Neurodevelopmental outcome of high risk newborns discharged from special care baby units in a rural district in India.

Background: High risk newborns are most vulnerable to develop neuro-developmental delay (NDD). Early detection of delay in this group and identification of associated perinatal factors and their prevention can prevent disability in later life.

Design And Methods: Observational cohort study.

Access to and utilization of voucher scheme for referral transport: a qualitative study in a district of West Bengal, India.

Background: Lack of motorized transport in remote areas and cash in resource-constrained settings are major obstacles to women accessing skilled care when giving birth. To address these issues, a cashless voucher transport scheme to enable women to give birth in a health-care institution, covering poor and marginalized women, was initiated by the National Rural Health Mission in selected districts of India in 2009.

Methods: The access to and utilization of the voucher scheme were assessed between December 2010 and February 2011 through a qualitative study in the district of Purulia, West Bengal, India.

Skill of frontline workers implementing integrated management of neonatal and childhood illness: experience from a district of West Bengal, India.

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Purulia district, West Bengal, India, to assess the skill of 155 frontline workers implementing Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness (IMNCI) and the logistic support thereof. The skills of counting respiratory rate, assessing immunization status in both age groups, assessment of breastfeeding in young infants and plotting of weight in a growth chart in case of children aged 2-59 months were acquired by majority of workers. Around two-thirds workers synthesized correct classification and nearly 60% gave appropriate management of at least one subgroup.

Awareness and perception of mothers about functioning and different services of ICDS in two districts of West Bengal.

Integrated Child Development Services, a national programme of the Government of India has health, nutrition, and pre-school education components of services. To ascertain awareness, perception of mothers about functioning and different services of ICDS a cross-sectional community based study was conducted between June to September 2007 in Howrah and Purulia districts of West Bengal. A total of 1235 mothers were included as study subjects.

Availability and use of emergency obstetric care services in four districts of West Bengal, India.

Process indicators have been recommended for monitoring the availability and use of emergency obstetric care (EmOC) services. A health facility-based study was carried out in 2002 in four districts of West Bengal, India, to analyze these process indicators. Relevant records and registers for 2001 of all studied facilities in the districts were reviewed to collect data using a pre-designed schedule.