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Objective To determine if the Expanding Maternal and Neonatal Survival (EMAS) program was associated with improved effectiveness of the referral system in Indonesia to facilitate timely and effective management of complications experienced by women and newborns. Methods Poisson regression using longitudinal monitoring data was used to assess the impact of the EMAS program on stabilization practices prior to referral. Data from a nonrandomized quasi-experimental pre-post evaluation study were used to assess the impact of the EMAS program along the referral pathway using χ2 analysis. Results Monitoring data demonstrated improvements in intervention areas for stabilization of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (24% vs 61%, incidence rate ratio [IRR] 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3-2.6) and treatment of newborns with suspected severe infection (30% vs 54%, IRR 2.0; 95% CI, 1.6-2.4) prior to referral. The EMAS program was associated with significantly higher levels of communication, advanced notification, back referral, and hospital emergency readiness and staff preparedness compared with the comparison arm. Conclusion The EMAS program contributed to improvements in the management of obstetric and newborn complications, including communication, transportation, and preparation of pregnant mothers in need of referral and hospital emergency readiness and staff preparedness.

Objective To describe doctors' and specialist physicians' availability to manage obstetric complications in hospitals in six provinces of Indonesia. Methods Data from a nonrandomized, quasi-experimental pre-post evaluation study were used to describe the distribution of providers by each cadre of worker and assess the availability of doctors and obstetrician/gynecologists (ob/gyns) for consultations for women experiencing postpartum hemorrhage or pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, disaggregated by hospital type, province, referral status, and by time of day of provider consultation. Results Among hospitals that should have comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEmONC) services available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, many did not have a doctor available to manage obstetric complications as they presented, despite there being an average of seven ob/gyns and four doctors registered for service across all facilities. Slightly over 50% of obstetric emergency cases admitted with postpartum hemorrhage and severe pre-eclampsia/eclampsia did not receive a consultation from an ob/gyn. Among the patients who received consultations, about 70% received consultations by phone or SMS. Conclusion Findings from this study indicate that persistent issues of maldistribution of maternal and newborn specialists and high absence rates of both doctors and ob/gyns at CEmONC hospitals during obstetric emergencies undermines Indonesia's efforts to reduce high maternal mortality rates.

Objectives Case fatality rates (CFRs) are often used as the key indicator for the measurement of quality of care at hospitals. We examine the trends of obstetric CFRs and very early neonatal mortality rates at hospitals in selected districts of Indonesia after implementation of a facility-based maternal and neonatal health intervention-the Expanding Maternal and Neonatal Survival (EMAS) program. Methods Random-effects Poisson regression models were fitted to routine facility data collected from 101 hospitals over approximately 4 years. Predicted incidence rates from the models were used for ascertaining the changes in CFRs and very early neonatal mortality rates during the EMAS intervention period. Results The obstetric CFR from any maternal complications decreased significantly by 50% (adjusted incidence rate ratio [IRR] 0.50; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.42-0.61) at hospitals after the implementation of the EMAS program. On average, the CFR decreased from 5.4 to 2.6 deaths per 1000 cases of obstetric complications admitted during the program period. The very early neonatal mortality rate (deaths within 24 hours of birth) decreased by 21% (IRR 0.79; 95% CI, 0.65-0.96). Conclusion Our study suggests that overall obstetric case fatality and very early neonatal mortality rates-two indicators for tracking the quality of emergency obstetric care-decreased significantly at hospitals after the implementation of the EMAS intervention program in Indonesia.