Outcome of multifaceted interventions for improving the quality of antenatal care in Nigerian referral hospitals

Reproductive Health

Hadiza Galadanci¹  Victor Ohenhen²  Kingsley Agholor³  Bola Ekezue⁴  Mohammed Gana⁵  Rosemary Ogu⁶  Chioma Ekwo⁷  Brian Igboin⁷  Wilson Imongan⁷  Friday Ebhodaghe Okonofua⁸  Lorretta Favour Chizomam Ntoimo⁹ 

[1] Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria;Central Hospital Benin City, Benin City, Nigeria;Central Hospital, Warri, Delta State, Nigeria;Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, USA;General Hospital Minna, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria;University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria;Women’s Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC), Benin City, Nigeria;Women’s Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC), Benin City, Nigeria;Centre of Excellence in Reproductive Health Innovation, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria;Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Benin and University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria;Women’s Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC), Benin City, Nigeria;Federal University, Oye, Ekiti, Nigeria;

关键词: Antenatal care;    Maternal mortality;    Nigeria;    Quality of care;    Referral hospitals;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12978-020-00997-6

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe study was designed as quasi-experimental research to investigate the effectiveness of multifaceted interventions for improving the quality of antenatal care in referral hospitals in Nigeria. Two referral hospitals (the Central Hospital in Benin City, South-South Nigeria, and the General Hospital in Minna) served as intervention sites, while two hospitals in comparable locations, (the Central Hospital Warri and the Suleja Hospital Abuja) were the control hospitals.MethodsIntervention activities consisted of the introduction of a strategic plan with the shared vision of reducing maternal mortality by 50% in 1 year in the hospitals; staff training and re-training; the establishment of an automated appointment system; composite health education involving couples and providers; advocacy with policymakers; and the implementation of maternal death reviews and surveillance. These activities were implemented in the intervention hospitals over 21 months (October 2017 to June 2019). Exit interviews of pregnant women at intervention and control sites by trained interviewers were used to assess the quality of antenatal care after their visit, A total of 777 women were interviewed (427 in the intervention sites and 350 in the control sites). Data were analyzed with univariate and multivariate Poisson and logistic regression to determine the extent to which health providers in the clinics completed the 18 signal functions identified in the WHO assessment tool.ResultsThe regression analyses showed the interventions were effective in improving six quality indicators (QIs) for counseling and information sharing. The difference between intervention and control sites on these QIs was significant at < 0.05. On the contrary, the interventions were less effective for maternal and fetal measurements; and disease testing and management QIs.ConclusionThe positive effects of the interventions are likely due to the effectiveness of the training and health education components. The lack of intervention impact observed for maternal and fetal measurements may be due to the high workload of care staff and inadequate clinic supplies, which we did not address. We conclude that interventions that address the quality of antenatal care in low-resource settings should focus on improving all elements of care, including adequate staffing and mobilization of material resources.Trial registrationThis study was registered in the ISRCTN on August 14th, 2020. Trial Registration Number.SRCTN17985403. Retrospective registration. The reason for the retrospective registration is the current non-recognition of the Nigeria Clinical Trials Registry (NCTR); which is currently not an ICMJE or WHO ICTRP approved registry. (This study was registered in the Nigeria Clinical Trials Registry on April 14th, 2016. Trial Registration Number NCTR No: 91540209).

【 授权许可】

CC BY