Obstetric complications: does training traditional birth attendants make a difference?

Objective: To assess the effect that a training intervention for traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in Guatemala had on the detection of obstetric complications, the referral of patients with complications to the formal health care system, and, ultimately, those patients' utilization of essential obstetric care services.

Methods: Using a quasi-experimental design, a surveillance system of births was implemented to collect population-based information from 3,518 women between 1990 and 1993. All women were interviewed postpartum by physicians.