (CHS) initiative that aims at strengthening and leveraging community organizations and individuals to be proactive in community based interventions. This five-year project is led and implemented by BRAC. ICDDR,B, in collaboration with the Research and Evaluation Division (RED) of BRAC provide technical assistance to the project through research support. The project is guided by a Technical Advisory Committee and a Technical Management Committee. BRAC and ICDDR,B would like to acknowledge the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for their continued support. We are grateful to all the researchers and programme team members for their unabated diligence and efforts. We want to extend our appreciation to all the respondents from the various communities for their wilful contributions and sincere commitment towards fulfilling this researc

Hygiene on maternity units: lessons from a needs assessment in Bangladesh and India

Background: As the proportion of deliveries in health institutions increases in low- and middle-income countries, so do the challenges of maintaining standards of hygiene and preventing healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) in mothers and babies. Adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and infection prevention and control (IPC) in these settings should be seen as integral parts of the broader domain of quality care. Assessment approaches are needed which capture standards for both WASH and IPC, and so inform quality improvement processes. Design: A needs assessment was conducted in seven maternity units in Gujarat, India, and eight in Dhaka Division, Bangladesh in 2014. The WASH & CLEAN study developed and applied a suite of tools – a ‘walkthrough checklist’ which included the collection of swab samples, a facility needs assessment tool and document review, and qualitative interviews with staff and recently delivered women – to establish the state of hygiene as measured by visual cleanliness and the presence of potential pathogens, and individual and contextual determinants or drivers. Results: No clear relationship was found between visually assessed cleanliness and the presence of pathogens; findings from qualitative interviews and the facility questionnaire found inadequacies in IPC training for healthcare providers and no formal training at all for ward cleaners. Lack of written policies and protocols, and poor monitoring and supervision also contributed to suboptimal IPC standards. Conclusions: Visual assessment of cleanliness and hygiene is an inadequate marker for ‘safety’ in terms of the presence of potential pathogens and associated risk of infection. Routine environmental screening of high-risk touch sites using simple microbiology could improve detection and control of pathogens. IPC training for both healthcare providers and ward cleaners represents an important opportunity for quality improvement. This should occur in conjunction with broader systems changes, including the establishment of functioning IPC committees, implementing standard policies and protocols, and improving health management information systems to capture information on maternal and newborn HCAIs