reduction in maternal mortality requires an in-depth knowledge of the causes of death. this study was conducted to explore the circumstances and events leading to maternal mortality through a holistic approach. using narrative text analysis, all documents related to maternal deaths occurred from 2007 to 2011 in kerman province/iran were reviewed thoroughly by an expert panel. a 93-item chart ab...

background although iranian women increasingly attend hospitals for childbirth, no information is available on programs and practices related to infection control in labor and delivery units. conclusions the results of this study revealed a need for development of appropriate policies and protocols for infection control practices in labor and delivery units and also midwives training on clean d...

background: improving maternal health is one of the eight millennium development goals (mdgs) aimed at improving maternal healthcare and reducing maternal mortality. the utilization of maternal health services is influenced by several factors that need to be better understood. the objective of this study was to estimate the role of socio-economic position as a determinant of the utilization of ...

It is widely understood that maternal health care relies on the entire health system. However, little empirical, country-specific, research has been done to trace out the ways in which health system elements can shape maternal health outcomes. This study seeks to redress this situation, by providing an example of how a health systems approach can benefit the understanding of maternal health ser...

Despite evidence that social contexts are key determinants of health, research into factors associated with maternal health service utilization in Ethiopia has often focused on individual and household factors. The downside is that this underestimates the importance of taking contextual factors into account when planning appropriate interventions in promoting safe motherhood in the country. The...

Title: The role of health extension workers in improving utilization of maternal health services in rural areas in Ethiopia: a cross sectional study

In settings where active conflict, resource scarcity, and logistical constraints prevail, provision of maternal health services within health centers and hospitals is unfeasible and alternative community-based strategies are needed. In eastern Burma, such conditions necessitated implementation of the "Mobile Obstetric Maternal Health Worker" (MOM) project, which has employed a community-based a...

Drawing on an analysis by Pritchett et al of the "techniques of persistent implementation failure" common across many development sectors, this commentary suggests that health systems attempting to integrate maternal health and HIV services may need to contend with a profound clash of organizational cultures. For decades, countries have been pressed to implement global "best practices" in mater...

Despite World Health Organization recommendations that all women deliver with a skilled birth attendant (SBA), research continues to demonstrate large disparities in use of SBAs by socioeconomic status (SES). Yet few quantitative studies empirically examine the factors underlying these disparities, due in part to the fact that current models do not provide clear pathways-with measurable mediato...

The story below of a Ghanaian midwife from the Ashanti region illustrates how one person was able to mobilize local community members in rural Piase in the Bosomtwi district to create demand for, and improve access to and use of, emergency and routine maternal health services. Her story demonstrates how involving communities in maternal health issues can improve both access to services and mate...