Prevention and treatment of obstetric fistula: Identifying research needs and public health priorities.

From 28-29 July 2005, The Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health hosted a meeting on the prevention and treatment of obstetric fistula. The two-day meeting was co-sponsored by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO). More than 70 clinicians and public health experts from US, Canada, United Kingdom, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Malawi, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Peru, Romania, and Tanzania participated in the meeting to discuss the extent of obstetric fistula and the best ways to address this public health problem. The meeting continued on July 30 with a subgroup remaining to review the meeting deliberations, define country-specific research priorities and needs, and outline a multi-country research plan. The meeting had several objectives: 1) to advance scientific knowledge on the risk and treatment of obstetric fistula, 2) prioritize research questions regarding public health and clinical responses to obstetric fistula, 3) inform the design of a study addressing one or more key research needs and 4) inform the public health response to and management of obstetric fistula.