Effect of community-based newborn care implementation strategies on access to and effective coverage of possible serious bacterial infection (PSBI) treatment for sick young infants during COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: In Ethiopia, neonatal mortality is persistently high. The country has been implementing community-based treatment of possible serious bacterial infection (PSBI) in young infants when referral to a hospital is not feasible since 2012. However, access to and quality of PSBI services remained low and were worsened by COVID-19. From November 2020 to June 2022, we conducted implementation research to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and improve PSBI management implementation uptake and delivery in two woredas in Ethiopia. METHODS: In April-May 2021, guided by implementation research frameworks, we conducted formative research to understand the PSBI management implementation challenges, including those due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a participatory process engaging stakeholders, we designed adaptive implementation strategies to bridge identified gaps using mechanism mapping to achieve implementation outcomes. Strategies included training and coaching, supportive supervision and mentorship, technical support units, improved supply of essential commodities, and community awareness creation about PSBI and COVID-19. We conducted cross-sectional household surveys in the two woredas before (April 2021) and after the implementation of strategies (June 2022) to measure changes in targeted outcomes. RESULTS: We interviewed 4,262 and 4,082 women who gave live birth 2-14 months before data collection and identified 374 and 264 PSBI cases in April 2021 and June 2022, respectively. The prevalence of PSBI significantly decreased (p-value = 0.018) from 8.7% in April 2021 to 6.4% while the mothers' care-seeking behavior from medical care for their sick newborns increased significantly from 56% to 91% (p-value <0.01). Effective coverage of severely ill young infants that took appropriate antibiotics significantly improved from 33% [95% CI: 25.5-40.7] to 62% [95% CI: 51.0-71.6]. Despite improvements in the uptake of PSBI treatment, persisting challenges at the facility and systems levels impeded optimal PSBI service delivery and uptake, including perceived low quality of service, lack of community trust, and shortage of supplies. CONCLUSION: The participatory design and implementation of adaptive COVID-19 strategies effectively improved the uptake and delivery of PSBI treatment. Support systems were critical for frontline health workers to deliver PSBI services and create a resilient community health system to provide quality PSBI care during the pandemic. Additional strategies are needed to address persistent gaps, including improvement in client-provider interactions, supply of essential drugs, and increased social mobilization strategies targeting families and communities to further increase uptake.

Optimizing integration of community-based management of possible serious bacterial infection (PSBI) in young infants into primary healthcare systems in Ethiopia and Kenya: successes and challenges.

BACKGROUND: Ethiopia and Kenya have adopted the community-based integrated community case management (iCCM) of common childhood illnesses and newborn care strategy to improve access to treatment of infections in newborns and young infants since 2012 and 2018, respectively. However, the iCCM strategy implementation has not been fully integrated into the health system in both countries. This paper describes the extent of integration of iCCM program at the district/county health system level, related barriers to optimal integration and implementation of strategies. METHODS: From November 2020 to August 2021, Ethiopia and Kenya implemented the community-based treatment of possible serious bacterial infection (PSBI) when referral to a higher facility is not possible using embedded implementation research (eIR) to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of this life-saving intervention. Both projects conducted mixed methods research from April-May 2021 to identify barriers and facilitators and inform strategies and summative evaluations from June-July 2022 to monitor the effectiveness of implementation outcomes including integration of strategies. RESULTS: Strategies identified as needed for successful implementation and sustainability of the management of PSBI integrated at the primary care level included continued coaching and support systems for frontline health workers, technical oversight from the district/county health system, and ensuring adequate supply of commodities. As a result, support and technical oversight capacity and collaborative learning were strengthened between primary care facilities and community health workers, resulting in improved bidirectional linkages. Improvement of PSBI treatment was seen with over 85% and 81% of estimated sick young infants identified and treated in Ethiopia and Kenya, respectively. However, perceived low quality of service, lack of community trust, and shortage of supplies remained barriers impeding optimal PSBI services access and delivery. CONCLUSION: Pragmatic eIR identified shared and unique contextual challenges between and across the two countries which informed the design and implementation of strategies to optimize the integration of PSBI management into the health system during the COVID-19 pandemic. The eIR participatory design also strengthened ownership to operationalize the implementation of identified strategies needed to improve the health system's capacity for PSBI treatment.

Care-seeking behaviours of mothers and associated factors for possible serious bacterial infection in young infants during COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia: mixed-methods formative research.

OBJECTIVES: Implementation research was employed to examine rates and contextual factors associated with mothers' care-seeking for their sick neonates and identify challenges for community-based possible serious bacterial infection (PSBI) services access and implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: We conducted formative research involving household survey and programmatic qualitative study. SETTING: This formative study was conducted in Dembecha and Lume woredas of Amhara and Oromia regions. PARTICIPANTS: Data were captured from 4262 mothers aged 15-49 years who gave live birth 2-14 months before data collection, and interviews with 18 programme managers and 16 service providers in April to May 2021. ANALYSIS: A multilevel regression model was employed to identify predictors of maternal care-seeking for PSBI and thematic qualitative analysis to inform strategy development to strengthen PSBI implementation. RESULTS: Overall, 12% (95% CI 11.0% to 12.9%) and 8% (95% CI 7.9% to 9.6%) of mothers reported any newborn illness and severe neonatal infection (PSBI), respectively. More than half of mothers sought formal medical care, 56% (95% CI 50.7% to 60.8%) for PSBI. Women who received postnatal care within 6 weeks (adjusted OR (AOR) 2.08; 95% CI 1.12 to 3.87) and complete antenatal care (ie, weight measured, blood pressure taken, urine and blood tested) (AOR 2.04; 95% CI 1.12 to 3.75) had higher odds of care-seeking for PSBI. Conversely, fear of COVID-19 (AOR 0.27; 95% CI 0.15 to 0.47) and residing more than 2 hours of walking distance from the health centre (AOR 0.39; 95% CI 0.16 to 0.93) were negatively associated with care-seeking for severe newborn infection. Multiple pre-existing health system bottlenecks were identified from interviews as barriers to PSBI service delivery and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: We found gaps in and factors associated with care-seeking behaviour of mothers for their sick young infants including fear of COVID-19 and pre-existing health system-level barriers. The findings of the study were used to design and implement strategies to mitigate COVID-19 impacts on management of PSBI.

Completion of the modified World Health Organization (WHO) partograph during labour in public health institutions of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends using the partograph to follow labour and delivery, with the objective to improve health care and reduce maternal and foetal morbidity and death. The partograph consists of a graphic representation of labour and is an excellent visual resource to analyze cervix, uterine contraction and foetal presentation in relation to time. However, poor utilization of the partograph was found in the public health institutions which reflect poor monitoring of mothers in labour and/or poor pregnancy outcome. METHODS: A retrospective document review was undertaken to assess the completion of the modified WHO partograph during labour in public health institutions of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A total of 420 of the modified WHO partographs used to monitor mothers in labour from five public health institutions that provide maternity care were reviewed. A structured checklist was used to gather the required data. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. Frequency distributions, cross-tabulations and a graph were used to describe the results of the study. RESULTS: All facilities were using the modified WHO partograph. The correct completion of the partograph was very low. From 420 partographs reviewed across all the five health facilities, foetal heart rate was recorded into the recommended standard in 129(30.7%) of the partographs, while 138 (32.9%) of cervical dilatation and 87 (20.70%) of uterine contractions were recorded to the recommended standard. The study did not document descent of the presenting part in 353 (84%). Moulding in 364 (86.7%) of the partographs reviewed was not recorded. Documentation of state of the liquor was 113(26.9%), while the maternal blood pressure was recorded to standard only in 78(18.6%) of the partographs reviewed. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a poor completion of the modified WHO partographs during labour in public health institutions of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The findings may reflect poor management of labour or simply inappropriate completion of the instrument and indicate the need for pre-service and periodic on-job training of health workers on the proper completion of the partograph. Regular supportive supervision, provision of guidelines and mandatory health facility policy are also needed in support of a collaborative effort to reduce maternal and perinatal deaths.

Knowledge and utilization of partograph among obstetric care givers in public health institutions of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Globally, there was an estimated number of 287,000 maternal deaths in 2010. Eighty five percent (245,000) of these deaths occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. Among the causes of these deaths were obstructed and prolonged labour which could be prevented by cost effective and affordable health interventions like the use of the partograph. The Use of the partograph is a well-known best practice for quality monitoring of labour and subsequent prevention of obstructed and prolonged labour. However, a number of cases of obstructed labour do happen in health facilities due to poor quality of intrapartum care. METHODS: A cross-sectional quantitative study assessed knowledge and utilization of partograph among obstetric care givers in public health institutions of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia using a structured interviewer administered questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with knowledge and use of partograph among obstetric care givers. RESULTS: Knowledge about the partograph was fair: 189 (96.6%) of all the respondents correctly mentioned at least one component of the partograph, 104 (53.3%) correctly explained the function of alert line and 161 (82.6%) correctly explained the function of action line. The study showed that 112 (57.3%) of the obstetric care givers at public health institutions reportedly utilized partograph to monitor mothers in labour. The utilization of the partograph was significantly higher among obstetric care givers working in health centres (67.9%) compared to those working in hospitals (34.4%) [Adjusted OR = 3.63(95%CI: 1.81, 7.28)]. CONCLUSIONS: A significant percentage of obstetric care givers had fair knowledge of the partograph and why it is necessary to use it in the management of labour and over half of obstetric care givers reported use of the partograph to monitor mothers in labour. Pre-service and on-job training of obstetric care givers on the use of the partograph should be given emphasis. Mandatory health facility policy is also recommended to ensure safety of women in labour in public health facilities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

A national review of cesarean delivery in Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE: To describe Ethiopian national population-based and institutional cesarean delivery rates by sector, and to describe indications for cesarean delivery, fetal and maternal outcomes, and aspects of quality of care. METHODS: The data source was the national baseline assessment of emergency obstetric and newborn care--a cross-sectional, facility-based survey of 797 facilities. Two instruments were used to collect the data for the present paper: a retrospective record review of 267 cesarean deliveries based on the last 3 performed in each facility; and a 12-month summary of each facility's statistics on vaginal and abdominal deliveries. RESULTS: The national population-based cesarean delivery rate was 0.6%, with regional rates varying from 0.2% to 9%. The overall institutional rate was 18%, which varied between 46% in the private for- profit sector and 15% in the public sector. Maternal indications accounted for 66% of the cesareans reviewed, and fetal indications for 34%. Three-quarters of the cesareans were recorded as emergencies, but only 12% of these had their labor monitored with a partograph. The interval between decision and delivery was within 30 minutes for 36% of the women, 31-60 minutes for 23%, and more than 5 hours for 19%. Antibiotics were given in 94% of the reviewed cases; nevertheless, 12% of the cases reported wound infection. There were 2 maternal deaths and 14% of the newborns were stillbirths or died shortly after birth. CONCLUSION: The study showed little progress in the proportion of all births delivered by cesarean and a high rate of cesarean among women attended in the private sector--indicating a need to monitor the appropriateness of obstetric care in all sectors and to increase access in rural areas. Clinical management protocols for obstetric and newborn care are needed, and audits of cesareans should be performed at all institutions, especially in the private sector. The importance of improving record keeping is crucial for informed local decision-making.