The role of care-seeking delays in intrauterine fetal deaths among 'near-miss' women in Herat, Afghanistan.

Background: Many pregnant women in resource-poor countries seek care only after developing severe complications during childbirth at home and often reach health facilities in moribund conditions. The objectives were to (i) investigate the association between care-seeking duration and fetal survival at admission; and (ii) assess the significance of care-seeking duration in relation to other determinants.

Methods: Data were analysed for 266 women who were pregnant with a singleton and admitted in life-threatening conditions to the maternity ward of Herat Regional Hospital in Afghanistan from February 2007 to January 2008.

Difficulties leaving home: a cross-sectional study of delays in seeking emergency obstetric care in Herat, Afghanistan.

This study used an analytical cross-sectional design to identify risk factors associated with delays in care-seeking among women admitted in life-threatening conditions to a maternity hospital in Herat, Afghanistan, from February 2007 to January 2008. Disease-specific criteria of 'near-miss' were used to identify women in life-threatening conditions. Among 472 eligible women and their husbands, 411 paired interviews were conducted, and information on socio-demographic factors; the woman's status and social resources; the husband's social networks; health care accessibility and utilisation; care-seeking costs; and community characteristics were obtained.