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Background: Obstetric fistula, which develops after a prolonged or obstructed labour, is preventable and treatable. However, many women are still afflicted with the condition and remain untreated in low-income and middle-income countries. Concerns have also been raised that an increasing trend of caesarean sections is increasing the risk and share of iatrogenic obstetric fistula in these countries. The true prevalence of this condition is not known, which makes it difficult for health planners and policy makers to develop appropriate national health strategies to address the problem. The estimation of obstetric fistula with surveys is difficult because self-reporting of incontinence symptoms is subject to misclassification bias. In this study, we aimed to estimate the prevalence and burden of obstetric fistula in Bangladesh., Methods: For a valid estimation addressing misclassification bias, we implemented the study in two steps. First, we did the Maternal Morbidity Validation Study (MMVS) among a population of 65 740 women in Sylhet, Bangladesh, to assess the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values (PPVs), and negative predictive values of the survey questions. This was done through confirmation of the diagnosis with clinical examinations of suspected cases by female physicians; a sample of women who screened positive for pelvic organ prolapse and other urinary incontinence symptoms were also examined and used as controls for clinical diagnosis confirmation. Second, we used the estimated diagnostic test values, after correcting for verification bias, to adjust the reported prevalence in the nationally representative Bangladesh Maternal Mortality and Health Care Survey 2016 for the unbiased estimation of obstetric fistula prevalence in Bangladesh., Findings: The MMVS, done from Aug 3 to Dec 9, 2016, identified 67 potential cases of obstetric fistula; of them, 57 (85%) women completed the clinical examination, and 19 were confirmed as obstetric fistula cases. The adjusted sensitivity of the self-reports of obstetric fistula was 100% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 99·8-100) and the observed specificity was 99·9% (95% UI 99·9-100) among women aged 15-49 years. However, the PPV was low, at 31·6% (95% UI 19·2-46·2), suggesting that almost two thirds of the self-reported cases were not true obstetric fistula cases. We estimated an adjusted obstetric fistula prevalence rate of 38 (90% UI 25-58) per 100 000 women aged 15-49 years in Bangladesh. Nationally, we estimated about 13 376 (90% UI 8686-20 112) women of reproductive age living with obstetric fistula. Additionally, we estimated 4081 (1773-8790) women aged 50-64 years to be living with obstetric fistula in Bangladesh; overall, we estimated that there are 17 457 (10 459-28 902) women aged 15-64 years in Bangladesh with obstetric fistula., Interpretation: The burden of obstetric fistula is still high in Bangladesh. Prevention and provision of surgical treatment to so many women will need coordinated efforts, planning, allocation of resources, and training of surgeons., Funding: US Agency for International Development, Government of Bangladesh, and UKAid., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests We declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Study Objective: To evaluate the competency of trained health workers in detecting and managing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy during routine antenatal check-ups (ANCs) at primary care facilities in Bangladesh., Study Design and Settings: Cross-sectional study; conducted in 26 primary care facilities., Outcome Measures: Accurate diagnosis of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy., Method: In total 1560 ANC consultations provided by primary health workers, known as Family Welfare Visitors (FWVs), were observed using a structured checklist between October 2017 and February 2018. All consultations were reassessed by study physicians for validation., Result: Of the 'true' cases of gestational hypertension (n=32), pre-eclampsia (n=29) and severe pre-eclampsia (n=16), only 3%, 7% and 25%, respectively, were correctly diagnosed by FWVs. Per cent agreement for the diagnosed cases of any hypertensive disorders of pregnancy was 9% and kappa statistics was 0.50 (p value 0.0125). For identification of any hypertensive disorders by FWVs, sensitivity and positive predictive values were 14% and 50%, respectively. There was a moderate positive correlation between the blood pressure measurements taken by FWVs and study physicians. Only 27% of those who had 'some protein' in urine were correctly identified by FWVs. Women diagnosed with any of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy by FWVs were more likely to be counselled on at least one danger sign of pre-eclampsia (severe headache, blurring of vision and upper abdominal pain) than those without any such diagnosis (41% vs 19%, p value 0.008). All four cases of severe pre-eclampsia diagnosed by FWVs were given a loading dose of intramuscular magnesium sulphate and three among them were referred to a higher facility., Conclusion: The FWVs should be appropriately trained on risk assessment of pregnant women with particular emphasis on accurately assessing the diagnostic criteria of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and its management., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

There is a well-recognized need for empirical study of processes and factors that influence scale up of evidence-based interventions in low-income countries to address the 'know-do' gap. We undertook a qualitative case study of the scale up of chlorhexidine cleansing of the umbilical cord (CHX) in Bangladesh to identify and compare facilitators and barriers for the institutionalization and expansion stages of scale up. Data collection and analysis for this case study were informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the WHO/ExpandNet model of scale up. At the national level, we interviewed 20 stakeholders involved in CHX policy or implementation. At the district level, we conducted interviews with 31 facility-based healthcare providers in five districts and focus group discussions (FGDs) with eight community-based providers and eight programme managers. At the community level, we conducted 7 FGDs with 53 mothers who had a baby within the past year. Expanded interview notes were thematically coded and analysed following an adapted Framework approach. National stakeholders identified external policy and incentives, and the engagement of stakeholders in policy development through the National Technical Working Committee for Newborn Health, as key facilitators for policy and health systems changes. Stakeholders, providers and families perceived the intervention to be simple, safe and effective, and more consistent with family preferences than the prior policy of dry cord care. The major barriers that delayed or decreased the public health impact of the scale up of CHX in Bangladesh's public health system related to commodity production, procurement and distribution. Bangladesh's experience scaling up CHX suggests that scale up should involve early needs assessments and planning for institutionalizing new drugs and commodities into the supply chain. While the five CFIR domains were useful for categorizing barriers and facilitators, additional constructs are needed for common health systems barriers in low-income settings., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Introduction: Eclampsia-related conditions are the second leading direct cause of obstetric deaths in Bangladesh. Efforts to prevent such deaths in low- and middle-income countries are increasingly focused on task shifting at the primary care level to enable frontline providers to screen and initiate treatment for women with preeclampsia, severe preeclampsia, and eclampsia (PE/SPE/E). The MaMoni Health Systems Strengthening project (funded by the United States Agency for International Development) implemented a magnesium sulfate intervention at primary care facilities in 4 Bangladesh districts in 2016 and 2017., Methods: The project trained frontline providers through a cascade approach from the national to the union level. A PE/SPE/E patient algorithm, digital blood pressure machines, and eclampsia kits with magnesium sulfate were supplied to service providers at each facility. We conducted a retrospective record review of facility-level data to assess the degree to which newly trained frontline providers adhered to a protocol that incorporated the use of magnesium sulfate for SPE/E in primary care settings., Results: In total, 283 women were found to have PE/SPE/E. Fifty-four percent were managed according to the protocol. The required supplies were present at each facility, but some issues existed with regard to availability and functionality of blood pressure apparatuses., Discussion: Challenges related to recordkeeping and service quality limited the analysis. Frontline providers need refresher trainings, ongoing supervision, properly calibrated blood pressure devices, and performance monitoring support in order to improve screening and management of PE/SPE/E in primary care facilities., (© Williams et al.)

The application of a geographic information system (GIS) in public health is relatively common in Bangladesh. However, the use of GIS for planning, monitoring and decision-making by local-level managers has not been well documented. This assessment explored how effectively local government health managers used maps with spatial data for planning, resource allocation and programme monitoring. The United States Agency for International Development-funded MaMoni Health Systems Strengthening project supported the introduction of the maps into district planning processes in 2015 and 2016. GIS maps were used to support the prioritisation of underserved unions (the lowest administrative units) and clusters of disadvantaged communities for the allocation of funds. Additional resources from local government budgets were allocated to the lowest performing unions for improving health facility service readiness and supervision. Using a mixed-methods approach, the project evaluated the outputs of this planning process. District planning reports, population-based surveys, local government annual expenditure reports and service availability and utilisation data were reviewed. The goal was to determine the degree to which district planning teams were able to use the maps for their intended purpose. Key informant interviews were conducted with upazila (subdistrict) managers, elected government representatives and service providers to understand how the maps were used, as well as to identify potential institutionalisation scopes. The project observed improvements in health service availability and utilisation in the highest priority unions in 2016. Quick processing of maps during planning sessions was challenging. Nevertheless, managers and participants expressed their satisfaction with the use of spatial analysis, and there was an expressed need for more web-based GIS both for improving community-level service delivery and for reviewing performance in monthly meetings. Despite some limitations, the use of GIS maps helped local health managers identify health service gaps, prioritise underserved unions and monitor results., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Background: In Bangladesh, female paramedics known as Family Welfare Visitors (FWVs), conduct normal deliveries in first-level primary care facilities, or Union Health and Family Welfare Centres (UH&FWC). Utilization of partographs allow for early identification of abnormal labour and referral for advanced care to Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC) facilities. A systematic assessment of the quality of partograph utilization in clinical-decision making will contribute to understanding the use of the tool by health workers., Methods: In 2013, the USAID supported MaMoni HSS project, led in country by Save the Children, trained FWVs on the use of partographs in five UH&FWCs in Habiganj district. As part of the follow-up after training, intrapartum case record forms, accompanying partographs, and referral registers for all obstetric cases managed in these five facilities from July 2013 to June 2014 were reviewed. Partographs were reviewed to identify abnormal labour cases based on pre-defined indications. All referred cases were ascertained from the case records in the referral registers. Five health workers were interviewed to assess their knowledge, attitude and experience in partograph use and to explore the challenges for referral decision making associated with the tool., Results: A total of 1,198 deliveries were managed at the study sites, of which 663 presented with cervical dilatation of 8 cm or less. Partographs were initiated in 98% of these cases. Indication of abnormal labour was found in 71 partographs (11%) and among them, only 1 was referred to a higher-level facility. Foetal heart rate and cervical dilatation were appropriately recorded in 61% and 70% of the partographs, respectively. Interviews with health workers revealed poor interpretation of referral indications from the partographs. Limited accessibility to the nearest EmOC facility, inadequate time for referral, and non-compliance to referral by clients were identified by the interviewed health workers as the key barriers for referral decision making., Conclusions: Supporting the health workers at first-level primary care facilities to better interpret and act on partograph data in a timely manner, and strengthening the referral systems are needed to ensure that women in labour receive the prompt quality care they and their babies require to survive., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Burn contractures can cause significant disability, particularly in patients in resource-limited settings. However, a gap exists in our ability to measure outcomes in patients with burn contractures of the neck. The objective of this study was to develop and validate the Stanford-ReSurge Burn Scar Contracture Scale-Neck to longitudinally assess functional status and measure functional improvement following contracture release of the neck., Methods: A literature review was performed to identify scales used in neck assessment and burn assessment. Items were then removed from the pool based on redundancy, feasibility, cultural appropriateness, and applicability to patients in international resource-limited environments. Remaining items were administered to patients with burn contracture of the neck., Results: The initial literature review found 33 scales that were combined to create an initial pool of 714 items, which was first reduced to 40 items. Feedback from field testing then yielded a 20-item outcome tool to assess appearance, activities of daily living, somatosensation, satisfaction, and range of motion, with a floor of 20 and a ceiling score of 100 points. Preliminary testing with 10 patients showed an average preoperative score of 58 points and an average 1-month postoperative score of 42 points., Conclusions: The authors have created an outcome tool for measuring functional status following burn contracture release of the neck, which can easily be implemented in resource-limited settings where the burden of burn injuries and morbidities is disproportionately high. Ongoing work includes a multicountry study to evaluate validity and reliability.

The study evaluated the impact of essential newborn-care interventions at the household level in the Saving Newborn Lives project areas. Two household surveys were conducted following the 30-cluster sampling method using a structured questionnaire in 2002 (baseline) and 2004 (endline) respectively. In total, 3,325 mothers with children aged less than one year in baseline and 3,110 mothers in endline from 10 sub-districts were interviewed during each survey. The proportion of newborns dried and wrapped immediately after birth increased from 14% in 2002 to 55% in 2004; 76.2% of the newborns were put to the mother's breast within one hour of birth compared to 38.6% in baseline. Newborn check-up within 24 hours of delivery increased from 14.4% in 2002 to 27.3% in 2004. Postnatal check-up of mothers by trained providers within three days of delivery rose from 2.4% in 2002 to 27.3% in 2004. Knowledge of the mothers on at least two postnatal danger signs increased by 17.2%, i.e. from 47.1% in 2002 to 64.3% in 2004. Knowledge of mothers on at least three postnatal danger signs also showed an increase of 16%. Essential newborn-care practices, such as drying and wrapping the baby immediately after birth, initiation of breastmilk within one hour of birth, and early postnatal newborn check-up, improved in the intervention areas. Increased community awareness helped improve maternal and newborn-care practices at the household level. Lessons learnt from implementation revealed that door-to-door visits by community health workers, using community registers as job-aids, were effective in identifying pregnant women and following them through pregnancy to the postnatal periods.