Objective: To demonstrate that successful health systems strengthening (HSS) projects have addressed disparities and inequities in maternal and perinatal care in low-income countries.
Methods: A comprehensive literature review covered the period between 1980 and 2022, focusing on successful HSS interventions within health systems' seven core components that improved maternal and perinatal care.
Results: The findings highlight the importance of integrating quality interventions into robust health systems, as this has been shown to reduce maternal and newborn mortality.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth
May 2022
Background: Obstetric infections are the third most common cause of maternal mortality, with the largest burden in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). We analyzed causes of infection-related maternal deaths and near-miss identified contributing factors and generated suggested actions for quality of care improvement.
Method: An international, virtual confidential enquiry was conducted for maternal deaths and near-miss cases that occurred in 15 health facilities in 11 LMICs reporting at least one death within the GLOSS study.
Coronavirus illness 2019 (COVID-19) is an airways infection caused by the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) which has been quickly disseminated all over the world, affecting to the general population including women in pregnancy time. As being a recent infection, the evidence that supports the best practices for the management of the infection during pregnancy is limited, and most of the questions have not been completely solved yet. This publication offers general guidelines focused on decision-making people, managers, and health's teams related to pregnant women attention and newborn babies during COVID-19 pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis article reviews critical aspects that have had an impact on the implementation of epidemiological surveillance of extreme maternal morbidity, as a tracer event of quality maternal care at population and institutional level; taking into account that maternal mortality has been usually monitored, and its analysis allows interventions to avoid maternal death. Until 2015, very few countries had been able to meet the goals established in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially MDG 5 - improving maternal health. As of today, it is observed that maternal mortality rate is quite heterogeneous, with rates from 1 case per 100,000 live births in developed countries, to more than 100 cases per 100,000 live births in developing countries.
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