Comparison of pregnancy outcomes between maternity waiting home users and non-users at hospitals with and without a maternity waiting home: retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To examine the impact of a maternity waiting home (MWH) by comparing pregnancy outcomes between users and non-users at hospitals with and without an MWH. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in Ethiopia comparing one hospital with an MWH (Attat) to a second hospital without one (Butajira). A structured questionnaire among sampled women in 2014 and hospital records from 2011 to 2014 were used to compare sociodemographic characteristics and pregnancy outcomes between Attat MWH users and non-MWH users, Attat MWH users and Butajira, and Attat non-MWH users and Butajira. χ2 or ORs with 95% CIs were calculated. Results: Compared with Attat non-MWH users (n=306) and Butajira women (n=153), Attat MWH users (n=244) were more often multiparous (multipara vs primigravida: OR 4.43 [95% CI 2.94 to 6.68] and OR 3.58 [95% CI 2.24 to 5.73]), less educated (no schooling vs secondary school: OR 2.62 [95% CI 1.53 to 4.46] and OR 5.21 [95% CI 2.83 to 9.61], primary vs secondary school: OR 4.84 [95% CI 2.84 to 8.25] and OR 5.19 [95% CI 2.91 to 9.27]), poor (poor vs wealthy: OR 8.94 [95% CI 5.13 to 15.61] and OR 12.34 [95% CI 6.78 to 22.44] and further from the hospital (2 h 27 min vs 1 h 00 min and 1 h 12 min: OR 3.08 [95% CI 2.50 to 3.80] and OR 2.18 [95% CI 1.78 to 2.67]). Comparing hospital records of Attat MWH users (n=2784) with Attat non-users (n=5423) and Butajira women (n=9472), maternal deaths were 0 vs 20 (0.4%; p=0.001) and 31 (0.3%; p=0.003), stillbirths 38 (1.4%) vs 393 (7.2%) (OR 0.18 [95% CI 0.13 to 0.25]) and 717 (7.6%) (OR 0.17 [95% CI 0.12 to 0.24]) and uterine ruptures 2 (0.1%) vs 40 (1.1%) (OR 0.05 [95% CI 0.01 to 0.19]) and 122 (1.8%) (OR 0.04 (95% CI 0.01 to 0.16]). No significant differences were found regarding maternal deaths and stillbirths between Attat non-users and Butajira women. Conclusions: Attat MWH users had less favourable sociodemographic characteristics but better birth outcomes than Attat non-users and Butajira women.

Factors associated with intended use of a maternity waiting home in Southern Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Although Ethiopia is scaling up Maternity Waiting Homes (MWHs) to reduce maternal and perinatal mortality, women's use of MWHs varies markedly between facilities. To maximize MWH utilization, it is essential that policymakers are aware of supportive and inhibitory factors. This study had the objective to describe factors and perceived barriers associated with potential utilization of an MWH among recently delivered and pregnant women in Southern Ethiopia. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted between March and November 2014 among 428 recently delivered and pregnant women in the Eastern Gurage Zone, Southern Ethiopia, where an MWH was established for high-risk pregnant women to await onset of labour. The structured questionnaire contained questions regarding possible determinants and barriers. Logistic regression with 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) was used to examine association of selected variables with potential MWH use. RESULTS: While only thirty women (7.0%) had heard of MWHs prior to the study, 236 (55.1%), after being explained the concept, indicated that they intended to stay at such a structure in the future. The most important factors associated with intended MWH use in the bivariate analysis were a woman's education (secondary school or higher vs. no schooling: odds ratio [OR] 6.3 [95% CI 3.46 to 11.37]), her husband's education (secondary school or higher vs. no schooling: OR 5.4 [95% CI 3.21 to 9.06]) and envisioning relatively few barriers to MWH use (OR 0.32 [95% CI 0.25 to 0.39]). After adjusting for possible confounders, potential users had more frequently suffered complications in previous childbirths (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.0 [95% CI 1.13 to 13.99]) and envisioned fewer barriers to MWH use (aOR 0.3 [95% CI 0.23 to 0.38]). Barriers to utilization included being away from the household (aOR 18.1 [95% CI 5.62 to 58.46]) and having children in the household cared for by the community during a woman's absence (aOR 9.3 [95% CI 2.67 to 32.65]). CONCLUSIONS: Most respondents had no knowledge about MWHs. Having had complications during past births and envisioning few barriers were factors found to be positively associated with intended MWH use. Unless community awareness of preventive maternity care increases and barriers for women to stay at MWHs are overcome, these facilities will continue to be underutilized, especially among marginalized women.

Emergency obstetric care provision in Southern Ethiopia: a facility-based survey.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the provision of basic emergency obstetric and newborn care (BEmONC), knowledge of high-risk pregnancies and referral capacity at health centres in Southern Ethiopia. DESIGN: A facility-based survey, using an abbreviated version of the Averting Maternal Death and Disability needs assessment tool for emergency obstetric and newborn care. Modules included infrastructure, staffing, number of deliveries, maternal and perinatal mortality, BEmONC signal functions, referral capacity and knowledge of risk factors in pregnancy. SETTING: Primary healthcare centres providing delivery services in the Eastern Gurage Zone, a predominantly rural area in Southern Ethiopia. PARTICIPANTS: All 20 health centres in the study area were selected for the assessment. One was excluded, as no delivery services had been provided in the 12 months prior to the study. RESULTS: Three out of 19 health centres met the government's staffing norm. In the 12 months prior to the survey, 10 004 ([Formula: see text]) deliveries were attended to at the health centres, but none had provided all seven BEmONC signal functions in the three months prior to the survey ([Formula: see text]). Eight maternal and 32 perinatal deaths occurred. Most health centres had performed administration of parenteral uterotonics (17/89.5%), manual removal of placenta (17/89.5%) and neonatal resuscitation (17/89.5%), while few had performed assisted vaginal delivery (3/15.8%) or administration of parenteral anticonvulsants (1/5.3%). Reasons mentioned for non-performance were lack of patients with appropriate indications, lack of training and supply problems. Health workers mentioned on average 3.9±1.4 of 11 risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Five ambulances were available in the zone. CONCLUSION: BEmONC provision is not guaranteed to women giving birth in health centres in Southern Ethiopia. Since the government aims to increase facility deliveries, investments in capacity at health centres are urgently needed.