Knowledge and Attitude of Nurse-Midwives Regarding Maternal Health Care Quality Standards in Two Regional Teaching and Referral Hospitals in Kenya

Introduction: Maternal mortality remains a major health concern in Sub-Saharan Africa and Kenya in particular. Providing quality maternal health care has the potential of preventing over 75% of maternal deaths. The quality of maternal health care requires the utilization of maternal health care quality standards. Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the nurse-midwives knowledge and attitude toward the use of maternal health care quality standards. Methodology: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey carried out at Embu and Meru teaching and referral hospitals in Kenya, between August and December 2021. Eighty-five nurse-midwives working in the maternity unit participated in the study. Data was collected using a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 27.0. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Chi-square at Alpha level of 0.05 were used to test the relationship between the variables which were the nurse-midwives knowledge, attitude, and use of the quality standards. Result: Most (84.7%, n = 72) nurse-midwives were female and 44.7% (n = 38) were aged 20 - 29 years. Majority (64.7%, n = 55) were diploma holders and almost half (44.7%, n = 38) had practiced for 1 - 9 years. The average score for knowledge was 5.0 with 69.4% (n = 59) having a score of <7. Most nurse midwives (88.2%, n = 75) supported the use of the standards even though only 67.1% (n = 57) indicated that they use them. The support for the standards is significantly related to the gender of the respondents and their duration in maternity. There was no significant association between knowledge and use of maternal health care quality standards (X2 = 0.433, r = -0.085). There is no association between support for the standards and their use (X2 = 0.008). Knowledge and attitude toward the maternal health care quality standards are not significantly associated (X2 = 0.156). Conclusion: The knowledge and attitude of the nurse-midwife neither influence each other nor do they influence the use of maternal health care quality standards.

Socioeconomic Distribution of Health and Health Care Utilization in a New Town in Hong Kong, China

Objectives To assess the association of socioeconomic indicators with various chronic and acute illnesses and the utilization of public health care in a new town in Hong Kong, China. Methods Illness experience and socioeconomic and demographic data of 7570 residents from 2022 randomly selected households were collected through telephone interviews. The relationships between socioeconomic indicators and illnesses/choice of health care were explored using stepwise logistic regressions after adjusting for sex and age. Results Significant positive associations were noted between low household income and diabetes mellitus, any chronic illnesses among adults and flu among younger subjects; low educational level and accident-related illness among adults; being born in Chinese mainland and flu, any acute illness in adults. For the utilization of public health care, low household income was the most consistent risk factor. Conclusion This study did not demonstrate a unidirectional socioeconomic gradient in healt

Health Care Policy and Reform—Case Study on Liberia Tuberculosis among Childbearing Age Women

Objective: Liberia health care needs to focus on addressing this disease called Tuberculosis among childbearing age women in Liberia and the world;focusing on women’s health governance of Liberia should involve these three sets of actors to control a disease outbreak. The first set of state actors, including politicians, policymakers, and other government officials, need to provide health care education in every part. The public sector health bureaucracy comprising the health ministry, health, social insurance agencies, public pharmaceutical procurement and distribution entities, etc., is central. Still, non-health public sector actors also play a role. Methods: The researcher used the questionnaire method as the main instrument for the study. Results: This survey indicates that 48% of those responding to health education can reduce TB among childbearing age women showed that education could minimize the spread of TB. 25% can improve economic status. 27% said it could reduce the illiteracy rate. The instruments used were positively related to the topic to obtain the needed findings. This set comprises public, private, should not be-for-profit individuals and groups that deliver health services and organizations that support service provision: medical training institutions, health insurance agencies, the pharmaceutical industry. Health service delivery can be presenting from the health system perspective, with inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes. WHO’re Systems Thinking for Health Systems Strengthening explaining that service delivery includes “effective, safe and quality personal and non-personal health interventions that are providing to those in need, when and where needed (including infrastructure), with minimal waste of resources”. Conclusion: Inputs for a sound health system, the need for health care delivery include financial resources, competent health care staff, adequate physical facilities and equipment, essential medicines and supplies, current clinical guidelines, and operational policies.

Factors Influencing Patient-Centered Care in the Primary Health Care Settings: The Impact of the Pandemic Crisis and Nurses’ Experience

Patient-centered care has over the past decades, been recognized worldwide as an important component of the health system giving a wider dimension to high-quality healthcare and service delivery. The impact on healthcare and services to the patient is the nurses’ ability to create a friendly rapport with the patients. Yet, the majority in the rural Primary Health Care facilities are still facing many challenges in demonstrating patient-centeredness services to the community. Thus, the objective of this study is to explore and describe the factors influencing patient-centered care provision and nurses’ experience in Primary Health Care facilities. An exploratory qualitative approach with purposive sampling was used to gather data. Individual interviews with 35 nurses were conducted using a semi-structure interview guide question in the Primary Health Care settings in Nigeria. Each of the interviews with the nurses lasted for 25 minutes to one hour. All interviews were audio-taped, and transcribed verbatim using Microsoft Word. The transcripts were read and re-read, coded using NVivo version 12 software to organize the relevant information and categorized them into themes and sub-themes. Thematic analysis guided this study. The findings revealed three themes and sub-themes. The impact of environmental factors with two subthemes—suitable working environment and coordinated care;resources—shortage of staff and inadequate resources as sub-themes, and lastly, cultural sensitivity and religious influence—communication. Poor implementation of PCC strategies in most of the PHC facilities could lead to poor patient care and a lack of job satisfaction among nurses. This study identified that nurses have both negative and positive experience in providing patient-centered care health services. Providing patient-centered care in the Primary Health Care setting promotes the goal of achieving universal health coverage in Nigeria if the government would prioritize nurses’ pay, employ more staff, provide a conducive working environment, and opportunities for further training programs for nurses to enable and empower them with the necessary knowledge and skills. This, in turn, will translate into a range of outcomes that are socially valued, such as health responsiveness, health coverage and fairness.

Operationalizing Adolescent Health Services at Primary Health Care Level in India: Processes, Challenges and Outputs

Background: Ministry of Health, Government of India developed the Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH) strategy and operationalized adolescent health services up to district and sub-district hospital level. Objectives: To operationalize adolescent health services at primary health care level in a block of Maharashtra;assess impact of need based interventions on quality of services;and understand potential for scalability in the state. Methods: Adolescent and Youth friendly centers were established at primary health care settings and interventions such as health system strengthening, sensitizing gatekeepers, involving Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHAs), developing inter and intra-sectoral linkages, improving monitoring and evaluation were tested. Results: Over a period of 2009-2014, there was a steady increase in the number of clients attending the Adolescent and Youth Friendly Health Centers (A&YFHCs). Attitude of providers to address adolescents’ needs improved significantly. Successful interventions were networking with schools, colleges and Non Government Organization (NGOs), linkages with HIV program and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), and involvement of ASHAs. Conclusions: The study demonstrates that although health system has the primary responsibility of addressing health issues among adolescents;it has limitations in terms of its reach to adolescents and generating demand for services. There is a need to network with education sector, ICDS, NGOs working for adolescent health and development to work as a team and address the multifaceted needs of the adolescents. Such a strategy will be crucial while implementing the recently launched Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram— the new national adolescent health programme in India.

Accessibility and availability of health care services to internally displaced persons, in Kitgum and Pader districts, northern Uganda

Introduction: During 1986-2009, an estimated 1.6 million persons were internally displaced from northern and eastern regions of Uganda due to civil war. We investigated accessibility to and availability of health care services for the internally displaced persons in Kitgum and Pader districts, northern Uganda. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Kitgum and Pader districts, northern Uganda. We interviewed a total of 1383 respondents comprising 968 (70%) adults and 415 (30%) adolescents;60% were females and 40% males, randomly selected from 35 of 67 (52.2%) internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. We held 27 key informant interviews and 52 focus group discussions. Data were entered in EPI data version 3.02 and analysed using SPSS version 12.00 statistical packages. Findings: Two thirds of the respondents 67.5% lived within 5 km distance of a health facility. The majority 62.9% of respondents mentioned that health related information was readily provided. 43.5% of health providers were always available in a health facility. A quarter 25.1% of health facilities always had drugs available, while 56.9% of the drugs prescribed were always available. Two thirds of the respondents 65.9% were satisfied with the health care services provided. The main reasons for the choice of a health facility were proximity 29.6%, provision of free treatment 24.7% and availability of drugs 17.2%. Main barriers to health care access were due to the lack of financial resources, trained personnel, and inadequate drugs and supplies in the health facilities. Conclusions and Recommendations: The majority of IDPs lived in close proximity to health facilities and obtained health care services from public health facilities. Access to health care was determined mainly by proximity and availability of free services and drugs. Although geographic accessibility to health services was high, lack of finances, information and decision power hindered access to health care services.

Effects of strengthening prospective nursing practice on sleep quality,anxiety,and depression of awake patients in intensive care unit

BACKGROUND The intensive care unit(ICU)is a specialized hospital department.Awake patients in the ICU frequently encounter adverse psychological states,such as anxiety and fear,often accompanied by poor sleep quality.This situation has garnered significant attention within the medical community.AIM To investigate the impact of prospective nursing intervention strategies on the sleep quality and negative emotional state of conscious ICU patients.METHODS One hundred and twenty ICU awake patients admitted to our hospital were selected and randomly divided into control(n=60)and observation(n=60)groups.Patients in the control group were cared for using the conventional nursing model,while patients in the observation group were cared for using the prospective nursing model.Sleep improvement was assessed using the International Standardized Sleep Efficiency Formula and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI).The PSQI,Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item(GAD-7)scale,Self-Depression Scale(SDS),and satisfaction before and after treatment were used to assess the negative emotional states of patients under the two care models.RESULTS Patient satisfaction in the observation group was significantly higher than in the control group.The GAD-7 and SDS scores in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group,and the total effective rate of sleep improvement in the observation group was significantly higher than in the control group.After treatment,the PSQI scores of the two groups significantly decreased(P<0.05).The decrease in the observation group was more significan than that in the control group,and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant.CONCLUSION Prospective nursing interventions can improve sleep quality and psychological levels and significantly affect conscious patients in the ICU,which is worthy of clinical application.

Effects of health concept model-based detailed behavioral care on mood and quality of life in elderly patients with chronic heart failure

BACKGROUND With the intensification of social aging,the susceptibility of the elderly population to diseases has attracted increasing attention,especially chronic heart failure(CHF)that accounts for a large proportion of the elderly.AIM To evaluate the application value of health concept model-based detailed behavioral care in elderly patients with CHF.METHODS This study recruited 116 elderly CHF patients admitted from October 2018 to October 2020 and grouped them according to the nursing care that they received.The elderly patients who underwent health concept model-based detailed behavioral care were included in a study group(SG;n=62),and those who underwent routine detailed behavioral nursing intervention were included as a control group(CG;n=54).Patients’negative emotions(NEs),quality of life(QoL),and nutritional status were assessed using the self-rating anxiety/depression scale(SAS/SDS),the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire(MLHFQ),and the Modified Quantitative Subjective Global Assessment(MQSGA)of nutrition,respectively.Differences in rehabilitation efficiency,NEs,cardiac function(CF)indexes,nutritional status,QoL,and nursing satisfaction were comparatively analyzed.RESULTS A higher response rate was recorded in the SG vs the CG after intervention(P<0.05).After care,the left ventricular ejection fraction was higher while the left ventricular end-diastolic dimension and left ventricular end systolic diameter were lower in the SG compared with the CG(P<0.05).The post-intervention SAS and SDS scores,as well as MQSGA and MLHFQ scores,were also lower in the SG(P<0.05).The SG was also superior to the CG in the overall nursing satisfaction rate(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Health concept model-based detailed behavioral care has high application value in the nursing care of elderly CHF patients,and it can not only effectively enhance rehabilitation efficiency,but also mitigate patients’NEs and improve their CF and QoL.

Indicator Selection for Quality Measurement in Maternal Neonatal and Child Health Services: Application of Random Forest Classifier

Quality of Maternal, Neonatal and Child (MNCH) care is an important aspect in ensuring healthy outcomes and survival of mothers and children. To maintain quality in health services provided, organizations and other stakeholders in maternal and child health recommend regular quality measurement. Quality indicators are the key components in the quality measurement process. However, the literature shows neither an indicator selection process nor a set of quality indicators for quality measurement that is universally accepted. The lack of a universally accepted quality indicator selection process and set of quality indicators results in the establishment of a variety of quality indicator selection processes and several sets of quality indicators whenever the need for quality measurement arises. This adds extra processes that render quality measurement process. This study, therefore, aims to establish a set of quality indicators from a broad set of quality indicators recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The study deployed a machine learning technique, specifically a random forest classifier to select important indicators for quality measurement. Twenty-nine indicators were identified as important features and among those, eight indicators namely maternal mortality ratio, still-birth rate, delivery at a health facility, deliveries assisted by skilled attendants, proportional breach delivery, normal delivery rate, born before arrival rate and antenatal care visit coverage were identified to be the most important indicators for quality measurement.

Utilising digital health to improve medication-related quality of care for hypertensive patients:An integrative literature review

BACKGROUND Hypertension or high blood pressure is considered as a significant contributor and risk factor to many serious conditions,approximately 1.13 billion people have hypertension globally.However,the integrated technologies can upscale health provisions and improve the effectiveness of the healthcare system.WHO has recommended that the digital health interventions(DHIs)and the Health System Challenges should be used in tandem in addressing health.AIM To summarise the outcomes from a range of research which investigated the use of DHI to improve the medication-related quality of care(MRQOC)for hypertensive patients.METHODS An integrative literature review was undertaken in October 2019 using the Medline,Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature,and Scopus databases for publications in English with no date limit.RESULTS In total,18433 participants were included in this review from 28 studies meeting the eligibility criteria.There were 19 DHI identified within eight countries:Australia,Canada,India,South Korea,Lebanon,Pakistan,the United Kingdom,and the United States of America.The DHI were provided as community-based,clinical-based and home-based program through mobile phone,mobile health system,short message service,and telehealth,digital medicine,and online healthcare(web-based).The mean age of participants was 59 ranging from 42 to 81 years with an average mean systolic blood pressure of 143.3 mmHg at baseline,ranging from 129.0 mmHg to 159.0 mmHg.The proportion of male participants ranged from 13.9%to 92.0%.Eighteen interventions showed evidence of reduction in blood pressure and improvement of self-management in relation to medication adherence and blood pressure control.The reduction of systolic blood pressure ranged between 1.9 mmHg and 26.0 mmHg,with a mean of 10.8 mmHg.The digital health was found positively associated with the MRQOC for hypertensive patients such as improvement in medication adherence and medication management;better blood pressure control;maintaining followups appointment and self-management;increasing access to healthcare particularly among patients living in rural area;and reducing adverse events.However,some interventions found no significant effect on hypertensive care.The follow up duration varied between 2 mo and 18 mo with an average attrition rate of 10.1%,ranging from 0.0%to 17.4%.CONCLUSION Utilising digital health innovation for hypertensive care in different settings with tailored interventions positively impacted on MRQOC leading to an improvement of patient outcomes and their quality of life.Nevertheless,inconclusive findings were found in some interventions,and inconsistent outcomes between DHI were noted.A future research and evidence-based DHI for hypertension or chronic diseases should be developed through the evidenceto-decision framework and guidelines.

Health Literacy, Self-Care Behavior and Quality of Life in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients: An Integrative Review

Purpose: The review aimed to find the best evidence on the relationship between health literacy, self-care behavior and perceived quality of life (QoL) among patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: Searching engines included Cumulative Index to Nursing Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Pro Quest, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, SAGE Journals, Wiley on Line Library, and Science Direct electronic databases from 2010 to 2018. Fifteen research articles assessed the main variables and their associations with demographic and clinical variables. Results: Different methodologies and samples were analyzed: analytic descriptive, systematic review, a randomized control trial, retrospective cohort, a prospective Cohort, cross-sectional, and correlational designs. The fifteen studies showed that the patients with ACS have inadequate health literacy. Patients’ ability to understand basic and complex information or to accurately assess health risks was impaired and may hinder patients’ engagement in self-care. Low HL in patients having ACS is consistently associated with poor QoL. Physical domain of QoL remained the significant outcome of both self-care behavior and health literacy after adjusting for demographics and clinical variables in patients with ACS. Conclusion: The literature pointed to the importance of considering health literacy and self-care behaviors as predictors of quality of life among patients with ACS. However, there has been no previous evidence on the best process of the association between these three variables.

Supportive care needs and health-related quality of life among Chinese lung cancer survivors

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the supportive care needs and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of lung cancer survivors, and to identify the association between patient characteristics, HRQoL and supportive care needs. Method: This was a sub-study of a larger scale survey of cancer survivors’ supportive care needs. A total of 48 lung cancer survivors were recruited from a regional teaching hospital, and a three-part structured questionnaire was used to collect 1) socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, 2) supportive care needs and 3) health-related quality of life data. Results: The three most commonly reported unmet needs were all in the health-system information domain: 1) being informed about your results as soon as possible (58%), 2) being informed about cancer which is under control or diminishing (50%), and 3) being informed about things you can do to help yourself get well (46%). The second most common unmet need domain was access to healthcare and ancillary support services. The survivors generally reported satisfactory HRQoL. However, household income and unmet physical and psychological needs were independently associated with HRQoL among these survivors. Conclusion: The high unmet needs in the health-system information area call for a review of the content and amount of information provided to lung cancer survivors. In addition, more attention should be given to lung cancer survivors with low incomes but high physical and psychological unmet needs, who require appropriate follow-up and long-term care of a physical, social and psychological kind.

Impact of Relaxation and Group Psycho-Education on Health Outcomes Using Integrated Care Models and Quality Improvement

The purpose of this Integrated Care Practice Change and Quality Improvement (ICPCQI) initiative was to evaluate the impact of wellness and relaxation and group psycho-education on health out-comes in an integrated care setting. Individuals diagnosed with mental illness and a co-occurring chronic medical condition participated in the ICPCQI initiatives which were run by peer support and wellness experts in an integrated care setting over the one-year project implementation period. Evaluation of outcome measures revealed an overall decline of 8.3% (p < 0.0001) and 7.3% (p < 0.0001) in the average systolic and diastolic blood pressure respectively. There was a 12.3% (p = 0.02) reduction on the average PHQ-9 scores. GAD-7 (p = 0.9) scores had a mean reduction of 1.5%. These preliminary results suggest that the evidence-based ICPCQI initiatives positively impact health outcomes among individuals with mental illness and chronic medical conditions.

Quality of Intrapartum Care: Direct Observations in Selected Health Facilities in Zambia

Approximately 303,000 women die annually while giving birth, worldwide, and more than 99% of the deaths occur in developing countries. In Zambia, a developing country situated in sub-Saharan Africa, most of the maternal mortalities occur during the intrapartum and immediate postpartum periods, arising from postpartum hemorrhage, sepsis, obstructed labor, and hypertensive disorders. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the quality of intrapartum services provided in health facilities in the country. Methodology: Guided by a descriptive cross sectional design, data were collected from 264 women in labor using a World Health Organization validated observation checklist. Convenience sampling was used to recruit the women, while multistage sampling was used to select four health facilities. The Social Package for Social Sciences, version 23 was used to analyze the data. Results: One health facility met the World Health Organization 80% minimum standard in four out of the five categories used to measure quality in intrapartum care, while the other three met the minimum standard in one category each. Conclusion: Low numbers of midwives, inadequate supplies and equipment were major obstacles to following national and international agreed standards for providing optimal care during intrapartum period. Recommendations: There is need for local and national stakeholders in Zambia to urgently address the structural barriers that were observed, as well as invest in sufficient numbers of adequately trained and motivated midwives.

Health Literacy: Prevalence among Elderly Care Givers and Its Impact on the Frequency of Elderly Hospitalization and Elderly Health Related Quality of Life

Caring for the elderly is an extremely lonely and frustrating vigil. The care giver has the responsibility of caring for an elderly one to the myriad decisions on different topics such as diabetes care or cancer treatment. Care givers with low levels of health literacy have less health knowledge, worse management of chronic disease and lower use of preventive services. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of health literacy among elderly care givers and its impact on the frequency of elderly hospitalization and elderly health related quality of life (QOL). The study was carried out on 200 elderly patients and their corresponding care givers. Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) and Newest Vital Sign (NVS) were used to assess caregivers’ health literacy. Assessment of the elderly health related QOL was done by the use of short form-12 health survey (SF-12). The results were as followed, in elderly patients;92 were males and 108 were females. The mean elderly age was 69.4 ± 8.8. The mean age of caregivers was 42.1 ± 12.9 years. The prevalence of inadequate health literacy among elderly caregivers was 75.0%. There were significant associations between care givers, health literacy and the frequency of elderly hospitalization (p = 0.001), duration of hospital stay (p = 0.009), and the elderly health related QOL (p = 0.001). The study concluded that inadequate health literacy is a problem among elderly care givers in Egypt. Healthcare professionals must be made aware of this problem, which is to provide simplified educational materials to elderly care givers to maximize elderly care.

Impact of spiritual care on the spiritual and mental health and quality of life of patients with advanced cancer

BACKGROUND Cancer is a growing threat to human health.Due to the double torment of cancer and cancer treatment,patients with advanced cancer generally have a low quality of life.At present,there is a lack of systematic spiritual care plans for patients with advanced cancer as well as systematic guidance plans on the specific clinical application of spiritual care for advanced cancer patients.We hypothesized that our care plan would be effective in improving the spiritual and mental health and quality of life of patients with advanced cancer.AIM To construct a spiritual care plan suitable for Chinese patients with advanced cancer through literature analysis.METHODS From February to December 2018,through purpose sampling,we selected 100 advanced cancer patients from the Oncology Department and Hospice Ward of a tertiary hospital in Liaoning Province who met the study standards.Patients were randomly divided into experimental and control groups,with 50 cases in each group.The control group received the current routine care,while the experimental group received the advanced cancer spiritual care intervention in addition to routine care.RESULTS After the intervention,the overall spiritual health score for the experimental group was higher than that of the control group(4.68±1.36 vs 3.63±1.71).The difference between the groups was statistically significant(P<0.05).The proportion of anxiety-free patients in the experimental group was 95.45%,which was significantly higher than the 60.98%in the control group.Moreover,the proportion of non-depressed patients in the experimental group was 97.73%,which was significantly higher than the 85.37%in the control group(P<0.05).The overall quality of life score for the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group(5.36±1.16 vs 4.39±1.36,P<0.05).CONCLUSION Our spiritual care plan for patients with advanced cancer could improve their spiritual health and quality of life and reduce negative mental health symptoms.

Consistency of Nursing Directors, Nursing Supervisors, and Nursing Quality Specialists’ Perception about Nursing-Sensitive Indicators in Acute Care Settings

Introduction: Nursing-Sensitive Indicators (NSIs) is a critical concept for the advancement of the nursing profession. However, different managerial positions may have a different perspective on the appropriate NSIs that should be used in hospitals for the monitoring of nursing care quality. This study aims to find if there is a difference between three groups of nursing managerial positions on the appropriateness of NSIs for the monitoring of nursing care quality. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional approach was employed to evaluate if there is a difference among the three managerial groups in their evaluation for the appropriateness of using a cluster of NSIs in acute care settings. The study was conducted in Jordan between February and March 2020. Result: The study participants were 60 nurses from different managerial positions. The mean scores of the participants were: directors of nursing (200.6), nursing supervisors (199.1), and nursing quality specialists (198.62). The findings revealed no statistical difference between the three groups of their evaluation of the appropriateness of the NSIs. Conclusion: Standardizing the nursing mangers perspectives of NSIs may advance utilization of the NSIs for the monitoring and reporting of nursing care quality. Implications for Nursing Management: Consistent understanding of the measures that can be used to monitor quality of nursing care can establish the foundation for quality measurement and quality improvement in acute care settings.

Nurse Mentor Training Program to Improve Quality of Maternal and Newborn Care at Primary Health Centres: Process Evaluation

Quality of maternal and newborn care could be improved if health care providers’ knowledge and competencies as well as system level constraints are addressed. However, due to several barriers staff nurses who form the frontline of health care workforce have limited access to enhancing their clinical knowledge and competencies. To address this gap, a new cadre of nurse mentors (NMs) for the public health system were trained by specialists from a teaching hospital in a special 5-week training course. This included 54 hours of theory and 110 hours of practical in clinical obstetric and newborn care, apart from mentoring, quality improvement and health systems issues. The nurse mentors were assigned to support staff nurses in the primary health care centres (PHCs) in eight northern Karnataka districts. Each NM covered 6-8 PHCs monthly for 2 - 3 days and thus a total of 385 PHCs were reached. They received support in the field through supportive supervision visits done by the specialists who had trained them, as well as by refresher training and clinical postings to the district hospitals. This paper presents impact of the training program on change in immediate and long term knowledge and competency scores of nurse mentors. Their baseline knowledge scores changed from 44.3 ± 12.7 to 72.1 ± 13.8 immediately after the training in obstetric and from 18.2 ± 19.1 to 66.4 ± 14.9 in newborn (p p p > 0.05). Skills score soon after training increased from 62.2 ± 13.2 to 69.6 ± 12.5 in obstetric after a 1 year period and from 52.6 ± 9.3;63.5 ± 14.4 in newborn (p < 0.001) content areas respectively. These findings have implications for those interested in improving quality of maternal and child care through nurse-dependent health delivery systems.