Harnessing the Power of Behavioral Science and Co-design to Improve the Quality of Maternity Care in Rural Facilities in Madagascar

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading direct cause of maternal deaths worldwide and women in low-income countries have an increased likelihood of dying from PPH-related consequences. Despite clear clinical guidelines, research has often highlighted gaps in consistent application of these practices.

Effectiveness of a Multi-country Implementation-Focused Network on Quality of Care: Delivery of Interventions and Processes for Improved Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Outcomes 

The Network for Improving Quality of Care for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (QCN) aims to work through learning, action, leadership, and accountability. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the QCN in all four of these areas.

An Integrated Quality of Care Package Coupled with a Regional Approach Significantly Reduced Mortality Due to Prematurity in Eastern Uganda and Migori County, Kenya 

Mortality due to prematurity is the leading cause of neonatal deaths worldwide. Intrapartum and immediate postnatal care offers a window of opportunity for reducing most of these deaths. The Preterm Birth Initiative (PTBi) study aimed to implement and assess the effect of an integrated quality of care package of interventions on fresh stillbirths (FSBs) and neonatal mortality due to prematurity in Busoga, Uganda, and Migori County in Kenya.

Point-of-Care Quality Improvement Intervention Able to Reduce Stillbirths: A Case of Chancho Primary Hospital, Ethiopia 

Stillbirth is often defined as fetal death after 24 weeks of gestation. Most stillbirths occur in full-term pregnancies. Globally, between 1.7 and 2.5 million (median estimate 2.1 million) stillbirths occur every year, most of them in developing countries. For Ethiopia, World Health Statistics 2013 revealed a stillbirth rate of 26/1,000 deliveries, which is third highest in the east African countries - next to Djibouti and Somalia (with stillbirth rates of 34 and 30 per 1,000 births, respectively) - and seventh among the 10 countries that account for two-thirds of all third trimester stillbirths in the world. Although many countries have managed to reduce stillbirths, sub-Saharan African countries still have high stillbirth rates. According to the Ethiopian emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) assessment (2016) report, nationally, the institutional stillbirth rate was 15 per 1,000 deliveries. In the baseline assessment of Chancho Primary Hospital in January 2020, the stillbirth rate was found to be 47 per 1,000 live births. After identification of the problem, the quality improvement (QI) team has planned to improve the stillbirth rate in their hospital.