Monitoring maternal and newborn health outcomes in Bauchi State, Nigeria: an evaluation of a standards-based quality improvement intervention.

Objective: This study assessed the correlation between compliance with set performance standards and maternal and neonatal deaths in health facilities.

Design: Baseline and three annual follow-up assessments were conducted, and each was followed by a quality improvement initiative using the Standards Based Management and Recognition (SBM-R) approach.

Setting: Twenty-three secondary health facilities of Bauchi state, Nigeria.