Women's Experience of Facility-Based Childbirth Care and Receipt of an Early Postnatal Check for Herself and Her Newborn in Northwestern Tanzania

Negative experiences of care may act as a deterrent to current and/or future utilization of facility-based health services. To examine the situation in Tanzania, we conducted a sub-analysis of a cross-sectional household survey conducted in April 2016 in the Mara and Kagera regions of Tanzania. The sample included 732 women aged 15-49 years who had given birth in a health facility during the previous two years. Log binomial regression models were used to investigate the association between women's experiences of care during childbirth and the receipt of early postnatal checks before discharge. Overall, 73.1% of women reported disrespect and abuse, 60.1% were offered a birth companion, 29.1% had a choice of birth position, and 85.5% rated facility cleanliness as good. About half of mothers (46.3%) and newborns (51.4%) received early postnatal checks before discharge. Early postnatal checks for both mothers and newborns were associated with no disrespect and abuse (RR: 1.23 and 1.14, respectively) and facility cleanliness (RR: 1.29 and 1.54, respectively). Early postnatal checks for mothers were also associated with choice of birth position (RR: 1.18). The results suggest that a missed opportunity in providing an early postnatal check is an indication of poor quality of the continuum of care for mothers and newborns. Improved quality of care at one stage can predict better care in subsequent stages

Implementing facility-based kangaroo mother care services : lessons from a multi-country study in Africa

BACKGROUND : Some countries have undertaken programs that included scaling up kangaroo mother care. The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the implementation status of facility-based kangaroo mother care services in four African countries: Malawi, Mali, Rwanda and Uganda. METHODS : A cross-sectional, mixed-method research design was used. Stakeholders provided background information at national meetings and in individual interviews. Facilities were assessed by means of a standardized tool previously applied in other settings, employing semi-structured key-informant interviews and observations in 39 health care facilities in the four countries. Each facility received a score out of a total of 30 according to six stages of implementation progress. RESULTS : Across the four countries 95 per cent of health facilities assessed demonstrated some evidence of kangaroo mother care practice. Institutions that fared better had a longer history of kangaroo mother care implementation or had been developed as centres of excellence or had strong leaders championing the implementation process. Variation existed in the quality of implementation between facilities and across countries. Important factors identified in implementation are: training and orientation; supportive supervision; integrating kangaroo mother care into quality improvement; continuity of care; high-level buy in and support for kangaroo mother care implementation; and client-oriented care. CONCLUSION : The integration of kangaroo mother care into routine newborn care services should be part of all maternal and newborn care initiatives and packages. Engaging ministries of health and other implementing partners from the outset may promote buy in and assist with the mobilization of resources for scaling up kangaroo mother care services. Mechanisms for monitoring these services should be integrated into existing health management information systems.http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservreshb201

Increasing Access to Prevention of Postpartum Hemorrhage Interventions for Births in Health Facilities and at Home in Four Districts of Rwanda

To assess coverage, acceptability, and feasibility of a program to prevent postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) at community and facility levels, a study was conducted in 60 health facilities and their catchment areas in four districts in Rwanda. A total of 220 skilled birth attendants at these facilities were trained to provide active management of the third stage of labor and 1994 community health workers (ASMs) were trained to distribute misoprostol at home births. A total of 4,074 pregnant women were enrolled in the program (20.5 % of estimated deliveries). Overall uterotonic coverage was 82.5%: 85% of women who delivered at a facility received a uterotonic to prevent PPH; 76% of women reached at home at the time of birth by an ASM ingested misoprostol—a 44.3% coverage rate. Administration of misoprostol at the time of birth for home births achieved moderate uterotonic coverage. Advancing the distribution of misoprostol through antenatal care services could further increase coverage.Keywords: postpartum hemorrhage; active management of the third stage of labor; misoprostol; community health worker; coverage; home birt

Factors associated with institutional delivery: Findings from a cross-sectional study in Mara and Kagera regions in Tanzania

In Tanzania, maternal mortality has stagnated over the last 10 years, and some of the areas with the worst indicators are in the Lake and Western Zones. This study investigates the factors associated with institutional deliveries among women aged 15-49 years in two regions of the Lake Zone. Data were extracted from a cross-sectional household survey of 1,214 women aged 15-49 years who had given birth in the 2 years preceding the survey in Mara and Kagera regions. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore the influence of various factors on giving birth in a facility. About two-thirds (67.3%) of women gave birth at a health facility. After adjusting for possible confounders, six factors were significantly associated with institutional delivery: region (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.54 [0.41-0.71]), number of children (aOR, 95% CI: 0.61 [0.42-0.91]), household wealth index (aOR, 95% CI: 1.47 [1.09-2.27]), four or more antenatal care visits (aOR, 95% CI: 1.97 [1.12-3.47]), knowing three or more pregnancy danger signs (aOR, 95% CI: 1.87 [1.27-2.76]), and number of birth preparations (aOR, 95% CI: 6.09 [3.32-11.18]). Another three factors related to antenatal care were also significant in the bivariate analysis, but these were not significantly associated with place of delivery after adjusting for all variables in an extended multivariable regression model. Giving birth in a health facility was associated both with socio-demographic factors and women's interactions with the health care system during pregnancy. The findings show that national policies and programs promoting institutional delivery in Tanzania should tailor interventions to specific regions and reach out to low-income and high-parity women. Efforts are needed not just to increase the number of antenatal care visits made by pregnant women, but also to improve the quality and content of the interaction between women and service providers

Multivariable logistic regression of factors associated with institutional delivery among all respondents (N = 1,214).

Multivariable logistic regression of factors associated with institutional delivery among all respondents (N = 1,214).</p

Bivariate analysis of mother’s socio-demographic characteristics and ANC attendance, by place of delivery (N = 1,214).

Bivariate analysis of mother’s socio-demographic characteristics and ANC attendance, by place of delivery (N = 1,214).</p

Knowledge of pregnancy danger signs, health care decision making, husband’s participation, and birth preparations, by place of delivery (N = 1,214).

Knowledge of pregnancy danger signs, health care decision making, husband’s participation, and birth preparations, by place of delivery (N = 1,214).</p

Among women who attended ANC, counseling and service coverage and number of visits, by place of delivery (N = 1,141).

Among women who attended ANC, counseling and service coverage and number of visits, by place of delivery (N = 1,141).</p