Building an effective coverage cascade for antenatal care: linking of household survey and health facility assessment data in eight low- and middle-income countries.

Background: Substantial gaps exist between pregnant women's contact with health facilities and the quality of care they receive (effective coverage) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). An effective coverage cascade is a useful analytical approach to uncover gaps due to poor facility service readiness and quality of care. We estimated readiness-adjusted antenatal care (ANC) coverage and built an effective coverage cascade in countries with available data.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small vulnerable newborns: an interrupted time series analysis in Peru and Brazil.

Background: We examined COVID-19's impact on the number of small vulnerable newborns (SVN) at national and regional levels in Peru and Brazil.

Methods: Using national birth registries, we examined monthly numbers of preterm (PT), low birthweight (LBW), and small for gestational age (SGA) newborns. We analysed COVID-19's impact on SVN using two interrupted time series models.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal, newborn, and child health service coverage in Burkina Faso.

Background: While countries' coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency contingency and response plans aimed to prevent and control the spread of the virus, they also caused major disruptions to health services. We assessed the effects of COVID-19 on coverage and inequalities in select maternal, newborn, and child health services in Burkina Faso.

Methods: We analysed data from two cross-sectional household surveys conducted in two provinces, one rural and one urban.

[Simultaneous Quadruple Therapy In The Treatment Of Helicobacter Pylori During Peptic Ulcer Disease].

Unlabelled: Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection plays an important role in the genesis of peptic ulcer disease. In the absence of susceptibility testing, concomitant quadruple therapy is one of the most widely used eradication methods. In the absence of a study on four-drug therapy and the difficulty of studying antibiotic susceptibility in our context, we initiated this work in order to evaluate the efficacy of an empirical treatment with concomitant four-drug therapy currently available.

Unveiling the dimension of regional disparities: Assessing the disruption of immunisation services by COVID-19 in Bangladesh.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted essential health care services worldwide, including those related to immunisation. National data from Bangladesh shows that child immunisation may have been adversely affected by the pandemic but regional evidence is limited. We therefore aimed to explore the regional differences in the indirect effects of COVID-19 on child immunisation in Bangladesh.

Inequalities and Trends in Under-Five Mortality Between Formal and Informal Areas in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The physical expansion of the city of Ouagadougou, the capital and largest city of Burkina Faso, subsided in 2015 after the government banned land speculation that contributed to the growth and entrenchment of informal areas. The government subsequently implemented social policies such as free health care for pregnant women and children under 5 years of age. Against this background, we tested the convergence of under-5 mortality trends between formal and informal areas in the city between 2010 and 2019; data covering that period came from the Ouagadougou Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS).

Delivery and postnatal care among women in 71 low- and middle-income countries: analyzing coverage gaps using household surveys.

Background: High levels of maternal morbidity and mortality persist in low- and middle-income countries, despite increases in coverage of facility delivery and skilled assistance at delivery. We compared levels of facility birth to a summary delivery care measure and quantified gaps.

Methods: We approximated a delivery care score from type of delivery (home, lower-level facility, or hospital), skilled attendant at delivery, a stay of 24-or-more-hours after delivery, and a health check within 48-h after delivery.

Levels, trends and inequalities in mortality among 5-19-year-olds in Tanzania: Magu Health and Demographic Surveillance Study (1995-2022).

Background: For the past two decades, health priorities in Tanzania have focussed on children under-five, leaving behind the older children and adolescents (5-19 years). Understanding mortality patterns beyond 5 years is important in bridging a healthy gap between childhood to adulthood. We aimed to estimate mortality levels, trends, and inequalities among 5-19-year-olds using population data from the Magu Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (HDSS) in Tanzania and further compare the population level estimates with global estimates.

Quality adjusted coverage of family planning services in low- and middle-income countries: Analysis of 33 countries using Demographic and Health Survey data.

Background: Monitoring service quality for family planning programmes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has been challenging due to data availability. Self-reported service quality from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) can provide additional information on quality beyond simple service contact.

Methods: The DHS collects need, use and counselling for contraceptives.

Challenges in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality in Niger: an in-depth case study.

Introduction: Recent modelled estimates suggest that Niger made progress in maternal mortality since 2000. However, neonatal mortality has not declined since 2012 and maternal mortality estimates were based on limited data. We researched the drivers of progress and challenges.

Effective multi-sectoral approach for rapid reduction in maternal and neonatal mortality: the exceptional case of Bangladesh.

Background: Bangladesh experienced impressive reductions in maternal and neonatal mortality over the past several decades with annual rates of decline surpassing 4% since 2000. We comprehensively assessed health system and non-health factors that drove Bangladesh's success in mortality reduction.

Methods: We operationalised a comprehensive conceptual framework and analysed available household surveys for trends and inequalities in mortality, intervention coverage and quality of care.

Erosion of the Capital City Advantage in Child Survival and Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Intervention Coverage in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The place of residence is a major determinant of RMNCH outcomes, with rural areas often lagging in sub-Saharan Africa. This long-held pattern may be changing given differential progress across areas and increasing urbanization. We assessed inequalities in child mortality and RMNCH coverage across capital cities and other urban and rural areas.

Identifying and Characterizing the Poorest Urban Population Using National Household Surveys in 38 Cities in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Identifying and classifying poor and rich groups in cities depends on several factors. Using data from available nationally representative surveys from 38 sub-Saharan African countries, we aimed to identify, through different poverty classifications, the best classification in urban and large city contexts. Additionally, we characterized the poor and rich groups in terms of living standards and schooling.

Harmonizing Data Visualizations on Child Health and Well-Being to Strengthen Advocacy and Monitoring Efforts.

Data visualization tools on child health have improved data accessibility but caused confusion over indicator data sources and which tools to use for specific purposes. We propose principles for generating future tools that can effectively trigger action and accountability for children everywhere.

Advocacy for Better Integration and Use of Child Health Indicators for Global Monitoring.

Making better use of harmonized indicators to monitor child health and well-being at the global level will avoid duplicative monitoring and evaluation exercises, improve evidence-based programming, and preserve resources that can be used to improve the quality of national data collection platforms.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trends in stillbirths, under-5 and maternal mortality in Brazil: Excess deaths and regional inequalities.

Background: Despite the proliferation of studies on the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there is less evidence on the indirect death toll compared to the health system and service provision disruptions. We assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on national and regional trends and differences in stillbirths, under-5 and maternal deaths in Brazil.

Methods: We used the nationwide routine health information system data from January 2017 to December 2021, to which we applied descriptive and advanced mixed effects ordinary least squared regression models to measure the percent change in mortality levels during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 to December 2021).

Use of a digital job-aid in improving antenatal clinical protocols and quality of care in rural primary-level health facilities in Burkina Faso: a quasi-experimental evaluation.

Objective: We assessed the impact of a digital clinical decision support (CDS) tool in improving health providers adherence to recommended antenatal protocols and service quality in rural primary-level health facilities in Burkina Faso.

Design: A quasi-experimental evaluation based on a cross-sectional post-intervention assessment comparing the intervention district to a comparison group.

Setting And Participants: The study included 331 direct observations and exit interviews of pregnant women seeking antenatal care (ANC) across 48 rural primary-level health facilities in Burkina Faso in 2021.

Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy with Choroid Plexus Cauterization in Infantile Hydrocephalus: An Experience from Mali.

Introduction: Pediatric hydrocephalus is a common disease in sub-Saharan Africa. In Mali, 350-400 new cases are diagnosed in our center yearly. With a total land mass of 1,241,000 km2, patients in remote areas must travel up to 1,500 km to access neurosurgical care.

The effect of sampling health facilities on estimates of effective coverage: a simulation study.

Background: Most existing facility assessments collect data on a sample of health facilities. Sampling of health facilities may introduce bias into estimates of effective coverage generated by ecologically linking individuals to health providers based on geographic proximity or administrative catchment.

Methods: We assessed the bias introduced to effective coverage estimates produced through two ecological linking approaches (administrative unit and Euclidean distance) applied to a sample of health facilities.

Health service utilisation during the COVID-19 pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa in 2020: a multicountry empirical assessment with a focus on maternal, newborn and child health services.

Introduction: There are concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the continuation of essential health services in sub-Saharan Africa. Through the Countdown to 2030 for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health country collaborations, analysts from country and global public health institutions and ministries of health assessed the trends in selected services for maternal, newborn and child health, general service utilisation.

Methods: Monthly routine health facility data by district for the period 2017-2020 were compiled by 12 country teams and adjusted after extensive quality assessments.