Projects Details

Study Period: July 2024 to December 2024

Donor: Burnet Institute and World Health Organization (WHO).

Project Description:

Background: The lack of reliable epidemiological data on childbirth interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) poses a major obstacle to implementing successful methods without a thorough grasp of the underlying causes. It is crucial to assess the standard of care during childbirth and immediately after to identify factors that contribute to suboptimal results for women, fetuses, and newborns. The Global Platform for Maternal and Newborn Health study aims to use a network of healthcare institutions from several countries to regularly analyze the quality of care and the resulting health outcomes. The purpose of this platform is to observe and track compliance with guidelines, identify patterns, and support the implementation of WHO recommendations based on solid data. This will establish a strong framework for improving maternity and newborn healthcare in the region.

Objective: The primary objectives are to evaluate the quality of intrapartum and early postnatal care provided to women and newborns in participating health facilities by measuring:

1. Coverage of key intrapartum and early postnatal care practices in participating health facilities and whether key WHO intrapartum and early postnatal care recommendations are being implemented.
2. Women’s experiences of intrapartum and early postnatal care in participating health facilities.
3. Frequency of key maternal and newborn health outcomes related to the intrapartum and immediate postnatal period.

The secondary objectives are:

1. Monitor trends in key indicators of intrapartum and postnatal quality of care, health outcomes, and women’s experiences.
2. Investigate factors associated with positive or negative health outcomes and experiences of care.
3. Support the dissemination and uptake of WHO guidelines and associated tools related to intrapartum and early postnatal care in health facilities.
4. Facilitate data-driven approaches to improving the quality of intrapartum and early postnatal care in participating health facilities.
5. Strengthen maternal and newborn health research capacity in participating countries and health facilities.

Method: This is a multi-country cross-sectional hospital-based observational study. In Bangladesh, two divisions—Dhaka and Chattogram—have been chosen for this study. A total of 14 hospitals were selected. The selected hospitals are:

In Dhaka division:

1. Dhaka Medical College Hospital
2. Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital
3. Ad-Din Women's Medical College Hospital
4. Mohammadpur Fertility Services and Training Centre
5. Institute of Child and Mother Health (ICMH)
6. Kishoreganj 250 Bed District Sadar Hospital
7. Institute of Woman and Child Health and Ashulia Women and Children Hospital

In Chattogram division:

8. Chittagong Medical College Hospital
9. Feni 250 Bed District Sadar Hospital
10. Chandpur 250 Bed General Hospital
11. Noakhali 250 Bed General Hospital
12. Lakhmipur District Hospital
13. Chattogram Maa-O-Shishu Hospital
14. Red Crescent Maternity Hospital

We will monitor around 1,000 births in each hospital over three months, resulting in a total of 14,000 births across the selected hospitals in Bangladesh. We will conduct provider interviews of all selected hospitals. Prior to discharge, about 400 women will be interviewed in each hospital to determine their perceptions and experiences with healthcare. The study aims to create and maintain a platform that will analyze the quality of intrapartum and early postnatal care on a global scale during the course of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) effort.