Maternal death surveillance and response system reports from 32 low-middle income countries, 2011-2020: What can we learn from the reports?

Maternal Death Surveillance and Response (MDSR) systems generate information that may aid efforts to end preventable maternal deaths. Many countries report MDSR data, but comparability over time and across settings has not been studied. We reviewed MDSR reports from low-and-middle income countries (LMICs) to examine core content and identify how surveillance data and data dissemination could be improved to guide recommendations and actions.

Maternal death surveillance efforts: notification and review coverage rates in 30 low-income and middle-income countries, 2015-2019.

Objective: Performance of maternal death surveillance and response (MDSR) relies on the system's ability to identify and notify all maternal deaths and its ability to review all maternal deaths by a committee. Unified definitions for indicators to assess these functions are lacking. We aim to estimate notification and review coverage rates in 30 countries between 2015 and 2019 using standardised definitions.

Transforming women's and providers' experience of care for improved outcomes: A theory of change for group antenatal care in Kenya and Nigeria.

Background: Group antenatal care (G-ANC) is a promising model for improving quality of maternal care and outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) but little has been published examining the mechanisms by which it may contribute to those improvements. Substantial interplay can be expected between pregnant women and providers' respective experiences of care, but most studies report findings separately. This study explores the experience and effects of G-ANC on both women and providers to inform an integrated theory of change for G-ANC in LMICs.

Fostering Protective Assets Among Syrian Refugee Girls Who Experience Child Marriage: Findings from a Formative Program Evaluation.

The International Rescue Committee's Life Skills Tailored Package for Early Marriage focuses on engaged, married, and divorced Syrian refugee girls aged 13-18 living in Lebanon. This paper details findings from a qualitative program evaluation. In-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) explored participants' viewpoints about program components.

Geographic Access and Maternal Health Services Utilization in Sélingué Health District, Mali.

Introduction: Maternal mortality is one of the main causes of death for women of childbearing age in Mali, and improving this outcome is slow, even in regions with relatively good geographic access to care. Disparities in maternal health services utilization can constitute a major obstacle in the reduction of maternal mortality in Mali and indicates a lack of equity in the Malian health system. Literature on maternal health inequity has explored structural and individual factors influencing outcomes but has not examined inequities in health facility distribution within districts with moderate geographic access.

Determinants of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in pregnant women (IPTp-SP) in Mali, a household survey.

Background: In malaria endemic regions, intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) is recommended for all pregnant women during prenatal consultation, from the fourth month of pregnancy up to the time of delivery. The Government of Mali is aiming for universal coverage of IPTp-SP. However, coverage is still low, estimated to be 18% for completion of three doses (IPTp-SP3).

Measuring contraceptive self-efficacy in sub-Saharan Africa: development and validation of the CSESSA scale in Kenya and Nigeria.

Objectives: Contraceptive self-efficacy, a women's belief about her own ability to complete the actions necessary for successful family planning, is a well-documented determinant of contraceptive use. However, there is currently no validated measure appropriate for low-resource settings. We developed and tested a new scale to measure Contraceptive Self-Efficacy among women in sub-Saharan Africa (CSESSA) using samples in Kenya and Nigeria.

Conservatively treated endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia/cancer: Risk of intrauterine synechiae.

Introduction: To determine whether progestin type or number of dilation and curettage procedures (D&Cs) were associated with intrauterine synechiae (IS) or pregnancy outcomes in patients conservatively treated for endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN) or endometrial cancer (EC).

Materials And Methods: We evaluated patients conservatively treated for EIN or EC from 2000 to 2017 at an academic center. IS were identified hysteroscopically.

Effect of group versus individual antenatal care on uptake of intermittent prophylactic treatment of malaria in pregnancy and related malaria outcomes in Nigeria and Kenya: analysis of data from a pragmatic cluster randomized trial.

Background: Every year, malaria in pregnancy contributes to approximately 20% of stillbirths in sub-Saharan Africa and 10,000 maternal deaths globally. Most eligible pregnant women do not receive the minimum three recommended doses of intermittent preventive treatment with Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP). The objective of this analysis was to determine whether women randomized to group antenatal care (G-ANC) versus standard antenatal care (ANC) differed in IPTp uptake and insecticide-treated nets (ITN) use.