OBJECTIVE to consider the relationship between first-time mothers and care providers in an organisational context. DESIGN an ethnographic approach was used to study the views and behaviours of providers and recipients of postnatal care. Fieldwork involved mainly conversations or qualitative interviews and observation. SETTING a postnatal unit in a tertiary referral hospital in Switzerland. ...

OBJECTIVE Postnatal care is an important issue in maintaining and promoting maternal and neonatal health. However, utilization of postpartum maternal health care services is at a low rate in many countries. This study was aimed to investigate the impact of integrated obstetric and neonatal services on utilization rates of postnatal health care service among mothers. METHODS This study was per...

OBJECTIVES To establish the relative cost effectiveness of postnatal support in the community in addition to the usual care provided by community midwives. DESIGN Randomised controlled trial with six month follow up. SETTING Recruitment in a university teaching hospital and care provided in women's homes. PARTICIPANTS 623 postnatal women allocated at random to intervention (311) or contro...

A maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) subspecialist has advanced knowledge of the medical, surgical, obstetrical, fetal, and genetic complications of pregnancy and their effects on both the mother and fetus. MFM subspecialists are complementary to obstetric care providers in providing consultations, co-management, or transfer of care for complicated patients before, during, and after pregnancy. The M...

BACKGROUND Despite a decade-long armed conflict in Nepal, the country made progress in reducing maternal mortality and is on its way to achieve the Millennium Development Goal Five. This study aimed to assess the degree of the utilization of maternal health care services during and after the armed conflict in Nepal. METHODS This study is based on Nepal Demographic and Health Survey data 2006 ...

BACKGROUND Despite the seven-fold increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among females previously diagnosed with gestational diabetes (GD), annual rates of follow-up in primary care are low. There is a need to consider how to reduce the incidence of progression to T2DM among this high-risk group. AIM To examine the views of females diagnosed with GD to ascertain how to improve prim...

BACKGROUND The Countdown to 2015 for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Survival initiative monitors coverage of priority interventions to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) for reduction of maternal and child mortality. We aimed to report on 68 countries which have 97% of maternal and child deaths worldwide, and on 22 interventions that have been proven to improve maternal, newborn, and ...

BACKGROUND Slow progress has been made in achieving the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 in Ghana. Ensuring continuum of care (at least four antenatal visits; skilled birth attendance; postnatal care within 48 hours, at two weeks, and six weeks) for mother and newborn is crucial in helping Ghana achieve these goals and beyond. This study examined the levels and factors associated with conti...

OBJECTIVE To explore use-inequity in maternal health-care services in home-based skilled-birth-attendant (SBA) programme areas in Bangladesh. METHODS Data from a community survey, conducted from February to May 2006, were analysed to examine inequities in use of SBAs, caesarean sections for deliveries and postnatal care services according to key socioeconomic factors. FINDINGS Of 2164 deliv...