Barriers to the implementation of quality maternal death reviews in health districts in Burkina Faso.

OBJECTIVE: To identify barriers to the implementation of maternal death reviews in health districts in Burkina Faso. METHODS: We conducted a multiple case study in seven health facilities chosen by contrasted purposive sampling. Sampling criteria were based on intrahospital maternal mortality rates and the location of the health facility. Data collection was conducted from April 27 to May 30, 2015, using structured and semistructured interviews and data extraction from source documents. Data were analyzed using a thematic approach. RESULTS: Barriers to quality maternal death reviews identified were primarily implementation conditions, including poor skills and motivation of healthcare personnel, low interest in quality of care, lack of suitable equipment, insufficient coordination and collaboration between health services, insufficient monitoring, and weakness in programming and conducting the reviews. CONCLUSION: Barriers to achieving quality maternal death reviews remain numerous at the operational level of the health system. Taking steps to remove these barriers is key to improving the quality of maternal death reviews and childbirth outcomes in Burkina Faso.

Evaluation of the quality of maternal death review cycles in Burkina Faso.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the quality of the maternal death review (MDR) cycle in selected health facilities in Burkina Faso in accordance with national standards. METHODS: A multiple case study using a qualitative approach performed in five health districts and two regional hospital centers in Burkina Faso. The facilities were chosen by contrasted purposive sampling based on hospital maternal mortality rate and urban or rural location. Structured and semistructured interviews were conducted and data analyzed thematically, horizontally, and vertically. RESULTS: Of the seven facilities included, six performed MDR. The MDR cycle was incomplete in five facilities because the implementation of recommendations had not been assessed. All cases of maternal death lacked vital information. Case analysis was not conducted in accordance with the national standards in most of the facilities. The action plans for implementing recommendations were not commonly used. CONCLUSION: The MDR process and its various stages did not meet quality standards. Identifying the determinants leading to lack of adherence to MDR standards will contribute to optimal choice of interventions and improving good practices in health facilities.

Inadequate programming, insufficient communication and non-compliance with the basic principles of maternal death audits in health districts in Burkina Faso: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Implementation of quality maternal death audits requires good programming, good communication and compliance with core principles. Studies on compliance with core principles in the conduct of maternal death audits (MDAs) exist but were conducted in urban areas, at the 2nd or 3rd level of the healthcare system, in experimental situations, or in a context of skills-building projects or technical platforms with an emphasis on the review of "near miss". This study aims to fill the gap of evidence on the implementation of MDAs in rural settings, at the first level of care and in the routine care situation in Burkina Faso. METHODS: We conducted a multiple-case study, with seven cases (health districts) chosen by contrasted purposive sampling using four criteria: (i) the intra-hospital maternal mortality rates for 2013, (ii) rural versus urban location, (iii) proofs of regular conduct of maternal death audits (MDAs) as per routine health information system, and (iv) the use of district hospital versus regional hospital for reference when the first mentioned does not exist. A review of audit records and structured and semi-structured interviews with staff involved in MDAs were conducted. The survey was conducted from 27 April to 30 May of 2015. RESULTS: The results showed that maternal death audits (MDAs) were irregularly scheduled, mostly driven by critical events. Overall, preparing sessions, communication and the conduct of MDAs were most of the time inadequate. Confidentiality was globally respected during the clinical audit sessions. The principle of "no name, no shame, and no blame" was differently applied and anonymity was rarely preserved. CONCLUSION: Programming, communication, and compliance with the basic principles in the conduct of maternal death audits were inadequate as compared to the national standards. Identifying determinants of such shortcomings may help guide interventions to improve the quality of clinical audits. RESUME: La mise en œuvre d'audits de décès maternels de qualité nécessite une bonne programmation, une bonne communication et le respect des principes fondamentaux. Des études sur le respect des principes fondamentaux existent mais ont été menées dans les zones urbaines, le 2ème ou 3ème niveau du système de santé, dans des situations expérimentales, un contexte de projets de renforcement des compétences ou de plates-formes techniques, en mettant l'accent sur la revue des «near miss¼. Cette étude vise à combler le manque d'information sur la programmation et le respect des principes fondamentaux concernant le milieu rural, le niveau du système de santé qui est. le district sanitaire et la situation de routine au Burkina Faso. MéTHODOLOGIE: Nous avons mené une étude de cas multiple dans 7 établissements de santé sélectionnés par échantillonnage raisonné contrasté selon 4 critères: milieu urbain ou rural, taux de mortalité maternelle dans les établissements de santé en 2013 (les données de l'année 2014 n'étant pas complètes à la rédaction du protocole), la déclaration des audits de décès maternels dans le système de surveillance nationale, le recours ou non par le district choisi à un centre hospitalier régional pour les soins complémentaires de premier niveau (normalement offerts à l'hôpital de district s'il existe). Une revue des dossiers d'audits, ainsi que des entretiens directifs, semi-directifs auprès du personnel impliqué dans les soins de maternité ont été réalisés. L'enquête s'est. déroulée du 27 Avril au 30 Mai 2015. RéSULTATS: Les résultats montrent que les revues des décès maternels ont été irrégulièrement programmées, de façon espacée et très souvent au gré des évènements. La préparation, la conduite des séances et la communication après les séances ont été défaillantes. La confidentialité au sein du groupe d'auditeurs a été respectée tandis que le niveau de respect du principe de « no name, no shame, no blame ¼ a varié d'une structure à une autre. Enfin, l'anonymat a été le moins respecté. CONCLUSION: La programmation, la communication et le respect des principes fondamentaux ont connu des défaillances par rapport aux normes mais de façon variable d'une structure à une autre. L'identification des déterminants de ces insuffisances pourront aider à l'orientation des interventions visant l'amélioration de l'activité des audits de décès maternels au niveau district de santé.