With maternal mortality still unacceptably high in many parts of the world, this briefer examines why and where mothers are dying, and raises questions about how maternal health strategies can and should be increasingly customized and targeted to accelerate progress in saving mothers’ lives. It stresses the need for collaborative partnerships and renewed attention to integrated clinical and public health …
Mode of Childbirth in Low-Risk Pregnancies: Nicaraguan Physicians’ Viewpoints
The results of a qualitative study conducted by MCHIP have been published in the Maternal and Child Health Journal. The article—entitled “Mode of Childbirth in Low-Risk Pregnancies: Nicaraguan Physicians’ Viewpoints”—explores the attitudes of physicians in the country attending births in public and private sectors, and the causes of unnecessary cesarean operations. The authors identify five actions that would help decrease …
MAMA “APONJON” Formative Research Report
In Bangladesh, the MAMA initiative, branded Aponjon, delivers stage-based essential health messages to expectant and new mothers and their families across Bangladesh via mobile phones. The Aponjon service commenced with a formative research phase to build local partnerships, tailor content, develop information delivery channels, and build brand awareness among target stakeholder groups. A joint team from The Johns Hopkins University …
Performance-based Incentives to Improve Health Status of Mothers and Newborns: What Does the Evidence Show?
The Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition has published the article, “Performance-based Incentives to Improve Health Status of Mothers and Newborns: What Does the Evidence Show?” authored by Rena Eichler (Broad Branch Associates), Koki Agarwal (Jhpiego/MCHIP), Ian Askew (Population Council), Emma Iriarte (Inter-American Development Bank), Lindsay Morgan (Broad Branch Associates) and Julia Watson (DFID). The authors analyzed evidence from published …
Postnatal Care Home Visit: A Review of the Current Status of Implementation in Five Countries
This report gives an account of the early development of community-based newborn programs in five countries—Bangladesh, Malawi, Nepal, Nigeria and Rwanda—in which postnatal home visits have featured prominently.
Strengthening Health Management Information Systems for Maternal and Child Health: Documenting MCHIP’s Contributions
As part of it its efforts to improve the quality of maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) care in low-income countries, MCHIP has taken specific steps to improve the monitoring of MNCH services through strengthening routine HMIS. These efforts have led to better monitoring and evaluation, higher-quality data, and informed decision-making in 28 countries across MNCH interventions. Ongoing efforts to …
Scaling Up Lifesaving Commodities for Women, Children, and Newborns
This toolkit provides information about the UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children, its 13 priority commodities , and examples of how its ten recommendations to improve access and availability are being applied globally and within countries.
Advance Distribution of Misoprostol for Self- Administration: Expanding Coverage for the Prevention of Postpartum Hemorrhage
This guide has been developed to provide organizations and agencies with a step-by-step guide to participating in the improvement and scale-up of existing misoprostol distribution programs for prevention of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). It is intended for use by organizations that have not previously implemented misoprostol programming, as well as by Ministries of Health (MoHs) and consortiums of implementing partners interested …
MAISHA Quality of Maternal and Newborn Care Study: Tanzania
A series of MCHIP health facility surveys on quality of care (QoC) focus on the frequency and quality of interventions that address the direct causes of maternal and newborn deaths, and act as key sources of information for policymakers and other stakeholders in country. The Tanzania reports—on labor and delivery, and antenatal care—highlight areas of relative strength as well as significant gaps …
Estimation of National Coverage of Uterotonic in the Third Stage of Labour: Report of the Meeting of the Expert Panel (Jharkhand)
The Directorate of Health Services at Jharkhand, India, along with MCHIP, conducted a qualitative assessment of the use of uterotonic in the third stage of labor across Jharkhand. A group of field experts met in June 2013 to determine this process indicator, based on their field experience and existing data available.