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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Strengthening The Financial Sustainability Of Two Population Services And Training Center (Pstc) Clinics (Bangladesh), Population Services And Training Center (Pstc), Frontiers In Reproductive Health Jan 2008

Strengthening The Financial Sustainability Of Two Population Services And Training Center (Pstc) Clinics (Bangladesh), Population Services And Training Center (Pstc), Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

The Population Services and Training Center of Bangladesh (PSTC) operates 15 clinics and 150 satellite posts that provide an Essential Services Package (ESP) to the poor, consisting of child health, family planning, maternal health, communicable disease treatment, and limited curative care. The objective of this study was to conduct an operations research study to determine the feasibility of improving cost recovery in two clinics by raising prices. It appears that the study design was too ambitious for PSTC, a service delivery organization with no prior research experience. Lack of experience was compounded by the resignation of all three PSTC research …


Situation Analysis Of The Integration Of Family Planning Services In Postpartum, Postabortion And Prevention Of Mother To Child Transmission Programs In The Dominican Republic, Gisela Quiterio, Maritza Molina, Marija Miric, Ricardo Vernon, M. Estela Rivero-Fuentes Jan 2008

Situation Analysis Of The Integration Of Family Planning Services In Postpartum, Postabortion And Prevention Of Mother To Child Transmission Programs In The Dominican Republic, Gisela Quiterio, Maritza Molina, Marija Miric, Ricardo Vernon, M. Estela Rivero-Fuentes

Reproductive Health

A diagnostic study of the provision and use of contraception in postpartum, postabortion, and prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programs in the Dominican Republic was conducted with funding from USAID. The objectives of the study were to assess the contraceptive knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of providers and clients; the degree to which information, counseling, and delivery are implemented in postpartum, postabortion, and PMTCT services; the quality of these services; and the readiness of postpartum, postabortion, and PMTCT services to offer contraceptive services. The report finds that family planning services are linked to antenatal, delivery, and postpartum care in most of …


Extending Prevention Of Mother-To-Child Transmission Through Postpartum Family Planning In Lesotho, Charlotte E. Warren, Semakaleng Phafoli, Bosielo Majara, Thato Tsukuluet Jan 2008

Extending Prevention Of Mother-To-Child Transmission Through Postpartum Family Planning In Lesotho, Charlotte E. Warren, Semakaleng Phafoli, Bosielo Majara, Thato Tsukuluet

Reproductive Health

Recognizing the need to improve the care and follow up of mothers and infants in the postpartum period, the Lesotho Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW), with technical support from the Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) of Population Council and funding from PEPFAR/RHAP/USAID, carried out an operations research project to strengthen the existing postpartum care services. This study had a specific focus on strengthening linkages with existing PMTCT follow-up and family planning services during the postpartum period by changing the number, timing, and content of postpartum consultations that a woman and her newborn should receive. The key findings indicated …


Developing Comprehensive And Evidence-Based Policy And Guidelines For Antenatal And Postnatal Care In Kwazulu-Natal, Prudence Ditlopo, Mantshi Menziwa, Saiqa Mullick, Saumya Ramarao, Janet Dalton, Dolly Nyasulu, Mags Beksinska, Busi Kunene Jan 2008

Developing Comprehensive And Evidence-Based Policy And Guidelines For Antenatal And Postnatal Care In Kwazulu-Natal, Prudence Ditlopo, Mantshi Menziwa, Saiqa Mullick, Saumya Ramarao, Janet Dalton, Dolly Nyasulu, Mags Beksinska, Busi Kunene

Reproductive Health

In May 2004, the Maternal Child and Women’s Health department of Kwazulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa requested technical assistance from the Population Council’s USAID-funded FRONTIERS project for developing standardized and comprehensive antenatal and postnatal (ANC/PNC) care policies and guidelines and supportive training and educational materials. The aims and objectives of this project were to: support the development of a comprehensive evidence-based antenatal and postnatal care program in KZN; consolidate lessons learned and evidence around delivery of comprehensive ANC and PNC; revise provincial guidelines to enable comprehensive ANC and PNC services that address PMTCT, partner involvement, syphilis screening, focused visits, and antiretrovirals; …


Empowering Communities To Make Pregnancy Safer: An Intervention In Rural Andhra Pradesh, Dipa Sinha Jan 2008

Empowering Communities To Make Pregnancy Safer: An Intervention In Rural Andhra Pradesh, Dipa Sinha

Reproductive Health

Recognizing that multiple factors are responsible for adverse pregnancy-related outcomes, a community-based intervention was implemented in Mominpet, in Andhra Pradesh, India in collaboration with the M.V. Foundation, a nongovernmental organization. The intervention focused on improving maternal health outcomes by raising awareness and building family and community support for pregnant women; involving pregnant women’s families, notably their husbands, in pregnancy-related care; and supporting pregnant women to access health services. This report describes the experience and outcomes of the intervention. In particular, it explores the extent to which the intervention was effective in increasing community support for safe motherhood on the one …


Malaria In Pregnancy Pilot Projects Nationally Adopted In Kenya And Malawi, Population Council Jan 2008

Malaria In Pregnancy Pilot Projects Nationally Adopted In Kenya And Malawi, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Kenya and Malawi have developed national policies to prevent malaria in pregnancy. Measures to prevent malaria among antenatal clients were shown to be sustainable several years after pilot interventions ended. In Malawi, the approach has been expanded nationwide. In most malaria-endemic areas of Africa, women in their first and second pregnancies have the highest risk of acquiring malaria and, consequently, of malaria-associated anemia and low birth-weight. Two USAID-funded interventions aimed at strengthening the prevention and management of malaria in pregnancy were pilot-tested at the district level in Kenya (1998–2002) and Malawi (1998–2004). As noted in this brief, the goal was …


Assessing Routine Health Information System In Selected Paiman Districts By Using Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (Lqas) Technique, Pakistan Initiative For Mothers And Newborns (Paiman) Jan 2008

Assessing Routine Health Information System In Selected Paiman Districts By Using Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (Lqas) Technique, Pakistan Initiative For Mothers And Newborns (Paiman)

Reproductive Health

The Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns (PAIMAN) is a five-year project funded by USAID. Its goal is to reduce maternal and newborn mortality in Pakistan through viable initiatives and capacity building of existing programs and structures within health systems and communities to ensure improvements and supportive linkages in the continuum of health care for women from the home to the hospital. PAIMAN is compiling data from three data sources and making efforts to improve the functioning of these Health Information Systems (HISs) for efficient management of health services at the district level through generation of quality data and their …


Assessment Of Knowledge And Attitudes Of Married Women On Maternal And Newborn Health (Mnh) In Selected Union Councils Of Project Districts, Pakistan Initiative For Mothers And Newborns (Paiman) Jan 2008

Assessment Of Knowledge And Attitudes Of Married Women On Maternal And Newborn Health (Mnh) In Selected Union Councils Of Project Districts, Pakistan Initiative For Mothers And Newborns (Paiman)

Reproductive Health

The World Health Organization estimates that 585,000 women die from pregnancy-related conditions each year. Pregnancy-related conditions, including dysfunctional labor, hemorrhage, infection, toxemia, and unsafe abortion, are the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age in many developing countries. The Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Newborns (PAIMAN) is a five-year project funded by USAID. Its goal is to reduce maternal and newborn mortality in Pakistan, through viable initiatives and capacity building of existing programs and structures within health systems and communities to ensure improvements and supportive linkages in the continuum of health care for women from the home to …


Situation Analysis Of The Integration Of Family Planning Services In Postpartum, Postabortion And Prevention Of Mother To Child Transmission Programs In Haiti, M. Estela Rivero-Fuentes, Ricardo Vernon, Michaelle Boulos, Louis-Marie Boulos Jan 2008

Situation Analysis Of The Integration Of Family Planning Services In Postpartum, Postabortion And Prevention Of Mother To Child Transmission Programs In Haiti, M. Estela Rivero-Fuentes, Ricardo Vernon, Michaelle Boulos, Louis-Marie Boulos

Reproductive Health

This report presents the results of a situation analysis of the provision and use of contraception in postpartum, postabortion, and Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services in Haiti. FRONTIERS provided the Centre d’Évaluation et de Recherche Appliqueé (Center for Evaluation and Applied Research or CERA) with technical assistance for the data collection, cleaning, and entry processes. The study found that there is a substantial unmet need for family planning services among postpartum women and many missed opportunities to provide these services during the pregnancy-extended postpartum period continuum. Most outpatient services have adequately implemented HIV counseling for pregnant women, …


Creating The Conditions For Scale-Up Of The Men In Maternity Intervention In India, Leila Caleb-Varkey, Anurag Mishra, M.E. Khan Jan 2008

Creating The Conditions For Scale-Up Of The Men In Maternity Intervention In India, Leila Caleb-Varkey, Anurag Mishra, M.E. Khan

Reproductive Health

The Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) program conducted an operations research study, called the Men in Maternity (MiM) study, in collaboration with the Employees' State Insurance Corporation of India (ESIC), aimed at involving men in the antenatal and postpartum care of their partners to raise knowledge and use of postpartum contraception and preventive practices against sexually transmitted infections, as well as improving pregnancy outcomes. This report details the MiM scale-up process, which worked well in terms of ESIC assuming ownership of the training component of the program and being able to build capacity for training. However, to further scale up …


Helping Egyptian Women Achieve Optimal Birth Spacing Intervals Through Fostering Linkages Between Family Planning And Maternal/Child Health Services, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Sarah Loza, Amal Zaki Jan 2008

Helping Egyptian Women Achieve Optimal Birth Spacing Intervals Through Fostering Linkages Between Family Planning And Maternal/Child Health Services, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Sarah Loza, Amal Zaki

Reproductive Health

The Population Council’s USAID-funded Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) program, in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population and the NGO Social Planning, Analysis and Administration Consultants, conducted an operations research study to measure the acceptability and effectiveness of two birth spacing message models in Upper Egypt. Overall, the study found that providing birth spacing messages to low-parity women during antenatal and postpartum care and also to husbands through community awareness activities was feasible and acceptable. As a result, birth spacing messages have been integrated into service delivery guidelines for antenatal and postpartum care, and IEC materials on …


Institutionalization Of Quality Assurance Within District Health Management: Experiences From Maharashtra And Karnataka, M.E. Khan, Anurag Mishra, Vivek Sharma, Jaleel Ahmad, Jose Joseph, Venkatesh Srinivasan, K.M. Sathyanarayana, Viji Vargees, K.D. Maiti, Rashmi Sharma Jan 2008

Institutionalization Of Quality Assurance Within District Health Management: Experiences From Maharashtra And Karnataka, M.E. Khan, Anurag Mishra, Vivek Sharma, Jaleel Ahmad, Jose Joseph, Venkatesh Srinivasan, K.M. Sathyanarayana, Viji Vargees, K.D. Maiti, Rashmi Sharma

Reproductive Health

The Population Council, with financial support from UNFPA, provided technical assistance to the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka, India in implementing a quality assurance (QA) program and helped its institutionalization in the district level of health management. An analysis of all the facilities covered as of December 2007 revealed substantial gaps in the infrastructure and human resources available to provide good-quality services, as well as adherence to standards for providing the services. To build the capacity to undertake QA visits, the Population Council and state authorities organized a series of events to orient and train state and district officials, facility-level …


The Potential For Sustainability Of Malaria In Pregnancy Initiatives In East And Southern Africa: Kenya And Malawi, Washington Onyango-Ouma, Sam Agatre Okuonzi, Doreen Ali, Harriet Birungi, Annie Mwangi Jan 2008

The Potential For Sustainability Of Malaria In Pregnancy Initiatives In East And Southern Africa: Kenya And Malawi, Washington Onyango-Ouma, Sam Agatre Okuonzi, Doreen Ali, Harriet Birungi, Annie Mwangi

Reproductive Health

This study assesses the sustainability of initiatives to improve maternal and child health survival by preventing and treating illness from malaria, and documents best practices for promoting sustainability and lessons for replication in countries where malaria is endemic. The study applied the Child Survival Sustainability Assessment framework to initiatives in Kenya and Malawi to analyze progress toward sustainability, including not only a biomedical perspective but also the human, social, and organizational processes that influence sustainability of health projects. The report concludes that Malaria in Pregnancy (MIP) interventions were sustained within and beyond the project districts in both countries. Furthermore, both …


Integrating Tuberculosis Case Finding And Treatment Into Focused Antenatal Care In Kenya, Charlotte E. Warren, Annie Mwangi Jan 2008

Integrating Tuberculosis Case Finding And Treatment Into Focused Antenatal Care In Kenya, Charlotte E. Warren, Annie Mwangi

Reproductive Health

The Population Council/FRONTIERS program, in collaboration with the National Leprosy and Tuberculosis Programme, the Division of Reproductive Health, and the Provincial Health Management Team in Western Province, Kenya, received PEPFAR funding to improve screening for tuberculosis (TB) for pregnant women, including HIV-positive pregnant women. An intervention was tested to strengthen TB case detection to ensure that maternal and child health providers, in addition to providing antenatal care and PMTCT services, also screen and assess the client’s need for TB services and refer for further management. The effectiveness of this approach was demonstrated by the increased number of pregnant women who …


Strengthening Postnatal Care Services Including Postpartum Family Planning In Kenya, Annie Mwangi, Charlotte E. Warren, Nancy Koskei, Holly Blanchard Jan 2008

Strengthening Postnatal Care Services Including Postpartum Family Planning In Kenya, Annie Mwangi, Charlotte E. Warren, Nancy Koskei, Holly Blanchard

Reproductive Health

The objectives of this study were to develop and introduce a strengthened postnatal care package into one hospital and four health centers in one district in Kenya, to document the feasibility, acceptability, and quality of care of the strengthened postnatal care, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the postnatal package on women’s reproductive health behaviors. The study was implemented jointly by the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) project and by Jhpiego’s ACCESS-FP project, both funded by USAID. A postnatal care–family planning orientation package for providers was developed that incorporated relevant maternal and newborn healthcare services in the postnatal …


Obstetric Fistula: Can Community Midwives Make A Difference? Findings From Four Districts In Kenya, Charlotte E. Warren, Annie Mwangi Jan 2008

Obstetric Fistula: Can Community Midwives Make A Difference? Findings From Four Districts In Kenya, Charlotte E. Warren, Annie Mwangi

Reproductive Health

As part of the UNFPA Global Campaign to End Obstetric Fistula, the Population Council and UNFPA built on Kenya’s Community Midwifery Approach to develop a comprehensive community midwifery intervention strategy that aimed at increasing skilled attendants at birth and prevention of obstetric fistula. This report seeks to understand the experiences of women affected by fistula and whether community midwives can contribute to preventing obstetric fistula in rural settings in Kenya. The key recommendations emerging from this report are to: update health facility midwives in maternal and neonatal health (MNH) skills including prevention, treatment, and care of obstetric fistula; train more …