Good practices to optimise the performance of maternal and neonatal quality improvement teams: Results from a longitudinal qualitative evaluation in South Africa, before, and during COVID-19.

Many maternal and neonatal deaths can be avoided if quality healthcare is provided. To this end, the South African National Department of Health implemented a quality improvement (QI) programme (2018-2022) to improve maternal and neonatal health services in 21 public health facilities. This study sought to identify good practices aimed at improving QI teams' performance by identifying optimal facility-level contextual factors and implementation processes.

From purists to pragmatists: a qualitative evaluation of how implementation processes and contexts shaped the uptake and methodological adaptations of a maternal and neonatal quality improvement programme in South Africa prior to, and during COVID-19.

Background: Despite progress, maternal and neonatal mortality and still births remain high in South Africa. The South African National Department of Health implemented a quality improvement (QI) programme, called Mphatlalatsane, to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and still births. It was implemented in 21 public health facilities, seven per participating province, between 2018 and 2022.

Outbreak of NDM-1- and OXA-181-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Bloodstream Infections in a Neonatal Unit, South Africa.

After an increase in carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) bloodstream infections and associated deaths in the neonatal unit of a South Africa hospital, we conducted an outbreak investigation during October 2019-February 2020 and cross-sectional follow-up during March 2020-May 2021. We used genomic and epidemiologic data to reconstruct transmission networks of outbreak-related clones. We documented 31 cases of culture-confirmed CRKP infection and 14 deaths.

Early Reflections on Mphatlalatsane, a Maternal and Neonatal Quality Improvement Initiative Implemented During COVID-19 in South Africa.

Despite global progress in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and stillbirths, much work remains to be done to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Reports indicate that coronavirus disease (COVID-19) disrupts the provision and uptake of routine maternal and neonatal health care (MNH) services and negatively impacts cumulative pre-COVID-19 achievements. We describe a multipartnered MNH quality improvement (QI) initiative called Mphatlalatsane, which was implemented in South Africa before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teenage births and pregnancies in South Africa, 2017 - 2021 - a reflection of a troubled country: Analysis of public sector data.

Articles on teenage pregnancies have been proliferating in both the popular press and the medical media. We analysed data available in the public sector database, the District Health Information System, from 2017 to 2021. During this time, the number of births to young teenagers aged 10 - 14 years increased by 48.