Concepts and methods for assessing the quality of essential obstetric care.

Approaches to reducing maternal mortality and morbidity have attracted much attention in the last decade. It is recognized that availability and use of essential obstetric care (EOC) of sound quality by women in labor would reduce the burden of illness and death resulting from pregnancy. However, the literature on methods for defining, assessing and improving the quality of EOC at the point of service delivery in developing countries is quite weak.