Maternal & Child Health

Barriers to Implementation of the HIV Guidelines in the IMCI Algorithm among IMCI Trained Health Workers in Zambia

Since 2004, health workers that have undergone integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) case management training have also received training in HIV assessment, but follow-up showed that 97% of the health workers assessed did not review or mention the HIV guidelines even though they had received the training. This study aimed to explore reasons for non-adherence to HIV guidelines in the IMCI algorithm and make recommendations on how this can be improved. [adapted from abstract]

Effectiveness of Community Health Workers (CHWS) in the Provision of Basic Preventive and Curative Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Interventions: A Systematic Review

This review was designed to find evidence of the effectiveness of CHWs in providing basic preventive and curative MNCH interventions, and to identify the factors that are crucial to their performance. [from abstract]

Applying WHO's Workforce Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN) Method to Calculate the Health Worker Requirements for India's Maternal and Child Health Service Guarantees in Orissa State

In one district of India, the authors used the WISN method to calculate the number of health workers required to achieve the maternal and child health service guarantees of the country and measured the difference between this ideal number and current staffing levels. [adapted from abstract]

Evaluation of Pre-Service Training on Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness in Ethiopia

This survey was conducted to assess the status of pre-service training on the integrated management of newborn and childhood illness strategy and its ability to equip health workers with essential knowledge and skills to effectively manage sick children with common neonatal and childhood diseases. [adapted from abstract]

Does Shortening the Training on Integrated Management of Childhood Illness Guidelines Reduce Its Effectiveness? A Systematic Review

Implementation of the integrated management of childhood illness strategy with an 11-day training course for health workers improves care for ill children in outpatient settings in developing countries. This study aimed to determine if shortening the training to reduce cost reduces its effectiveness. [adapted from abstract]

Quality of Care for Severe Acute Malnutrition Delivered by Community Health Workers in Southern Bangladesh

This study assessed the quality of care provided by community health workers in managing cases of severe acute malnutrition according to a treatment algorithm. [from abstract]

Trends in Health Worker Performance after Implementing the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness Strategy in Benin

Training health workers to use integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) guidelines can improve care for ill children in outpatient settings in developing countries. This article aimed to determine if the performance of IMCI-trained health workers deteriorated over 3 years. [from abstract]

Compliance with Focused Antenatal Care Services: Do Health Workers in Rural Burkina Faso, Uganda and Tanzania Perform All ANC Procedures?

This study aimed to assess health workers’ compliance with the procedures set in the focused antenatal care guidelines in rural Uganda, Tanzania and Burkina Faso; to compare the compliance within and among the three study sites; and to appraise the logistic and supply of the respective health facilities. [from abstract]

Effect of the Newhints Home-Visits Intervention on Neonatal Mortality Rate and Care Practices in Ghana: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial

This study tested a home-visits strategy to improve neonatal mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa by assessing the effect on all-cause neonatal mortality rate and essential newborn-care practices after community-based surveillance volunteers were trained to identify pregnant women in their community and to make two home visits during pregnancy and three in the first week of life to promote essential newborn-care practices. [adapted from summary]

Could You Be a Health Worker in Liberia?

This 6 minute video tells the story of six British health workers that went to Liberia to see what life was like for their African colleagues. In a country recovering from civil war, they met doctors, nurses and midwives doing everything they could to save children’s lives. [adapted from publisher]

Human Resources and Capacity Gap Analysis: Improving Child Welfare Services

This analysis was conducted with the overall purpose to review the roles and responsibilities of the Ministry staff, including social workers and record clerks at national and regional level, and ascertain the capacity gaps that hinder fulfillment of their obligations towards children and women in the context of the HIV and AIDS pandemic in Namibia. [from introduction]

Commitments for Every Woman, Every Child: A Human Resources for Health Perspective

The findings from this HRH analysis complement the exercises conducted in 2011 and 2012, demonstrating the emphasis on HRH, but with additional specificity as a result of deconstructing the country commitments into their individual action statements to accelerate progress on Millenium Development Goals 4 and 5. [adapted from author]

Effect of Women's Groups and Volunteer Peer Counselling on Rates of Mortality, Morbidity, and Health Behaviours in Mothers and Children in Rural Malawi (MaiMwana): A Factorial, Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial

This article describes an assessment of the effects of community mobilisation through women’s groups, and health education through female volunteer peer counsellors on rates of infant care, feeding, morbidity, and mortality. [adapted from author]

Care Decision Making of Frontline Providers of Maternal and Newborn Health Services in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana

This article explored the how and why of care decision making by frontline providers of maternal and newborn services in the Greater Accra region of Ghana and determine appropriate interventions needed to support its quality and related maternal and neonatal outcomes. [from abstract]

Quality Indicators for Continuous Monitoring to Improve Maternal and Infant Health in Maternity Departments: A Modified Delphi Survey of an International Multidisciplinary Panel

This article describes a modified Delphi method used to identify a set of indicators for continuously monitoring the quality of maternity care by healthcare professionals. [from abstract]

Human Resource Implications of Improving Financial Risk Protection for Mothers and Newborns in Zimbabwe

There is a growing consensus that user fees undermine equitable access to essential health care in many low and middle income countries. Changes to fees have major implications for human resources for health (HRH), though the linkages are rarely explicitly examined. This study aimed to examine the inter-linkages in Zimbabwe in order to generate lessons for HRH and fee policies, with particular respect to reproductive, maternal and newborn health. [from abstract]

Effects of Selected Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Community Health Workers on Performance of Home Visits during Pregnancy: A Cross-Sectional Study in Busia District, Kenya

This study sought to further the evidence on how socio-demographic factors influence community health worker effectiveness in conducting home visits in order to ensure the adoption of evidence based maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition best practices and to increase demand for facility based services, including skilled birth attendance. [adapted from author]

Addressing the Human Resources Crisis: A Case Study of Cambodia's Efforts to Reduce Maternal Mortality (1980-2012)

The objective of this article was to identify factors that have contributed to the systematic development of the Cambodian human resources for health system with a focus on midwifery services in response to high maternal mortality in fragile resource-constrained countries. [from abstract]

Association of Health Workforce Capacity and Quality of Pediatric Care in Afghanistan

This study aimed to examine the relationship between workforce capacity and quality of pediatric care in outpatient clinics in Afghanistan. [from abstract]

Antenatal and Obstetric Care in Afghanistan: A Qualitative Study among Health Care Receivers and Health Care Providers

This study investigated how pregnant women and health care providers experience the existing antenatal and obstetric health care situation in Afghanistan. [from abstract]

Motivation and Incentives of Rural Maternal and Neonatal Health Care Providers: A Comparison of Qualitative Findings from Burkina Faso, Ghana and Tanzania

This study explores the role of provider motivation in the quality of maternal and neonatal care. The main research questions were: which factors motivated these respondents to join the health professions; what is understood by the term motivation; what influences their motivation, job satisfaction and the quality of their care; and which incentives do these providers themselves suggest. [adapted from author]

Critical Role of Supervision in Retaining Staff in Obstetric Services: A Three Country Study

This study identifies the implications of different types of supervision for healthcare worker job satisfaction and intention to leave the workplace in Malawi, Tanzania, and Mozambique. [adapted from author]

Decision Making among Community-Based Volunteers Working in Vulnerable Children Programs

This study was collected data from caregivers who work directly with vulnerable children to explore how care decisions are made by community-based volunteers, and the utility of the Child Status Index at the community level as a job aid. [adapted from summary]

Assessment of the Uptake of Neonatal and Young Infant Referrals by Community Health Workers to Public Health Facilities in an Urban Informal Settlement, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a referral system - where community health workers (CHW) were trained to refer babies with illnesses or identified danger signs - by describing CHW referral completion rates as well as mothers’ health-care seeking practices. [adapted from author]

Contracting in Specialists for Emergency Obstetric Care: Does it Work in Rural India?

Contracting in private sector is promoted in developing countries facing human resources shortages as a challenge to reduce maternal mortality. This study explored provision, practice, performance, barriers to execution and views about contracting in specialists for emergency obstetric care in rural India. [from abstract]

Innovating to Save Lives: Improving Maternal and Newborn Health in Afghanistan

This report outlines the outcomes on maternal and child health of a program focused on building a competent, skilled health workforce in Afghanistan, strengthening delivery of quality health care services, increasing demand for health services, integrating gender awareness and practices into health care services and sustaining systemwide progress. [adapted from author]

Optimizing Health Worker Roles to Improve Access to Key Maternal and Newborn Health Interventions through Task Shifting

The objective of this guidance is to issue evidence-based recommendations to facilitate universal access to key, effective maternal and newborn interventions through the optimization of health worker roles. [from summary]

Community Discussion Guide for Maternal and Newborn Health Care: A Training Manual for Safe Motherhood Action Groups

This guide contains detailed guidance on how to train safe motherhood action group volunteers in two key areas of their portfolio – maternal and newborn health care.

Child Health Nurses in the Solomon Islands: Lessons for the Pacific and Other Developing Countries

The objectives of this study were to understand the roles of nurses with advanced training in paediatrics in the Solomon Islands and the importance of these roles to child health; to understand how adequately equipped child health nurses feel for these roles; and to identify the training needs, difficulties and future opportunities. [adapted from abstract]

Knowledge and Performance of the Ethiopian Health Extension Workers on Antenatal and Delivery Care: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study investigated the knowledge and performance of health extension workers (HEWs) on antenatal and delivery care. The study also explored the barriers and facilitators for HEWs in the provision of maternal health care. [from abstract]