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Lisa M Calhoun,1– 3 Amelia Maytan-Joneydi,1 Abdoul Moumouni Nouhou,4 Lenka Benova,3 Thérèse Delvaux,3 Thomas van den Akker,2,5 Balki Ibrahim Agali,4 Ilene S Speizer1,6 1Carolina Population Center, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; 2Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands; 3Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; 4GRADE Africa, Niamey, Niger; 5Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands; 6Department of Maternal and Child Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USACorrespondence: Lisa M Calhoun, Carolina Population Center, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 123 West Franklin Street, Suite 210, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, USA, Email lisa_calhoun@unc.eduBackground: Client satisfaction is recognized as an important construct for evaluating health service provision, yet the field of family planning (FP) lacks a standard approach to its measurement. Further, little is known about satisfaction with FP services in Niger, the site of this study. This study aims to understand what features of FP visits were satisfactory or dissatisfactory from a woman’s perspective and reflect on the conceptualization and measurement of satisfaction with FP services.Methods: Between February and March 2020, 2720 FP clients (ages 15– 49) were interviewed across 45 public health centers in Dosso region, Niger using a structured survey tool. The focus of this paper is on a random sub-sample of 100 clients who were additionally asked four open-ended questions regarding what they liked and disliked about their FP visit. Responses were audio-recorded, translated into French, transcribed, translated into English, coded, and analyzed thematically.Results: FP clients described nine key visit attributes related to their satisfaction with the visit: treatment by the provider, content of the counseling, wait time, FP commodity availability, privacy, cleanliness/infrastructure, visit processes and procedures, cost, and opening hours. The reason for FP visit (start, continue, or change method) was an important driver of the dimensions which contributed to satisfaction. Pre-formed expectations about the visit played a critical role in shaping satisfaction, particularly if the client’s pre-visit expectations (or negative expectations) were met or not and if she obtained what she came for.Conclusion: This study makes a significant contribution by identifying visit attributes that are important to FP clients in Dosso region, Niger, and highlights that satisfaction with FP services is shaped by more than just what occurs on the day of service. We propose a conceptual framework to understand satisfaction with FP services that can be used for future FP programming in Niger.Keywords: client satisfaction, family planning, contraception, Niger

Background: We explored the perceptions of members of the Network for Scientific Support in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Health (NetSRH) on North-South-South networking and on constraints and perspectives for South-led research.Methods: An exploratory qualitative study was conducted 18 months after the network was launched. In-depth interviews were carried out with NetSRH members (n = 15) affiliated to southern research institutions. A thematic analysis was done and N-Vivo 10 software used.Results: A number of barriers to South-led research were identified, the most important being a lack of time, resources and research skills, and donor influence for the choice of research topics. Although the level of technical skills, such as writing proposals and scientific papers, differed among NetSRH members, all welcomed additional research capacity building. All members have deplored the lack of research management skills such as project cycle management as well as how to communicate with and get funds from donor agencies. International (local or regional) donor agencies had their own agenda with a budget already reserved for other purposes, thus priorities identified by national researchers were less taken into consideration. Systemic dependencies on external funds lead southern research partners to respond to calls for proposals mostly initiated by partners from northern institutions, leaving limited leeway for local initiatives. Southern NetSRH members perceived coaching done by the northern partners in scientific writing positively. South-South collaboration was minimal within NetSRH at this stage of the project, mainly due to time and resources constraints.Conclusion: NetSRH members unanimously concluded that sustainable financing of southern research centres is a necessary condition for them to initiate their own research projects. We recommend reserving funds within the international donor agencies for South-led research in order to break the vicious circle of running behind money provided by northern donors, thereby missing out on time and resources for reviewing research gaps and/or conducting needs evaluations required to initiate relevant own research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Covert contraceptive use (CCU) in sub-Saharan Africa is an indication of women's inability to exercise autonomy in their reproductive choices. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and determinants of CCU among a sample of FP clients in a municipality of Ghana.Methods: We conducted a mixed method study among women attending a public reproductive health clinic in Sunyani, a city of over 250,000 inhabitants in Ghana. An initial survey inquired into sociodemographic characteristics, use of family planning (FP) methods and partner awareness of contraceptive use. The predictors of CCU were explored using logistic regressions. We used the findings to develop a guide which we applied in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with attendants at the same facility. Qualitative data analysis was conducted using a framework approach.Results: We interviewed 300 women, 48 % of whom were aged between 26-33 years. The injectable was the most widely used method (56 %). The prevalence of CCU was 34 %. In multivariate analysis, single women were more likely to practice CCU than married or co-habiting women (Adjusted OR = 12.12, 95 % C.I. 4.73-31.1). Muslim and traditionalist women were similarly more likely to practice CCU than non-Muslim, non-traditionalist (Adjusted OR = 4.56, 2.29-9.06). Women who preferred to have their first or next child in 4 or more years from the time of the interview were more likely to be in CCU than women who intended to have children within 4 years of the interview (2.57; 1.37-4.83). Single women saw in covert use a statement of their social autonomy. To succeed in CCU, women wished that clinic attendance cards would not be given to them to keep at home. Though many participants saw in CCU a source of anxiety, they expected health workers to consider it and uphold confidentiality in the provision of services.Conclusions: Covert contraceptive use was high in this municipality and being single was the strongest predictor of the practice. Providers of FP services should reflect on how to adequately address the challenges faced by women who practice CCU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Strengthening the capacities of health professionals (HPs) in public health is a necessity in the context of recurrent epidemics in Africa. The objective of this study was to describe the process and results of an innovative online training program implemented in the post-Ebola context in Guinea between 2017 and 2021. Methods: The courses were developed in French in 2017-2018 by the Maferinyah Training and Research Center in Guinea with technical support from the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) of Antwerp (Belgium). The Moodle platform was used to locally manage and deliver these courses. A cross-sectional study using mixed research methods was carried out. Results: Three courses of three months duration each (6 to 8 modules) were developed and delivered between 2018 and 2021 on primary health care (eSSP), management of sexual and reproductive health services (eSSR), and research methodology. The online training on the Moodle platform was followed by a face-to-face capacity-building workshop. Of 479 HPs from 13 nationalities enrolled in the courses, 68.1% (326/479) completed the training and 80.4% of them (262/326) validated it (54.7% among all registrants). The success rate of women (56.7%) was higher than that of men (54%) and remained higher among Guineans (55.3%) compared to foreigners (51.4%) but these differences were not statistically significant. The success rates for the eSSP (47.7%), eSSR (58.5%) and eMR (59.1%) courses were also comparable. The learner satisfaction score ranged from 60 to 100% for different aspects of the courses. Conclusions: It is possible to offer online courses in a limited resource setting like Guinea. However, involving women in online training remains a challenge. Key messages: It is possible to offer online courses in a limited resource setting like Guinea. Involvement of women in online training remains a challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From a policy and programmatic point of view, this paper reviews the literature on the fertility-related needs of women and men living with HIV and how the entry points represented by family planning, sexually transmitted infection and HIV-related services can ensure access to contraception, abortion and fertility services for women and men living with HIV. Most contraceptive methods are safe and effective for HIV positive women and men. The existing range of contraceptive options should be available to people living with HIV, along with more information about and access to emergency contraception. Potential drug interaction must be considered between hormonal contraception and treatment for tuberculosis and certain antiretroviral drugs. Couples living with HIV who wish to use a permanent contraceptive method should have access to female sterilisation and vasectomy in an informed manner, free of coercion. How to promote condoms and dual protection and how to make them acceptable in long term-relationships remains a challenge. Both surgical and medical abortion are safe for women living with HIV. To reduce risk of vertical transmission of HIV and in cases of infertility, people with HIV should have access to sperm washing and other assisted conception methods, if these are available. Simple and cost-effective procedures to reduce risk of vertical transmission should be part of counselling for women and men living with HIV who intend to have children. Support for the reproductive rights of people with HIV is a priority. More operations research on best practices is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of normal delivery care in Côte d'Ivoire. A total of 229 women were included in a cross-sectional study conducted in four urban maternity wards between 2002 and 2003. Observation checklists and exit-interviews were used to examine various dimensions of care. The results showed that the overall quality of care was poor, despite most women giving birth with a professional midwife. A vaginal examination was performed systematically at admission but blood pressure was measured in less than half of the women. The partograph was completed during labour in only 5% of cases. Episiotomy and uterine revision rates were high at 24% and 32%, respectively. There was a lack of universal hygiene precautions and women received little support during labour. Our results question the quality of labour, delivery and postpartum care by skilled attendants in Côte d'Ivoire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Cambodia, clinics established for the prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in women sex workers do not address other reproductive health services. The aim of this study was to assess the need for more comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services for women sex workers in Cambodia. In January 2000, relevant documents were reviewed, interviews with key informants carried out and group interviews with women sex workers conducted. Medical records from women sex workers were also reviewed and some data collected prospectively in one government STI clinic. Interviews with the women and data from the government clinic indicated that excluding condoms, a very low proportion of women sex workers were currently using a modern contraceptive method--5% of 38 women and 1.6% of 632 women, respectively. Induced abortion was widely used but was perceived to be risky and costly. Data from a mobile team intervention and the government clinic respectively showed that 25.5% (n = 1744) and 21.9% (n = 588) of women sex workers reported at least one previous induced abortion. These findings reveal the need for accessible contraception and safe abortion services among sex workers in Cambodia, and raise the issue of the reproductive rights and reproductive health needs of women sex workers in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of COVID- 19 on routine maternal and newborn health services in three referral facilities in Guinea. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using routine facility data covering two years (2019-2021). COVID-19 effects were quantified using interrupted time series models. The use of services (intra-hospital deliveries and neonatal admissions) and outcomes (obstetric complications and neonatal deaths) were analyzed for the periods before (March 2019-February 2020), and during (March 2020-February 2021) the COVID- 19. Results: The mean number of monthly deliveries did not vary significantly before and during COVID-19 but that of induced labor increased significantly during COVID-19 (p < 0.001). Also, the monthly mean of neonatal admissions significantly decreased during COVID-19 (167 versus 124; p < 0.001). The mean number of monthly hospitalizations significantly decreased (123 before COVID-19 versus 87 during; p = 0.001). The mean number of monthly neonatal admissions in the pre-COVID-19 period significantly increased. Immediately after the start of the epidemic in Guinea (March 12, 2020), admissions declined significantly (64 admissions, 95%CI 102-27; p = 0.001). The mean number of monthly maternal deaths increased significantly during the pandemic (p = 0.002), as did the number of babies with low birth weight (p = 0.04). In the pre-COVID-19 period, there was a monthly increase of three neonatal deaths (95%CI 1.5 - 4; p = 0.001) but from the start of COVID-19, the monthly trend declined significantly and continued throughout the COVID- 19 period (5 deaths/month, 95%CI 7-3). Conclusions: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is jeopardizing efforts to achieve Millennium Development Goals for maternal and child health in urban settings in Guinea. For the country’s health system to be resilient to crises such as COVID-19, there is a need for interventions to ensure the continuity of maternal and neonatal care. Key messages: COVID-19 decreased monthly hospitalizations but increased maternal deaths in big urban maternities in Guinea. COVID-19 decreased neonatal admissions and deaths but increased low birth weight in referral neonatal units in Conakry, Guinea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Obstetric near-miss case reviews are being promoted as a quality assurance intervention suitable for hospitals in low income countries. We introduced such reviews in five district, regional and national hospitals in Benin, West Africa. In a cross-sectional study we analysed the extent to which the hospital audit teams were able to identify case management problems (CMPs), analyse their causes, agree on solutions and put these solutions into practice. Methods We analysed case summaries, women’s interview transcripts and audit minutes produced by the audit teams for 67 meetings concerning one woman with near-miss complications each. We compared the proportion of CMPs identified by an external assessment team to the number found by the audit teams. For the latter, we described the CMP causes identified, solutions proposed and implemented by the audit teams. Results Audit meetings were conducted regularly and were well attended. Audit teams identified half of the 714 CMPs; they were more likely to find managerial ones (71%) than the ones relating to treatment (30%). Most identified CMPs were valid. Almost all causes of CMPs were plausible, but often too superficial to be of great value for directing remedial action. Audit teams suggested solutions, most of them promising ones, for 38% of the CMPs they had identified, but recorded their implementation only for a minority (8.5%). Conclusions The importance of following-up and documenting the implementation of solutions should be stressed in future audit interventions. Tools facilitating the follow-up should be made available. Near-miss case reviews hold promise, but their effectiveness to improve the quality of care sustainably and on a large scale still needs to be established.

The immediate postpartum period (first 24 hours after birth) represents a critical time for women and newborns. Postnatal length-of-stay varies globally; in Guinea, a 24-hour facility stay following childbirth is recommended, with an emphasis on providing frequent monitoring of mother and newborn for the first 6 hours. This study describes postpartum length-of-stay following facility-based births in Guinea, and investigates factors associated with early discharge. This cross-sectional study analysed secondary Demographic and Health Survey data covering the most recent livebirths during 2013-2018. We included 2,763 women who gave birth vaginally or by caesarean section in healthcare facilities. Early discharge following vaginal birth was defined according to two cut-offs (<24 hours and <6 hours); early discharge following caesarean section was defined as <72 hours. We assessed socio-demographic, obstetric and health-system factors associated with early discharge using binary and multi-variable logistic regression. Among women with a vaginal birth, 81.5% were discharged <6 hours, with a median length-of-stay of 3 hours. 28% of women who had caesarean section were discharged <72 hours. Odds of discharge <6 hours among women who gave birth vaginally were lower for births in non-government hospital(aOR = 0.55[95%CI = 0.35;0.85]), and multiple births(aOR = 0.54[95%CI = 0.31;0.94]); while the odds were higher in five of the 8 regions compared to Boké. Among women who gave birth by caesarean section, odds of discharge <72 hours were lower for births in government hospitals(aOR = 0.09[95%CI = 0.03;0.3]), and girl newborns(aOR = 0.15[95%CI = 0.05;0.48]).This study showed that postpartum length-of-stays in Guinea is on average shorter than the local recommendations, with the majority of postpartum women with vaginal births spending less than 6-hours in health facilities after birth. Early discharge was associated with type of facility of birth and region. This warrants an in-depth exploration of reasons related to women's and families' preferences, health workers' practices, resource availability, and whether/how early discharge affects postpartum quality-of-care and health outcomes., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Semaan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a significant global public health problem and a violation of human rights experienced by one in three women worldwide. This study explores community perceptions of and responses to VAWG and challenges in accessing support services among female violence survivors in Arbaminch City., Methods: We adopted a phenomenological explorative qualitative study design. A total of 62 participants including female violence survivors, religious leaders, service providers, police, women, and men in participated in interviews, focus group discussions, and observations in August 2022. Participants were selected purposively, and the findings were analyzed thematically. We applied data source and respondent triangulation to increase the findings' trustworthiness., Results: Community perceptions of VAWG, specifically of intimate partner violence (IPV) and non-partner sexual violence (NPSV), varied depending on gender, age, and social position. IPV and NPSV were normalized through tolerance and denial by young and married men, while resistance to all forms of violence was common among women. Survivors of violence responded to the act of violence by leaving their homes, separating from their husbands, or taking harsh actions against their husbands, such as murder. Support for VAWG survivors was available through health care, free legal services, and a temporary shelter. Yet factors ranging from individual to societal levels, such as fear, lack of knowledge, lack of family and community support, and social and legal injustice, were barriers to accessing existing services. Nonetheless, violence survivors desired to speak about their experiences and seek psychosocial support., Conclusions: Our qualitative evidence gathered here can inform tailored VAWG prevention and response services such as interventions to shift social norms and the perception towards VAWG among different population group through raising awareness in schools, health care settings, faith-based venues, and using social media., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Admassu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: The introduction of female-initiated drug-delivery methods, including vaginal rings, have proven to be a promising avenue to address sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies, which disproportionally affects women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa. Efficient uptake of existing and new technologies such as vaginal rings requires in depth understanding of product adherence. This remains a major challenge as data on adherence to vaginal rings from African countries is limited. In this study, we explored adherence of contraceptive vaginal ring (NuvaRing®) use in Kigali, Rwanda using a mixed methods approach., Methods: We collected quantitative and qualitative data at multiple time points from women participating in a clinical trial exploring the safety and acceptability of either intermittent or continuous use of the NuvaRing®. Various adherence categories were used including monthly and cumulative adherence measurement. The quantitative data were analysed using R and the qualitative data were analysed using a deductive, content-analytical approach based on categories related to the quantitative adherence measures. All data were compared and triangulated., Results: Data from 120 enrolled participants showed that self-reported adherence was high at every study visit in both study groups. At first study visit 80% of the intermittent ring users and 79.7% of the continuous ring users reported perfect adherence (assessed as "the ring was never out"). Reporting of ring expulsions and removals were highest (28.3%) at the beginning of the trial. Self-reported perfect ring adherence increased during the study and reports of ring expulsions and removals declined as familiarity with this contraceptive method increased. The percentage of women with perfect cumulative adherence was non-significantly higher in the intermittent (61.7%) than in the continuous use group (54.3%). The low rate of discrepant adherence data after triangulation (6%) is in line with the perception of the participants as adherent throughout the study., Conclusions: Self-reported adherence in both study groups was high with removals and expulsions being within the expected product range. Comprehensive adherence data triangulation allowed for a deeper understanding of context-driven behaviour that shaped adherence patterns and challenges. Our data categorisation and triangulation approach has shown potential for implementation in future vaginal ring studies aiming to better understand and measure adherence., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2024 Kestelyn, Van Nuil, Umulisa, Umutoni, Uwingabire, De Baetselier, Uwineza, Agaba, Crucitti, Delvaux and van de Wijgert.)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected access to essential healthcare services. This study aimed to explore healthcare providers' perceptions and experiences of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in three referral maternal and neonatal hospitals in Guinea., Methods: We conducted a longitudinal qualitative study between June and December 2020 in two maternities and one neonatology referral ward in Conakry and Mamou. Participants were purposively recruited to capture diversity of professional cadres, seniority, and gender. Four rounds of in-depth interviews (46 in-depth interviews with 18 respondents) were conducted in each study site, using a semi-structured interview guide that was iteratively adapted. We used both deductive and inductive approaches and an iterative process for content analysis., Results: We identified four themes and related sub-themes presented according to whether they were common or specific to the study sites, namely: 1) coping strategies & care reorganization, which include reducing staffing levels, maintaining essential healthcare services, suspension of staff daily meetings, insertion of a new information system for providers, and co-management with COVID-19 treatment center for caesarean section cases among women who tested positive for COVID-19; 2) healthcare providers' behavior adaptations during the response, including infection prevention and control measures on the wards and how COVID-19-related information influenced providers' daily work; 3) difficulties encountered by providers, in particular unavailability of personal protective equipment (PPE), lack of financial motivation, and difficulties reducing crowding in the wards; 4) providers perceptions of healthcare service use, for instance their fear during COVID-19 response and perceived increase in severity of complications received and COVID-19 cases among providers and parents of newborns., Conclusion: This study provides insights needed to be considered to improve the preparedness and response of healthcare facilities and care providers to future health emergencies in similar contexts., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: To assess the adherence to option B + antiretroviral therapy (ART) and associated factors in pregnant and breastfeeding women in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)., Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search from 01 st January 2012 to 03 rd October 2022, across four databases: PubMed, Scopus, Proquest Central, and Index Medicus Africain, to identify studies focused on pregnant and/or breastfeeding women living with HIV and receiving option B+ ART in SSA. Studies reporting adherence data were included in the meta-analysis. Were excluded studies published before 01 st January 2012, grey literature, systematic reviews, and meta-analysis studies. Articles selection and data extraction were performed independently by two reviewers. We evaluated pooled adherence and pooled association between various factors and adherence using a random-effects model., Results: Overall, 42 studies involving 15,158 participants across 15 countries contributed to the meta-analysis. The overall pooled adherence was 72.3% (95% CI: 68.2-76.1%). Having high education level (pooled odds ratio (OR): 2.25; 95% CI: 1.57-3.21), living in urban area (pooled OR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.10-2.81), disclosing status to a family/partner (pooled OR: 1.74; 95% CI: 1.27-2.40), having a support system (pooled OR: 3.19; 95% CI: 1.89-5.36), receiving counseling (pooled OR: 3.97; 95% CI: 2.96-5.34), initiating ART at early clinical HIV stage (pooled OR: 2.22; 95% CI: 1.08-4.56), and having good knowledge on PMTCT/HIV (pooled OR: 2.71; 95% CI: 1.40-5.25) were factors significantly associated with adherence to option B + ART., Conclusions: Despite the implementation of option B+ ART, the level of adherence among pregnant and breastfeeding women in SSA falls short of meeting the critical thresholds for viral load suppression as outlined in the 95-95-95 objectives set for 2025. These objectives are integral for achieving HIV elimination, and in turn, preventing HIV mother-to-child transmission. To bridge this gap, urgent tailored interventions based on individual and structural factors are essential to enhance adherence within these subgroups of women. This targeted approach is crucial in striving towards the HIV elimination target in SSA., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In Benin maternal mortality remains high at 397 deaths per 100,000 live births, despite 80% of births being attended by skilled birth attendants in health facilities. To identify childbirth practices that potentially contribute to this trend, an ethnographic study was conducted on the use of biomedical and alternative health services along the continuum of maternal care in Allada, Benin. Data collection techniques included in-depth interviews ( N  = 83), informal interviews ( N  = 86), observations ( N  = 32) and group discussions ( N  = 3). Informants included biomedical, spiritual and alternative care providers and community members with a variety of socioeconomic and religious profiles. In Southern Benin alternative and spiritual care, inspired by the Vodoun, Christian or Muslim religions, is commonly used in addition to biomedical care. As childbirth is perceived as a "risky journey to the unknown", these care modalities aim to protect the mother and child from malevolent spirits, facilitate the birth and limit postpartum complications using herbal decoctions and spiritual rites and rituals. These practices are based on mystical interpretations of childbirth that result in the need for additional care during facility-based childbirth. Because such complementary care is not foreseen in health facilities, facility-based childbirth is initiated only at an advanced stage of labour or at the onset of a perceived immediate life-threatening complication for the mother or baby. Programmes and policies to reduce maternal mortality in Benin must seek synergies with alternative providers and practices and consider the complementary and integrated use of alternative and spiritual care practices that are not harmful.

Objective: To assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the provision and use of maternal health services in southern Benin from a local health system perspective., Methods: We conducted a qualitative study from April to December 2021 in a health district in southern Benin. We interviewed health workers involved in antenatal, delivery, postnatal and family planning care provision, alternative and spiritual care providers, administrative staff of the district hospital, community health workers, adolescents and women who had given birth in the past six weeks in public health centers were interviewed. The World Health Organization health systems building blocks framework was used to guide the thematic analysis from a local health system perspective., Results: The COVID-19 pandemic changed the lines of command and the institutional arrangements in the local health systems leadership; it put the interpersonal relationships in the health care provision team under stress and reduced the overall revenues of the district hospital. The motivation of allopathic health workers was undermined. Communities underutilized maternal health services in the COVID-19 period. Plausible causes included negative patient perceptions of COVID-19 measures taken at the public health facility level as well as well as fear of being forcibly vaccinated against COVID-19 in the health facilities., Conclusion: In times of health crises, appropriate local health system governance that integrates providers' concerns into effective guidelines is critical to reach and maintain a sufficient level of work motivation to ensure quality maternal health services., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Akpi, Vigan, Boyi Hounsou, Gandaho, Houngbo, Gryseels, Dossou and Delvaux.)

Background: In Cambodia, stillbirths and their underlying factors have not been systematically studied. This study aimed to assess the proportion and trends in stillbirths between 2017 and 2020 in a large maternity referral hospital in the country and identify their key determinants to inform future prevention efforts., Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis with a nested case-control study of women giving birth at the National Maternal and Child Health Centre (NMCHC) in Phnom Penh, 2017-2020. We calculated percentages of singleton births at ≥ 22 weeks' gestation resulting in stillbirth and annual stillbirth rates by timing: intrapartum (fresh) or antepartum (macerated). Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore factors associated with stillbirth, where cases were all women who gave birth to a singleton stillborn baby in the 4-year period. One singleton live birth immediately following each case served as an unmatched control. Multiple imputation was used to handle missing data for gestational age., Results: Between 2017 and 2020, 3.2% of singleton births ended in stillbirth (938/29,742). The stillbirth rate increased from 24.8 per 1000 births in 2017 to 38.1 per 1000 births in 2020, largely due to an increase in intrapartum stillbirth rates which rose from 18.8 to 27.4 per 1000 births in the same period. The case-control study included 938 cases (stillbirth) and 938 controls (livebirths). Factors independently associated with stillbirth were maternal age ≥ 35 years compared to < 20 years (aOR: 1.82, 95%CI: 1.39, 2.38), extreme (aOR: 3.29, 95%CI: 2.37, 4.55) or moderate (aOR: 2.45, 95%CI: 1.74, 3.46) prematurity compared with full term, and small-for-gestational age (SGA) (aOR: 2.32, 1.71, 3.14) compared to average size-for-age. Breech/transverse births had nearly four times greater odds of stillbirth (aOR: 3.84, 95%CI: 2.78, 5.29), while caesarean section reduced the odds by half compared with vaginal birth (aOR: 0.50, 95%CI: 0.39, 0.64). A history of abnormal vaginal discharge increased odds of stillbirth (aOR: 1.42, 95%CI: 1.11, 1.81) as did a history of stillbirth (aOR: 3.08, 95%CI: 1.5, 6.5)., Conclusions: Stillbirth prevention in this maternity referral hospital in Cambodia requires strengthening preterm birth detection and management of SGA, intrapartum care, monitoring women with stillbirth history, management of breech births, and further investigation of high-risk referral cases., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Persistent inequalities in coverage of maternal health services in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a region home to two-thirds of global maternal deaths in 2017, poses a challenge for countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets. This study assesses wealth-based inequalities in coverage of maternal continuum of care in 16 SSA countries with the objective of informing targeted policies to ensure maternal health equity in the region., Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 16 SSA countries (Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia). A total of 133,709 women aged 15-49 years who reported a live birth in the five years preceding the survey were included. We defined and measured completion of maternal continuum of care as having had at least one antenatal care (ANC) visit, birth in a health facility, and postnatal care (PNC) by a skilled provider within two days of birth. We used concentration index analysis to measure wealth-based inequality in maternal continuum of care and conducted decomposition analysis to estimate the contributions of sociodemographic and obstetric factors to the observed inequality., Results: The percentage of women who had 1) at least one ANC visit was lowest in Ethiopia (62.3%) and highest in Burundi (99.2%), 2) birth in a health facility was less than 50% in Ethiopia and Nigeria, and 3) PNC within two days was less than 50% in eight countries (Angola, Burundi, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Malawi, Nigeria, and Tanzania). Completion of maternal continuum of care was highest in South Africa (81.4%) and below 50% in nine of the 16 countries (Angola, Burundi, Ethiopia, Guinea, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda), the lowest being in Ethiopia (12.5%). There was pro-rich wealth-based inequality in maternal continuum of care in all 16 countries, the lowest in South Africa and Liberia (concentration index = 0.04) and the highest in Nigeria (concentration index = 0.34). Our decomposition analysis showed that in 15 of the 16 countries, wealth index was the largest contributor to inequality in primary maternal continuum of care. In Malawi, geographical region was the largest contributor., Conclusions: Addressing the coverage gap in maternal continuum of care in SSA using multidimensional and people-centred approaches remains a key strategy needed to realise the SDG3. The pro-rich wealth-based inequalities observed show that bespoke pro-poor or population-wide approaches are needed., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic affected provision and use of maternal health services. This study describes changes in obstetric complications, referrals, stillbirths and maternal deaths during the first year of the pandemic and elucidates pathways to these changes., Design: Prospective observational mixed-methods study, combining monthly routine data (March 2019-February 2021) and qualitative data from prospective semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed separately, triangulated during synthesis and presented along three country-specific pandemic periods: first wave, slow period and second wave., Setting: Six referral maternities in four sub-Saharan African countries: Guinea, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda., Participants: 22 skilled health personnel (SHP) working in the maternity wards of various cadres and seniority levels., Results: Percentages of obstetric complications were constant in four of the six hospitals. The percentage of obstetric referrals received was stable in Guinea and increased at various times in other hospitals. SHP reported unpredictability in the number of referrals due to changing referral networks. All six hospitals registered a slight increase in stillbirths during the study period, the highest increase (by 30%-40%) was observed in Uganda. Four hospitals registered increases in facility maternal mortality ratio; the highest increase was in Guinea (by 158%), which had a relatively mild COVID-19 epidemic. These increases were not due to mortality among women with COVID-19. The main pathways leading to these trends were delayed care utilisation and disruptions in accessing care, including sub-optimal referral linkages and health service closures., Conclusions: Maternal and perinatal survival was negatively affected in referral hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa during COVID-19. Routine data systems in referral hospitals must be fully used as they hold potential in informing adaptations of maternal care services. If combined with information on women's and care providers' needs, this can contribute to ensuring continuation of essential care provision during emergency., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: A minimum length of stay following facility birth is a prerequisite for women and newborns to receive the recommended monitoring and package of postnatal care. The first postnatal care guidelines in Cameroon were issued in 1998 but adherence to minimum length of stay has not been assessed thus far. The objective of this study was to estimate the average length of stay and identify determinants of early discharge after facility birth., Methods: We analyzed the Cameroon 2018 Demographic and Health Survey. We included 4,567 women who had a live birth in a heath facility between 2013 and 2018. We calculated their median length of stay in hours by mode of birth and the proportion discharged early (length of stay < 24 h after vaginal birth or < 5 days after caesarean section). We assessed the association between sociodemographic, context-related, facility-related, obstetric and need-related factors and early discharge using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression., Results: The median length of stay (inter quartile range) was 36 (9-84) hours after vaginal birth (n = 4,290) and 252 (132-300) hours after caesarean section (n = 277). We found that 28.8% of all women who gave birth in health facilities were discharged too early (29.7% of women with vaginal birth and 15.1% after a caesarean section). Factors which significantly predicted early discharge in multivariable regression were: maternal age < 20 years (compared to 20-29 years, aOR: 1.44; 95%CI 1.13-1.82), unemployment (aOR: 0.78; 95%CI: 0.63-0.96), non-Christian religions (aOR: 1.65; 95CI: 1.21-2.24), and region of residence-Northern zone aOR:9.95 (95%CI:6.53-15.17) and Forest zone aOR:2.51 (95%CI:1.79-3.53) compared to the country's capital cities (Douala or Yaounde). None of the obstetric characteristics was associated with early discharge., Conclusions: More than 1 in 4 women who gave birth in facilities in Cameroon were discharged too early; this mostly affected women following vaginal birth. The reasons leading to lack of adherence to postnatal care guidelines should be better understood and addressed to reduce preventable complications and provide better support to women and newborns during this critical period., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Many factors influence young women's choice of contraceptive methods and where to source them, yet less is known about whether one of these choices (method or source) is prioritized and the relationship between these choices. This study qualitatively explored decision-making around contraceptive method and source choice among young women in Kenya., Methods: In August-September 2019, 30 in-depth interviews were conducted with women ages 18-24 who had used two or more contraceptive methods and resided in three counties: Nairobi, Mombasa or Migori. Participants were recruited from public and private health facilities and pharmacies. Interview guides captured information about decision-making processes for each contraceptive method the respondent had ever used. Responses were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated into English, coded, and analyzed thematically., Results: The majority of respondents knew which method they wanted to use prior to seeking it from a source. This was true for all types of methods that women ever used. Of the small number of respondents who selected their source first, most were in the post-partum period or experiencing side effects and sought counseling at a source before choosing a method., Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of providing young women with high quality counseling that provides full information about contraceptive options and addresses that young women's needs vary along the reproductive health continuum of care. This will ensure that young women have information to inform future contraceptive decision-making prior to seeking care., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: This study examines the association between family planning (FP) discussions with health professionals during contact points on the maternal, newborn and child health continuum of care and timing of modern contraceptive uptake and method type in the one-year following childbirth in six regions of Ethiopia among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). Methods : This paper uses panel data of women aged 15-24 who were interviewed during pregnancy and the postpartum period between 2019-2021 as part of the PMA Ethiopia survey (n=652).  Results : Despite the majority of pregnant and postpartum AGYW attending antenatal care (ANC), giving birth in a health facility, and attending vaccination visits, one-third or less of those who received the service reported discussion of FP at any of these visits. When considering the cumulative effect of discussions of FP at ANC, pre-discharge after childbirth, postnatal care and vaccination visits, we found that discussion of FP at a greater number of visits resulted in increased uptake of modern contraception by one-year postpartum. A greater number of FP discussions was associated with higher long-acting reversible contraceptive use relative to non-use and relative to short-acting method use. Conclusions : Despite high attendance, there are missed opportunities to discuss FP when AGYW access care., Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed., (Copyright: © 2023 Calhoun LM et al.)

Introduction: In sub-Saharan Africa, there is limited evidence on the COVID-19 health-related effect from front-line health provision settings. Therefore, this study aimed to analyse the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine maternal and neonatal health services in three referral hospitals., Materials and Methods: We conducted an observational study using aggregate monthly maternal and neonatal health services routine data for two years (March 2019-February 2021) in three referral hospitals including two maternities: Hôpital National Ignace Deen (HNID) in Conakry and Hôpital Regional de Mamou (HRM) in Mamou and one neonatology ward: Institut de Nutrition et de Santé de l'Enfant (INSE) in Conakry. We compared indicators of health service utilisation, provision and health outcomes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic periods. An interrupted time-series analysis (ITSA) was performed to assess the relationship between changes in maternal and neonatal health indicators and COVID-19 through cross-correlation., Results: During COVID-19, the mean monthly number (MMN) of deliveries decreased significantly in HNID (p = 0.039) and slightly increased in HRM. In the two maternities, the change in the MMN of deliveries were significantly associated with COVID-19. The ITSA confirmed the association between the increase in the MMN of deliveries and COVID-19 in HRM (bootstrapped F-value = 1.46, 95%CI [0.036-8.047], p < 0.01). We observed an increasing trend in obstetric complications in HNID, while the trend declined in HRM. The MMN of maternal deaths increased significantly (p = 0.011) in HNID, while it slightly increased in HRM. In INSE, the MMN of neonatal admissions significantly declined (p < 0.001) and this decline was associated with COVID-19. The MMN of neonatal deaths significantly decreased (p = 0.009) in INSE and this decrease was related to COVID-19., Conclusion: The pandemic negatively affected the maternal and neonatal care provision, health service utilisation and health outcomes in two referral hospitals located in Conakry, the COVID-19 most-affected region., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Learning is a key attribute of a resilient health system and, therefore, is central to health system strengthening. The main objective of this study was to analyse how Guinea's health system has learnt from the response to outbreaks between 2014 and 2021., Methods: We used a retrospective longitudinal single embedded case study design, applying the framework conceptualised by Sheikh and Abimbola for analysing learning health systems. Data were collected employing a mixed methods systematic review carried out in March 2022 and an online survey conducted in April 2022., Results: The 70 reports included in the evidence synthesis were about the 2014-2016 Ebola virus disease (EVD), Measles, Lassa Fever, COVID-19, 2021 EVD and Marburg virus disease. The main lessons were from 2014 to 2016 EVD and included: early community engagement in the response, social mobilisation, prioritising investment in health personnel, early involvement of anthropologists, developing health infrastructure and equipment and ensuring crisis communication. They were learnt through information (research and experts' opinions), action/practice and double-loop and were progressively incorporated in the response to future outbreaks through deliberation, single-loop, double-loop and triple-loop learning. However, advanced learning aspects (learning through action, double-loop and triple-loop) were limited within the health system. Nevertheless, the health system successfully controlled COVID-19, the 2021 EVD and Marburg virus disease. Survey respondents' commonly reported that enablers were the creation of the national agency for health security and support from development partners. Barriers included cultural and political issues and lack of funding. Common recommendations included establishing a knowledge management unit within the Ministry of Health with representatives at regional and district levels, investing in human capacities and improving the governance and management system., Conclusion: Our study highlights the importance of learning. The health system performed well and achieved encouraging and better outbreak response outcomes over time with learning that occurred., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objectives: We aimed to describe the challenges and outcomes of implementing a national syphilis follow-up system to improve syphilis management in maternal and child health (MCH) services in Cambodia., Design: Operational study; quantitative cohort data and cross sectional qualitative data., Setting: Public health facilities at national level and in four provinces with high syphilis prevalence in Cambodia., Participants: Pregnant women screened for syphilis; MCH health care providers and managers., Methods: We conducted an operational research using syphilis screening and treatment data collected from a national follow-up system (cohort data) and reported in the health management information system (HMIS) between 2019 and 2020. We also conducted indepth interviews with 16 pregnant women and focus group discussions with 37 healthcare providers and managers. Descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis were used., Outcome Measures: Syphilis testing and treatment results and perceptions regarding these services., Results: A total of 470 pregnant women who tested positive in rapid syphilis testing were recorded in the national syphilis follow-up system in 2019-2020. Of these, 71% (332 of 470) received a rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test and 95% (n=315) tested positive; 78% (246 of 315) received any syphilis treatment and only 28% (88 of 315) were treated adequately with benzathine penicillin G (BPG). Data from four provinces with high syphilis prevalence (more closely monitored) showed higher testing and treatment rates than at the national level. HMIS aggregated data reported a higher number of pregnant women screened and treated for syphilis than the follow-up system during the same period. Barriers to syphilis testing and treatment included late antenatal care, long distance to RPR testing and treatment, partners' lack of support to reach the health facility, BPG stockout and poor adherence to oral treatment in the absence of BPG. Providers and managers reported a lack of communication across services, insufficient skills to treat infants and absence of clear guidance regarding the revised follow-up system. Study findings contributed to changes in operating procedures nationwide to facilitate access to syphilis testing and adequate treatment and a systematic follow-up of pregnant women and exposed infants., Conclusions: Study results contributed to informing improvements to syphilis management in MCH services in Cambodia., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

RésuméLa pratique contraceptive moderne augmente lentement parmi les jeunes générations au Bénin. La présente étude analyse les tendances, les déterminants du recours aux contraceptifs et leurs mécanismes d'actions chez les adolescentes. Les approches socio-écologique et intersectionnelle ont été adoptées, avec une méthode d'étude mixte portant sur les adolescentes de 15 à 19 ans sexuellement actives et non enceintes. Le volet quantitatif recourt aux données des cinq enquêtes démographiques et de santé du Bénin entre 1996 et 2017-18, avec une analyse descriptive et une régression logistique binaire pas à pas. Les données qualitatives collectées par des observations, discussions de groupe et entretiens individuels auprès de différents acteurs nationaux, ont fait l'objet d'analyse de contenu. Les résultats révèlent une prévalence contraceptive moderne basse, passant de 4,6% en 1996 à 13,3% en 2017-18, avec le préservatif comme principale méthode utilisée (8,2%). En 2017-18, la probabilité d'utiliser les contraceptifs était plus élevée chez les adolescentes des ménages riches (OR = 2,3), les scolarisées (OR = 2,3), les célibataires (OR = 2,1), celles fréquentant les services de planification familiale (PF) (OR = 1,8), connaissant le cycle menstruel (OR = 1,6), et économiquement actives (OR = 1,5). Cependant, être Yoruba réduit les chances d'utiliser les contraceptifs (OR = 0,5). Les données qualitatives confirment ces résultats et les complètent en mettant en avant l'effet du cadre juridique favorable à la pratique contraceptive, la stigmatisation sociale des utilisatrices, et les infox véhiculées en communauté. Nous recommandons des efforts pour le maintien des filles à l'école, la généralisation des services de PF pour les adolescents, la communication communautaire, et la subvention des contraceptifs.

Health facility assessments (HFAs) assessing facilities' readiness to provide services are well-established. However, HFA questionnaires are typically quantitative and lack depth to understand systems in which health facilities operate-crucial to designing context-oriented interventions. We report lessons from a multiple embedded case study exploring the experiences of HFA data collectors in implementing a novel HFA tool developed using systems thinking approach. We assessed 16 hospitals in four countries (Benin, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda) as part of a quality improvement implementation research. Our tool was organized in 17 sections and included dimensions of hospital governance, leadership and financing; maternity care standards and procedures; ongoing quality improvement practices; interactions with communities and mapping of the areas related to maternal care. Data for this study were collected using in-depth interviews with senior experts who conducted the HFA in the countries 1-3 months after completion of the HFAs. Data were analysed using the inductive thematic analysis approach. Our HFA faced challenges in logistics (accessing key hospital-based respondents, high turnover of managerial staff and difficulty accessing information considered sensitive in the context) and methodology (response bias, lack of data quality and data entry into an electronic platform). Data elements of governance, leadership and financing were the most affected. Opportunities and strategies adopted aimed at enhancing data collection (building on prior partnerships and understanding local and institutional bureaucracies) and enhancing data richness (identifying respondents with institutional memory, learning from experience and conducting observations at various times). Moreover, HFA data collectors conducted abstraction of records and interviews in a flexible and adaptive way to enhance data quality. Lessons and new skills learned from our HFA could be used as inputs to respond to the growing need of integrating the systems thinking approach in HFA to improve the contextual understanding of operations and structure., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.)

Background: Many young women experience important key life transitions during adolescence and early adulthood, such as initiation of sexual activity, first use of contraceptives, marriage, and childbirth. For young women to be able to plan and manage their lives, it is critical to understand how these life events intersect and shape their contraceptive decision-making. This study aims to explore young women's contraceptive method use trajectories, including the factors that influence contraceptive decision-making throughout adolescence and youth., Methodology: In 2019, the Full Access, Full Choice project (FAFC), implemented by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the African Institute for Development Policy, conducted 30 in-depth interviews with young women aged 18-24 years in three counties in Kenya (Nairobi, Mombasa and Migori). Eligible respondents had used two or more modern contraceptive methods. Interview guides utilized a modified life history approach to capture details about respondents' contraceptive use and life experiences from the time they first used contraception until the time of interview., Results: We identified five separate contraceptive use trajectories based on the occurrence and timing of marriage, childbirth, and contraceptive method choice as well as various influences on contraceptive decision-making. The majority of respondents began their contraceptive journey by using male condoms or emergency contraception, but subsequent contraceptive decisions were varied across trajectories and influenced by different factors. For many women, the initiation of a non-coitally dependent method occurred after the birth of a child; for some, this was the first method used. Once women transitioned to using a non-coitally dependent method such as injectables or implants, many cycled through different methods to find one that had fewer side effects or provided the desired duration of protection., Discussion: This study highlights the nuanced needs of young women throughout their adolescent and youth years in Kenya. This suggests that programs and policies need to encompass young women's diversity of experiences and motivations to best serve them., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Calhoun, Mandal, Onyango, Waga, McGuire, Zulu, van den Akker, Benova, Delvaux and Speizer.)

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have substantial impacts on health systems globally. This study describes experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, and physical, psychological and economic impacts among maternal and newborn healthcare providers. We conducted a global online cross-sectional survey of maternal and newborn healthcare providers. Data collected between July and December 2020 included demographic characteristics, work-related experiences, and physical, psychological, and economic impacts of COVID-19. Descriptive statistics of quantitative data and content analysis of qualitative data were conducted. Findings were disaggregated by country income-level. We analysed responses from 1,191 maternal and newborn healthcare providers from 77 countries: middle-income 66%, high-income 27%, and low-income 7%. Most common cadres were nurses (31%), midwives/nurse-midwives (25%), and obstetricians/gynaecologists (21%). Quantitative and qualitative findings showed that 28% of respondents reported decreased workplace staffing levels following changes in staff-rotation (53%) and staff self-isolating after exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (35%); this led to spending less time with patients, possibly compromising care quality. Reported insufficient access to personal protective equipment (PPE) ranged from 12% for gloves to 32% for N-95 masks. Nonetheless, wearing PPE was tiresome, time-consuming, and presented potential communication barriers with patients. 58% of respondents reported higher stress levels, mainly related to lack of access to information or to rapidly changing guidelines. Respondents noted a negative financial impact-a decrease in income (70% among respondents from low-income countries) concurrently with increased personal expenditures (medical supplies, transportation, and PPE). Negative physical, psychological and economic impacts of COVID-19 on maternal and newborn healthcare providers were ongoing throughout 2020, especially in low-income countries. This can have severe consequences for provision and quality of essential care. There is need to increase focus on the implementation of interventions aiming to support healthcare providers, particularly those in low- and middle-income countries to protect essential health services from disruption., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2022 Kolié et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The holistic care of obstetric fistula remains a significant public health concern in developing countries. Improving women's outcomes after repair requires perspectives on post-surgical period within which women have to fulfil their social roles and expectations, mainly becoming pregnant, cooking, resuming farming activities or sexual intercourse. Our objective was to explore stakeholders' perceptions of women's health and well-being after fistula repair, and their perspectives on strategies for improving their quality of life in Guinea. A qualitative study involving representatives from the Ministry of Health, regional, district and hospital managers, representatives of NGOs and funding bodies, local leaders, women who underwent fistula surgery and their relatives (husbands, family members), health providers and community health workers at different levels was conducted. Thematic analysis was performed using NVivo software. Overall, 41 in-depth interviews and seven focus group discussions were conducted with 83 various stakeholders. Unanimously, respondents perceived women treated for obstetric fistula are "diminished" and "vulnerable". This "vulnerability" encompasses physical, socio-emotional and economic dimensions. The high risk of maternal and neonatal complications such as fistula recurrence, abortion or stillbirth in these women was mentioned. Stakeholders emphasized the need for a multidisciplinary approach to improve women's health after repair. Social support, economic empowerment and medical follow-up were identified as key components to mitigate women's vulnerability for successful post-repair reintegration. The programmatic level in Guinea should consider women's health after fistula repair a vital component of the holistic fistula care.

Objective: To assess the implementation of the Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) strategy institutionalized in Benin in 2013 to address the alarmingly high maternal and neonatal death rates., Methods: A retrospective, mixed-methods study was performed. We used all maternal and neonatal death notifications and reviews from 2016 to 2018, reviewed the reports of 63 MPDSR working groups, and held two online group discussions. Descriptive quantitative analysis was performed, and content analysis was applied to qualitative data., Results: Deaths were under-notified, with estimated notification rates at 46%-48% for maternal and 16%-21% for neonatal deaths over the 3 years. Review completion rates were low, corresponding to 50%-56% of maternal and 8%-17% of neonatal deaths. Causes of undernotification included very low notification of community-based and private health facility deaths, and fear of blame. Low review completion rates were due to heavy workload, staffing shortages, fear of blame, and weak leadership. Moreover, reviews were of poor quality and the response was weak., Conclusion: Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response is operational in Benin. However, this assessment highlights the need to strengthen the notification strategy, continuously build MPDSR committee members' capacities, engage decision-makers for an effective response, and create a better blame-free, accountable, and learning culture., (© 2021 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Background: Significant adjustments to maternity care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the direct impacts of COVID-19 can compromise the quality of maternal and newborn care., Aim: To explore how the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected frontline health workers' ability to provide respectful maternity care globally., Methods: We conducted a global online survey of health workers to assess the provision of maternal and newborn healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected qualitative data between July and December 2020 among a subset of respondents and conducted a qualitative content analysis to explore open-ended responses., Findings: Health workers (n = 1127) from 71 countries participated; and 120 participants from 33 countries provided qualitative data. The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the provision of respectful maternity care in multiple ways. Six central themes were identified: less family involvement, reduced emotional and physical support for women, compromised standards of care, increased exposure to medically unjustified caesarean section, and staff overwhelmed by rapidly changing guidelines and enhanced infection prevention measures. Further, respectful care provided to women and newborns with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection was severely affected due to health workers' fear of getting infected and measures taken to minimise COVID-19 transmission., Discussion: Multidimensional and contextually-adapted actions are urgently needed to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the provision and continued promotion of respectful maternity care globally in the long-term., Conclusions: The measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic had the capacity to disrupt the provision of respectful maternity care and therefore the quality of maternity care., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Three blended courses on Primary Health Care (eSSP), Management of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services (eSSR), and Research Methods (eMR) were developed and implemented between 2017 and 2021 by the Maferinyah National Training and Research Center in Rural Health, a training and research institution of the Ministry of Health in Guinea. The study objectives were to evaluate the reasons for dropout and abstention, the learners' work behavior following the training, and the impact of the behavior change on the achievements of learners' organizations or services., Methods: We evaluated the three implemented courses in 2021, focusing on levels 3 and 4 of the Kirkpatrick training evaluation model. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through an open learning platform (Moodle), via an electronic questionnaire, during the face-to-face component of the courses (workshops), and at learners' workplaces. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were performed for quantitative and qualitative data, respectively., Results: Out of 1,016 applicants, 543 including 137 (25%) women were enrolled in the three courses. Over the three courses, the completion rates were similar (67-69%) along with 20-29% dropout rates. Successful completion rates were 72% for eSSP, 83% for eMR and 85% for eSSR. Overall success rate (among all enrollees) ranged from 50% (eSSP) to 58% (eSSR). The majority (87%) of the learners reported applying the knowledge and skills they acquired during the courses through activities such as supervision (22%), service delivery (20%), and training workshops (14%). A positive impact of the training on utilization/coverage of services and increased revenues for their health facilities were also reported by some trainees., Conclusion: These findings showed fair success rates and a positive impact of the training on learners' work behavior and the achievements of their organizations., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Millimouno, Delvaux, Kolié, Kourouma, Van Bastelaere, Tsunami, Béavogui, Garcia, Van Damme and Delamou.)

Routine postnatal care (PNC) allows monitoring, early detection and management of complications, and counselling to ensure immediate and long-term wellbeing of mothers and newborns; yet effective coverage is sub-optimal globally. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted availability and quality of maternal and newborn care despite established guidelines promoting continuity of essential services. We conducted a cross-sectional global online survey of 424 maternal and newborn healthcare providers from 61 countries, to explore PNC provision, availability, content and quality following the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire (11 languages), included four multiple-choice and four open-text questions on changes to PNC during the pandemic. Quantitative and qualitative responses received between July and December 2020 were analysed separately and integrated during reporting. Tightened rules for visiting postpartum women were reported in health facilities, ranging from shorter visiting hours to banning supportive companions and visitors. A quarter (26%) of respondents reported that mothers suspected/confirmed with COVID-19 were routinely separated from their newborns. Early initiation of breastfeeding was delayed due to waiting for maternal SARS-CoV-2 test results. Reduced provision of breastfeeding support was reported by 40% of respondents in high-income countries and 7% in low-income countries. Almost 60% reported that women were discharged earlier than usual and 27% perceived a reduction in attendance to outpatient PNC. Telemedicine and home visits were mostly reported in high-income countries to ensure safe care provision. Beyond the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, severe disruptions to content and quality of PNC continued to exist, whereas disruptions in availability and use were less commonly reported. Depriving women of support, reducing availability of PNC services, and mother-newborn separation could lead to negative long-term outcomes for women, newborns and families, and deny their rights to respectful care. Protecting these essential services is imperative to promoting quality woman-centred PNC during and beyond the pandemic., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2022 Semaan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objective: Continuum of care (CoC) in maternal health is built on evidence suggesting that the integration of effective interventions across pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period leads to better perinatal health outcomes. We explored gaps along the CoC in maternal health in Benin., Methods: A mixed-methods study triangulating results from a qualitative study in southern Benin with a quantitative analysis of Benin Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) data on the use of services along the CoC was conducted., Results: Benin Demographic and Health Survey analysis showed that although 89% of women reported at least one antenatal care (ANC) visit, only half initiated ANC in the first trimester and completed 4 or more visits. 85% reported facility-based childbirth and 69% a postnatal check within 48 h after childbirth. Our qualitative study confirms early initiation of ANC and the transition from facility-based childbirth to postnatal care are important gaps along the CoC and reveals late arrival at health facility for childbirth as an additional gap. These gaps interact with spiritual and alternative care practices that aim to safeguard pregnancy and prevent complications. Structural factors related to poverty and disrespectful care in health facilities compounded to limit the utilisation of formal healthcare., Conclusions: The combined use of BDHS and qualitative data contributed to highlighting critical gaps along the maternal CoC. A lack of integration of spiritual or alternative aspects of care into biomedical services, as well as structural factors, impeded access to healthcare in Benin., (© 2022 The Authors Tropical Medicine & International Health Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: Referral hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa are located in crowded urban areas, which were often epicentres of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper prospectively assesses how maternal healthcare was provided in six referral hospitals in Guinea, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: Mixed-methods design using three data sources: (1) qualitative data from repeated rounds of semi-structured interviews conducted between July 2020 and February 2021 with 22 maternity skilled heath personnel (SHP) on perceptions of care provision; (2) quantitative monthly routine data on caesarean section and labour induction from March 2019 to February 2021; and (3) timeline data of COVID-19 epidemiology, national and hospital-level events. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed separately, framed based on timeline analysis, and triangulated during reporting., Results: We identified three periods: first wave, slow period and second wave. The first wave was challenging for SHP given little knowledge about COVID-19, lack of infection prevention and control training, and difficulties reaching workplace. Challenges that persisted beyond the first wave were shortage of personal protective equipment and no rapid testing for women suspected with COVID-19. We noted no change in the proportion of caesarean sections during the pandemic, and a small increase in the proportion of labour inductions. All hospitals arranged isolation areas for women suspected/confirmed with COVID-19 and three hospitals provided care to women with suspected/confirmed COVID-19. Breastfeeding was not discouraged and newborns were not separated from mothers confirmed with COVID-19. Care provision was maintained through dedication of SHP, support from hospital management and remote communication between SHP., Conclusion: Routine maternal care provision was maintained in referral hospitals, despite first wave challenges. Referral hospitals and SHP contributed to guideline development for pregnant women suspected/confirmed with COVID-19. Maternity SHP, women and pregnancy must always be included in priority setting when responding to health system shocks, including outbreaks., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Introduction: In sub-Saharan Africa, referral hospitals are important sources of key maternal health services, especially during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study prospectively assessed the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal health service utilisation in six large referral hospitals in Guinea, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda during the first year of the pandemic., Methods: Mixed-methods design combining three data sources: (1) quantitative data based on routine antenatal, childbirth and postnatal care data collected March 2019-February 2021, (2) qualitative data from recurring rounds of semi-structured interviews conducted July 2020-February 2021 with 22 maternity skilled heath personnel exploring their perceptions of service utilisation and (3) timeline data of COVID-19 epidemiology, global, national and hospital-level events. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed separately, framed based on the timeline analysis and triangulated when reporting., Results: Three periods including a first wave, slow period and second wave were identified. Maternal health service utilisation was lower during the pandemic compared with the prepandemic year in all but one selected referral hospital. During the pandemic, service utilisation was particularly lower during the waves and higher or stable during the slow period. Fear of being infected in hospitals, lack of transportation, and even when available, high cost of transportation and service closures were key reasons affecting utilisation during the waves. However, community perception that the pandemic was over or insinuation by Government of the same appeared to stabilise use of referral hospitals for childbirth., Conclusion: Utilisation of maternal health services across the continuum of care varied through the different periods and across countries. In crisis situations such as COVID-19, restrictions and service closures need to be implemented with consideration given to alternative options for women to access and use services. Information on measures put in place for safe hospital use should be communicated to women., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Prior research has established that an individual's social environment may influence his or her reproductive behaviors, yet less is known about peer influence on contraceptive use among young people (ages 15-24). In Kenya, the site of this study, 15% of adolescents ages 15-19 have begun childbearing and 45% of sexually active young women report current use of a modern contraceptive method. This highlights the need to better understand what factors influence young people to use contraception. The objective of this study is to explore the relationship between the perception of peers' use of contraceptives and contraceptive use and method choice among young men and women in Kenya., Methods: This study utilizes a nationally representative sample of women and men aged 15-24 years from the 2018 and 2019 cross sectional Shujaaz State of the Kenyan Youth annual surveys. Among the sample of sexually experienced young people (59%), multivariable multinomial logistic regression was used to explore the association between the perception of peers' use of contraceptives and the respondent's contraceptive method choice: non-user, condom use or use of any other modern method. Results are presented separately for young men and young women., Results: Our results show that sexually experienced young men and women who perceive that their peers are using contraceptives are more likely to report current use of condoms compared to being a nonuser (RRR = 2.12, p < 0.001, RRR = 2.59, p < 0.001, respectively); they are also more likely to use condoms than another modern method of contraception (RRR = 2.13, p = 0.034, RRR = 1.71, p = 0.014, respectively). Young women are more likely to use another modern method (not including condoms) than be a nonuser when they perceive that their peers' use contraceptives (RRR = 1.51, p = 0.020)., Conclusions: The results of this study highlight the important role of peer influence on young people's contraceptive choices. These findings can be used to develop programs that encourage behavior change communication activities in Kenya that focus on normalizing use of a full range of contraceptive methods among peer groups of sexually experienced young people., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objectives: The study aimed to assess the determinants of modern contraceptive method use among young women in Benin., Design: A mixed-methods design., Setting and Participants: We used the Benin 2017-2018 Demographic and Health Survey datasets for quantitative analysis. Data collection was conducted using multiple-cluster sampling method and through household survey. Qualitative part was conducted in the city of Allada, one of the Fon cultural capitals in Benin. The participants were purposively selected., Outcomes: Contraceptive prevalence rate, unmet need for modern method and percentage of demand satisfied by a modern method for currently married and sexually active unmarried women were measured in the quantitative part. Access barriers and utilisation of modern methods were assessed in the qualitative part., Results: Overall, 8.5% (95% CI 7.7% to 9.5%) among young women ages 15-24 were using modern contraceptives and 13% (12.1% to 14.0%) among women ages 25 or more. Women 15-24 had a higher unmet need, and a lower demand satisfied by modern contraceptive methods compared with women ages 25 or more. 60.8% (56.9% to 64.7%) of all unmarried young women had unmet need for modern contraceptives. Young women were more likely to use male condoms which they obtain mainly from for-profit outlets, pharmacies and relatives. The factors associated with demand satisfied by a modern method were literacy, being unmarried, knowing a greater number of modern contraceptive methods and experiencing barriers in access to health services. On the other hand, the qualitative study found that barriers to using modern methods include community norms about pre-marital sexual intercourse, perceptions about young women's fertility, spousal consent and the use of non-modern contraceptives., Conclusion: Contraceptive use is low among young women in Benin. The use of modern contraceptives is influenced by sociodemographic factors and social norms. Appropriate interventions might promote comprehensive sexuality education, increase community engagement, provide youth-friendly services and address gender inequalities., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Introduction: Acceptability of and satisfaction with contraceptive methods are paramount for uptake and continuation. In the current context of multipurpose prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases/HIV development, it is critical to have a better understanding of acceptability of and satisfaction with the contraceptive vaginal ring (CVR) including sexual satisfaction. The objective of this study was to review the evidence about acceptability of CVRs and general and sexual satisfaction of users. Methods: We searched PubMed, CINAHL, and Web of Science (until December 31, 2020) and selected original studies documenting actual use of hormonal CVR and explicitly addressing any of the 3 outcomes. Results: Of a total of 1,129 records screened, 46 studies were included. Most studies ( n = 43, 93%) were prospective, conducted in high-income settings ( n = 35), and reported on NuvaRing ® use ( n = 31). Overall, 27 (59%) studies included a comparison group, 38 (82%) studies used exclusively quantitative questionnaires, with qualitative only ( n = 4, 9%), or mixed methods ( n = 4, 9%) studies being less common. Ease of CVR insertion/removal/reinsertion was high in all the settings and improved with time of use, with qualitative studies supporting these findings. When mentioned, ring-related events were associated with discontinuation, and results on continuation of use were mixed. Among NuvaRing ® studies, general satisfaction (being satisfied or very satisfied) was between 80 and 90% and tended to mirror continuation. Sexual satisfaction was less commonly reported and results were mixed. Overall, limited information was provided on actual CVR experiences of women (and men) and cultural norms that may affect sexuality and CVR use. Conclusion: Positive aspects of acceptability of and satisfaction with CVRs were reported, but ring-related events and factors, which may affect long-term CVR use, deserve further study. More information is needed on actual experiences of women using CVRs, relationship aspects, male partner opinions, and contextual norms to better understand the acceptability of and satisfaction with CVRs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Delvaux, Jespers, Benova and van de Wijgert.)

Objective: To examine women's progression through the antenatal, birth, and post-partum maternal care in Guinea in 2018., Methods: Using the Guinea Demographic and Health Survey of 2018, we analysed data on most recent live births in the 24 months preceding the survey among women aged 15-49 and the determinants (health system, quality of care, reproductive and sociodemographic factors) of women's progression through three steps of the continuum of care, using multivariable logistic regression., Results: In the sample of 3,018 women, 87% reported at least one ANC visit (ANC1) with a health professional and 36% reported ANC4+, at least one of which was with a health professional. In the study, 26% of women reported ANC4+ plus birth in a health facility, and 20% reported ANC4+, birth in a health facility, plus post-partum check-up. Predictors of woman's progression from ANC1 to ANC4+ visits included living in the administrative regions of Kindia (AOR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.23-3.14) and Nzérékoré (AOR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.32-0.79) vs. Kankan, being aged 15 to 17 (AOR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.35-0.86) vs. aged 25 to 34, having primary or more education (AOR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.09-1.72), and being from a middle (AOR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.18-1.96) or wealthier (AOR: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.67-3.39) household vs. a poor household. Living in the administrative regions of Nzérékoré (AOR: 6.27, 95% CI: 1.57-25.05) vs. Kankan, in a middle (AOR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.05-2.57) or wealthier (AOR: 3.23, 95% CI: 1.98-5.29) household vs. a poor household, nulliparity (AOR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.03-2.97) vs. 2-4 previous births, the distance to health facility perceived as not being a problem (AOR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.23-2.50), and higher ANC content score (AOR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.10-1.52) remained independently associated with progression from ANC4+ to birth in a health facility. Predictors of progression from birth in the health facility to post-partum check-up included residing in the administrative regions of Labé (AOR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.09-0.51) or Faranah (AOR: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.19-0.96) vs. Kankan, higher ANC content score (AOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.36-2.28), skin-to-skin contact after birth (AOR: 3.00, 95% CI: 1.70-5.31), and being attended at birth by a health professional (AOR: 17.52, 95% CI: 4.68-65.54)., Conclusions: Removing financial barriers and improving quality of care appear to be important to increase the percentage of women receiving the full maternal continuum of care., (© 2021 The Authors Tropical Medicine & International Health Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Quality human resources constitute an essential pillar of an effective health system. This paper analyzes the outcomes of blended learning for post-Ebola capacity strengthening of health professionals in Guinea., Methods: Two courses lasting 3 months each (7-8 modules) were developed and implemented: one in Primary Health Care (eSSP) and the other in Sexual and Reproductive Health Services Management (eSSR). Both eSSP and eSSR courses were offered online on the Moodle platform, followed by a face-to-face capacity-building workshop. A cross-sectional study using a mixed-methods approach was conducted in 2018-19. As outcomes, we described learners' sociodemographic characteristics, course completion and success, and perceptions of the courses and support from the instructors, analyzed the factors associated with learners' successful completion and reported on learners' feedback on their blended learning experience. Quantitative data were analyzed using the STATA 15 software, and qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis., Results: Overall, 282 health professionals were enrolled for both eSSP and eSSR courses. The completion rate was 69.5% (196/282). The success rate for learners who completed the courses was 80% (156/196), and the overall success rate for enrollees was 55% (156/282). The dropout and abstention rates were 22 and 9%, respectively. On both eSSP and eSSR courses, the success rate of women enrolled was higher than or equal to men's. The success rate of medical doctors enrolled (53% for eSSP and 67% for eSSR) was higher than for other health professionals, in particular nurses (9% for eSSP) and midwives (40% for eSSR). Course type was associated with success (AOR = 1.93; 95% CI = 1.15-3.24). Most learners strongly agreed that the courses are relevant for targeted health professionals (81 to 150/150), pdf course materials are well-structured and useful (105/150), the content of the modules is relevant, comprehensible, and clear (90/150), self-assessment quizzes are helpful (105/150), summative assessment assignments are relevant (90/150), the course administrators and IT manager were responsive to learners' concerns (90/150), they will recommend the courses to colleagues and friends (120/150)., Conclusion: Two blended courses for capacity strengthening of health professionals were successfully developed and implemented in Guinea., (© 2021. The Author(s).)