Scaling up kangaroo mother care in the Philippines using policy, regulatory and systems reform to drive changes in birth practices.

The WHO recommends kangaroo mother care (KMC) for stable preterm and low birthweight babies because it has been demonstrated to reduce mortality by up to half compared with conventional incubator-based care. Uptake of KMC in low/middle-income countries has been limited, despite its suitability for low-resource environments. This paper reviews factors that contributed to the adoption and expansion of KMC in the Philippines.

Early essential newborn care is associated with improved newborn outcomes following caesarean section births in a tertiary hospital in Da Nang, Vietnam: a pre/post-intervention study.

Background: To improve maternal and neonatal outcomes, Vietnam implemented early essential newborn care (EENC) using clinical coaching and quality improvement self-assessments in hospitals to introduce policy, practice and environmental changes. Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children began EENC with caesarean section births to inform development of national guidelines. This study compared newborn outcomes after caesarean sections pre/post-EENC introduction.

A case for updating the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist to improve newborn care: Experience from seven Asia and Pacific countries.

The WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist (the SCC) is a clinical tool developed to help health workers follow evidence-based maternal and perinatal care practices at childbirth. Newborn delivery care practices at facilities in seven countries in East Asia and the Pacific were compared to practices checked by the SCC. The analysis found that the SCC does not incorporate several key evidence-based practices around birth demonstrated to prevent newborn morbidity or mortality, or harmful practices associated with increased risks.

School-based interventions to promote adolescent health: A systematic review in low- and middle-income countries of WHO Western Pacific Region.

Background: In the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region (WHO WPRO), most adolescents enroll in secondary school. Safe, healthy and nurturing school environments are critical for adolescent health and development. Yet, there were no systematic reviews found on the efficacy of school-based interventions among adolescents living in low and middle income countries (LMIC) in the Region.

Healthcare worker knowledge and skills following coaching in WHO early essential newborn care program in the Solomon Islands: a prospective multi-site cohort study.

Background: Newborn mortality in Oceania declined slower than other regions in the past 25 years. The World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the Early Essential Newborn Care program (EENC) in 2015 in Solomon Islands, a Small Island Developing State, to address high newborn mortality. We explored knowledge and skills retention among healthcare workers following EENC coaching.

Status of water, sanitation and hygiene services for childbirth and newborn care in eight countries in East Asia and the Pacific.

Background: Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services are critical to providing quality maternal and neonatal care in health facilities. This study aimed to investigate availability of WASH policies, standards, and services for childbirth and newborn care in hospitals in East Asia and the Pacific.

Methods: Descriptive analysis of survey data and observations of water, sanitation and hygiene services in maternity and neonatal care rooms and of deliveries in 147 hospitals in Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Viet Nam.

Early Essential Newborn Care Is Associated With Reduced Adverse Neonatal Outcomes in a Tertiary Hospital in Da Nang, Viet Nam: A Pre- Post- Intervention Study.

Background: To accelerate reductions in neonatal mortality, Viet Nam rolled out early essential newborn care (EENC) using clinical coaching, quality improvement assessments in hospitals, and updated protocols. Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children, a tertiary referral hospital in central Viet Nam, compared outcomes pre- and post-EENC introduction.

Methods: Records of live births and NICU admissions were reviewed pre- (November 2013-October 2014) and post- (November 2014-October 2015) EENC implementation.

Improving immediate newborn care practices in Philippine hospitals: impact of a national quality of care initiative 2008-2015.

Objective: To determine whether intrapartum and newborn care practices improved in 11 large hospitals between 2008 and 2015.

Design: Secondary data analysis of observational assessments conducted in 11 hospitals in 2008 and 2015.

Setting: Eleven large government hospitals from five regions in the Philippines.

Mapping of research on maternal health interventions in low- and middle-income countries: a review of 2292 publications between 2000 and 2012.

Background: Progress in achieving maternal health goals and the rates of reductions in deaths from individual conditions have varied over time and across countries. Assessing whether research priorities in maternal health align with the main causes of mortality, and those factors responsible for inequitable health outcomes, such as health system performance, may help direct future research. The study thus investigated whether the research done in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) matched the principal causes of maternal deaths in these settings.

Perspectives on the methods of a large systematic mapping of maternal health interventions.

Background: Mapping studies describe a broad body of literature, and differ from classical systematic reviews, which assess more narrowly-defined questions and evaluate the quality of the studies included in the review. While the steps involved in mapping studies have been described previously, a detailed qualitative account of the methodology could inform the design of future mapping studies.

Objectives: Describe the perspectives of a large research team on the methods used and collaborative experiences in a study that mapped the literature published on maternal health interventions in low- and middle-income countries (2292 full text articles included, after screening 35,048 titles and abstracts in duplicate).

Local and foreign authorship of maternal health interventional research in low- and middle-income countries: systematic mapping of publications 2000-2012.

Background: Researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are under-represented in scientific literature. Mapping of authorship of articles can provide an assessment of data ownership and research capacity in LMICs over time and identify variations between different settings.

Methods: Systematic mapping of maternal health interventional research in LMICs from 2000 to 2012, comparing country of study and of affiliation of first authors.

Big data in global health: improving health in low- and middle-income countries.

Over the last decade, a massive increase in data collection and analysis has occurred in many fields. In the health sector, however, there has been relatively little progress in data analysis and application despite a rapid rise in data production. Given adequate governance, improvements in the quality, quantity, storage and analysis of health data could lead to substantial improvements in many health outcomes.

Translation, cultural adaptation and field-testing of the Thinking Healthy Program for Vietnam.

Background: Depression and anxiety are prevalent among women in low- and lower-middle income countries who are pregnant or have recently given birth. There is promising evidence that culturally-adapted, evidence-informed, perinatal psycho-educational programs implemented in local communities are effective in reducing mental health problems. The Thinking Healthy Program (THP) has proved effective in Pakistan.

Health systems and noncommunicable diseases in the Asia-Pacific region: a review of the published literature.

Addressing the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in countries of the Asia-Pacific region requires well-functioning health systems. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), however, health systems are generally characterized by inadequate financial and human resources, unsuitable service delivery models, and weak information systems. The aims of this review were to identify (a) health systems interventions being implemented to deliver NCD programs and services and their outcomes and (b) the health systems bottlenecks impeding access to or delivery of these programs and services in LMICs of the Asia-Pacific region.