Implementing the WHO Labour Care Guide to reduce the use of Caesarean section in four hospitals in India: protocol and statistical analysis plan for a pragmatic, stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized pilot trial.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) Labour Care Guide (LCG) is a paper-based labour monitoring tool designed to facilitate the implementation of WHO's latest guidelines for effective, respectful care during labour and childbirth. Implementing the LCG into routine intrapartum care requires a strategy that improves healthcare provider practices during labour and childbirth. Such a strategy might optimize the use of Caesarean section (CS), along with potential benefits on the use of other obstetric interventions, maternal and perinatal health outcomes, and women's experience of care.

Methodology to Determine Cause of Death for Stillbirths and Neonatal Deaths Using Automated Case Reports and a Cause-of-Death Panel.

Background: Review of data from multiple sources is often necessary to determine cause of death for stillbirths and neonatal deaths, especially in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs) where available data may vary. The minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) procedure provides granular histologic and microbiologic data that clinical reports and verbal autopsies cannot provide. Expert panel evaluation of data from individual deaths can be resource-intensive but remains essential to accurately infer causes of death.

Safety and efficacy of the new CryoPop® cryotherapy device for cervical dysplasia in low- and middle-income countries: study protocol for a multicenter open-label non-inferiority clinical trial with historical controls.

Background: Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the world, affecting mainly women residing in low- and middle-income countries. Progression from a pre-invasive phase to that of an invasive phase generally takes years and provides a window of opportunity to screen for and treat precancerous lesions.

Methods: This study is being conducted at four sites in north Karnataka, India.

Effect of heat stable carbetocin vs oxytocin for preventing postpartum haemorrhage on post delivery hemoglobin-a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To compare the effect of heat-stable carbetocin 100 μg IM versus oxytocin 10 IU IM on post-delivery hemoglobin level.

Setting: Hospital based study in Southern India.

Population: Women delivering vaginally who were enrolled in the WHO CHAMPION trial in a single facility in India.

RAPIDIRON: Reducing Anaemia in Pregnancy in India-a 3-arm, randomized-controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of oral iron with single-dose intravenous iron in the treatment of iron deficiency anaemia in pregnant women and reducing low birth weight deliveries.

Background: Anaemia is a worldwide problem and iron deficiency is the most common cause. In pregnancy, anaemia increases the risk of adverse maternal, foetal and neonatal outcomes. India's anaemia rate is among the highest in the world with India's National Family Health Survey indicating over 50% of pregnant women were affected by anaemia.

Community level interventions for pre-eclampsia (CLIP) in India: A cluster randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: Pregnancy hypertension is associated with 7.1% of maternal deaths in India. The objective of this trial was to assess whether task-sharing care might reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes related to delays in triage, transport, and treatment.

Is the closest health facility the one used in pregnancy care-seeking? A cross-sectional comparative analysis of self-reported and modelled geographical access to maternal care in Mozambique, India and Pakistan.

Background: Travel time to care is known to influence uptake of health services. Generally, pregnant women who take longer to transit to health facilities are the least likely to deliver in facilities. It is not clear if modelled access predicts fairly the vulnerability in women seeking maternal care across different spatial settings.

The feasibility of task-sharing the identification, emergency treatment, and referral for women with pre-eclampsia by community health workers in India.

Background: Hypertensive disorders are the second highest direct obstetric cause of maternal death after haemorrhage, accounting for 14% of maternal deaths globally. Pregnancy hypertension contributes to maternal deaths, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, due to a scarcity of doctors providing evidence-based emergency obstetric care. Task-sharing some obstetric responsibilities may help to reduce the mortality rates.

A Comparison of Colorimetric Assessment of Vaginal pH with Nugent Score for the Detection of Bacterial Vaginosis.

. A Nugent score > 7 has been defined as the gold standard for the diagnosis for bacterial vaginosis (BV), though it is resource intensive and impractical as point of care testing. We sought to determine if colorimetric assessment of vaginal pH can accurately predict the occurrence of BV.

Evaluating time between birth to cry or bag and mask ventilation using mobile delivery room timers in India: the NICHD Global Network's Helping Babies Breathe Trial.

Background: The Golden Minute®, the first minute following birth of a newborn, is a critical period for establishing ventilation after delivery, as emphasized in the Helping Babies Breathe® and other resuscitation training programs. Previous studies have reinforced training through observers' evaluation of this time period; although observation is useful for research, it may not be a sustainable method to support resuscitation practice in low-resource settings where few birth attendants are available. In order to reinforce resuscitation within The Golden Minute®, we sought to develop a simple mobile delivery-room timer on an Android cell phone platform for birth attendants to use at the time of delivery.

Determinants of Intimate Partner Violence Among HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Women in India.

To reduce the many adverse health outcomes associated with intimate partner violence (IPV), high-risk groups need to be specifically targeted in the fight against domestic violence in India. This study aims to examine the prevalence and correlates of IPV in HIV-positive and HIV-negative women from India. A convenience sample of HIV-positive and HIV-negative women responded to questionnaires to assess their experience and perception of violence.

Stillbirth and newborn mortality in India after helping babies breathe training.

Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness of Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) newborn care and resuscitation training for birth attendants in reducing stillbirth (SB), and predischarge and neonatal mortality (NMR). India contributes to a large proportion of the worlds annual 3.1 million neonatal deaths and 2.