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Objective: "Negotiated standards" describe a level of quality of care that is acceptable and achievable within a specific health system, based on consensus between key stakeholders. This paper presents the development of negotiated standards for effective labor and childbirth care in selected hospitals and communities in Nigeria and Uganda., Methods: A four-step development process involving different methodologies. The process included: (1) review and synthesis of internationally recognized intrapartum clinical principles and practices; (2) primary qualitative research to assess values and preferences of women and healthcare providers, and practices that align with these preferences; (3) draft contextualization of effective and ineffective behaviors to reflect values and preferences; and (4) WHO-mediated negotiations between relevant stakeholders, including community members, providers, and administrators., Results: The primary outcomes of this process were a comprehensive set of effective behaviors and clinical practices covering the main domains of quality of care, which are practical and easy to communicate, implement, and audit across all levels of healthcare delivery., Conclusion: The process demonstrates that health facilities and providers can be motivated to adopt standards of care that uphold the values and preferences of both service users and providers, while adhering to international best practices., (© 2017 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. The World Health Organization retains copyright and all other rights in the manuscript of this article as submitted for publication.)

Objective: To describe the experiences, expectations, and needs of urban Ugandan women in relation to good-quality facility childbirth., Methods: Women who had given birth in the 12 months prior to the study were purposively sampled and interviewed, or included in focus groups. Thematic analysis was used, and the data were interpreted within the context of an existing quality of care framework., Results: Forty-five in-depth interviews and six focus group discussions were conducted. Respect and dignity, timely communication, competent skilled staff, and availability of medical supplies were central to women's accounts of quality care, or a lack of it. The hope for a live baby motivated women to seek facility-based childbirth. They expected to encounter competent, respectful, and caring staff with appropriate skills. In some cases, they could only fulfill these expectations through additional personal financial payments to staff, for clinical supplies, or to guarantee that they would be attended by someone with suitable skills., Conclusion: Long-term improvement in quality of maternity care in Uganda requires enhancement of the interaction between women and health staff in facilities, and investment in staff and resources to ensure that safe, respectful care is not dependent on willingness and/or capacity to pay., (© 2017 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. The World Health Organization retains copyright and all other rights in the manuscript of this article as submitted for publication.)

Objective: To demonstrate how a human-centered service design approach can generate practical tools for good-quality childbirth care in low-resource settings., Methods: As part of the WHO "Better Outcomes in Labour Difficulty" (BOLD) project, a service design approach was used in eight Ugandan and Nigerian health facilities and communities to develop the "Passport to Safer Birth." There are three phases: Research for Design, Concept Design, and Detail Design. These generated design principles, design archetype personas, and Passport prototypes. Data collection methods included desk research, interviews, group discussions, and journey mapping to identify touchpoints where the woman interacts with the health system., Results: A total of 90 interviews, 12 observation hours, and 15 group discussions were undertaken. The resulting design principles were: a shared and deeper understanding of pregnancy and childbirth among family and community; family readiness for decision-making and action; and the woman's sense of being in control and being cared for. Four archetype personas of women emerged: Vulnerable; Passive; Empowered; Accepter. Subsequent development of the Passport to Safer Birth tools addressed three domains: Care Mediator; Expectation Manager; and Pregnancy Assistant., Conclusion: The service design approach can create innovative, human-centered service solutions to improve maternity care experiences and outcomes in low-resource settings., (© 2017 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics The World Health Organization retains copyright and all other rights in the manuscript of this article as submitted for publication.)

Objective: The "Better Outcomes in Labor Difficulty" (BOLD) project used a service design process to design a set of tools to improve quality of care during childbirth by strengthening linkages between communities and health facilities in Nigeria and Uganda. This paper describes the Passport to Safer Birth concept and the tools developed as a result., Methods: Service design methods were used to identify facilitators and barriers to quality care, and to develop human-centered solutions. The service design process had three phases: Research for Design, Concept Design, and Detail Design, undertaken in eight hospitals and catchment communities., Results: The service concept "Better Beginnings" comprises three tools. The "Pregnancy Purse" provides educational information to women throughout pregnancy. The "Birth Board" is a visual communication tool that presents the labor and childbirth process. The "Family Pass" is a set of wearable passes for the woman and her supporter to facilitate communication of care preferences., Conclusion: The Better Beginnings service concept and tools form the basis for the promotion of access to information and knowledge acquisition, and could improve communication between the healthcare provider, the woman, and her family during childbirth., (© 2017 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. The World Health Organization retains copyright and all other rights in the manuscript of this article as submitted for publication.)

Objective: To assess the association between cesarean delivery rates and pregnancy outcomes in African health facilities.Methods: Data were obtained from all births over 2-3 months in 131 facilities. Outcomes included maternal deaths, severe maternal morbidity, fresh stillbirths, and neonatal deaths and morbidity.Results: Median cesarean delivery rate was 8.8% among 83439 births. Cesarean deliveries were performed in only 95 (73%) facilities. Facility-specific cesarean delivery rates were influenced by previous cesarean, pre-eclampsia, induced labor, referral status, and higher health facility classification scores. Pre-eclampsia increased the risks of maternal death, fresh stillbirths, and severe neonatal morbidity. Adjusted emergency cesarean delivery rate was associated with more fresh stillbirths, neonatal deaths, and severe neonatal morbidity--probably related to prolonged labor, asphyxia, and sepsis. Adjusted elective cesarean delivery rate was associated with fewer perinatal deaths.Conclusion: Use of cesarean delivery is limited in the African health facilities surveyed. Emergency cesareans, when performed, are often too late to reduce perinatal deaths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore current practices, challenges, and opportunities in relation to monitoring labor progression, from the perspectives of healthcare professionals in low-resource settings.Methods: Thematic analysis of qualitative data (in-depth interviews [IDIs] and focus group discussions [FDGs]) obtained from a purposive sample of healthcare providers and managers in selected health facilities in Nigeria and Uganda.Results: A total of 70 IDIs and 16 FGDs with doctors, midwives, and administrators are included in this analysis. Labor monitoring encompasses a broad scope of care jointly provided by doctors and midwives. A range of contextual limitations was identified as barriers to monitoring labor progression, including staff shortages, lack of team cooperation, delays in responding to abnormal labor observations, suboptimal provider-patient dynamics, and limitations in partograph use. Perceived opportunities to improve current practices included streamlining clinical team cooperation, facilitating provider-client communication, encouraging women's uptake of offered care, bridging the gaps in the continuum of monitoring tasks between cadres, and improving skills in assessment of labor progress, and accuracy in its documentation.Conclusion: Healthcare providers face many challenges to effective monitoring of labor progress in low-resource settings. This analysis presents potential opportunities to improve labor monitoring practices and tools in these contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To set up a global system for monitoring maternal and perinatal health in 54 countries worldwide. Methods The WHO Global Survey for Monitoring Maternal and Perinatal Health was implemented through a network of health institutions, selected using a stratified multistage cluster sampling design. Focused information on maternal and perinatal health was abstracted from hospital records and entered in a specially developed online data management system. Data were collected over a two- to three-month period in each institution. The project was coordinated by WHO and supported by WHO regional offices and country coordinators in Africa and the Americas. Findings The initial survey was implemented between September 2004 and March 2005 in the African and American regions. A total of 125 institutions in seven African countries and 119 institutions in eight Latin American countries participated. Conclusion This project has created a technologically simple and scientifically sound system for large-scale data management, which can facilitate programme monitoring in countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]