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Obstetric fistula is a devastating condition that results from prolonged or unassisted labor. It produces debilitating physical and emotional consequences caused by constant leaking of urine and/or feces. Because high-quality medical care is available throughout the developed world, unrepaired obstetric fistulae are virtually nonexistent in developed nations. However, the condition is rampant in many developing countries, including Niger, a nation in West Africa. This article explains what obstetric fistula is, why it is such a problem, and what nurses and other health care professionals can do to help improve the situation worldwide. It also tells the story of one nurse who went on a volunteer mission to treat obstetric fistulae in Niger, where she met a courtyard full of women she will never forget. (c) [2006] The Association of Womens Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN). All rights reserved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uterus didelphys is a congenital abnormality characterised by double uteri, double cervices and a double or single vagina that affects 0.3% to 11% of the general female population. A 23-year-old woman, gravida 3 para 3003, with uterus didelphys, acquired an iatrogenic interuterine septal defect during an otherwise routine primary caesarean delivery for fetal malpresentation. The defect was repaired but noted to have dehisced during her second pregnancy. A repeat caesarean section was performed due to fetal malpresentation after an unsuccessful external cephalic version. The dehisced defect was left unrepaired. During her third pregnancy, the placenta implanted in the right uterus, but the fetus migrated to the left uterus at approximately 28 weeks gestation. The umbilical cord traversed the interuterine septal defect. With the fetus in the vertex presentation at term gestation, the patient underwent a vaginal birth after two previous caesarean deliveries without any major perinatal complications., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, the capacity of human resources for health (HRH) managers to create positive practice environments that enable motivated, productive, and high-performing HRH is weak. We implemented a unique approach to examining HRH management practices by comparing perspectives offered by mid-level providers (MLPs) of emergency obstetric care (EmOC) in Tanzania to those presented by local health authorities, known as council health management teams (CHMTs)., Methods: This study was guided by the basic strategic human resources management (SHRM) component model. A convergent mixed-method design was utilized to assess qualitative and quantitative data from the Health Systems Strengthening for Equity: The Power and Potential of Mid-Level Providers project. Survey data was obtained from 837 mid-level providers, 83 of whom participated in a critical incident interview whose aim was to elicit negative events in the practice environment that induced intention to leave their job. HRH management practices were assessed quantitatively in 48 districts with 37 members of CHMTs participating in semi-structured interviews., Results: The eight human resources management practices enumerated in the basic SHRM component model were implemented unevenly. On the one hand, members of CHMTs and mid-level providers agreed that there were severe shortages of health workers, deficient salaries, and an overwhelming workload. On the other hand, members of CHMTs and mid-level providers differed in their perspectives on rewards and allocation of opportunities for in-service training. Although written standards of performance and supervision requirements were available in most districts, they did not reflect actual duties. Members of CHMTs reported high levels of autonomy in key HRH management practices, but mid-level providers disputed the degree to which the real situation on the ground was factored into job-related decision-making by CHMTs., Conclusions: The incongruence in perspectives offered by members of CHMTs and mid-level providers points to deficient HRH management practices, which contribute to poor practice environments in acute obstetric settings in Tanzania. Our findings indicate that members of CHMTs require additional support to adequately fulfill their HRH management role. Further research conducted in low-income countries is necessary to determine the appropriate package of interventions required to strengthen the capacity of members of CHMTs.

Background: Attention is turning to nurses, who form the greatest proportion of health personnel worldwide, to play a greater role in delivering health services amidst a severe human resources for health crisis and overwhelming disease burden in low-income countries. Nurse leaders in low-income countries must consider essential context for nurses to fulfill their professional obligation to deliver safe and reliable health services. Professional practice models (PPMs) have been proposed as a framework for strategically positioning nurses to impact health outcomes. PPMs comprise 5 elements: professional values, patient care delivery systems, professional relationships, management approach and remuneration. In this paper, we synthesize the existing literature on PPMs for nurses in low-income countries., Methods: An integrative review of CINAHL-EBSCO, PubMed and Scopus databases for English language journal articles published after 1990. Search terms included nurses, professionalism, professional practice models, low-income countries, developing countries and relevant Medical Subject Heading Terms (MeSH)., Results: Sixty nine articles published between 1993 and 2014 were included in the review. Twenty seven articles examined patient care delivery models, 17 professional relationships, 12 professional values, 11 remuneration and 1 management approach. One article looked at comprehensive PPMs., Conclusions: Adopting comprehensive PPMs or their components can be a strategy to exploit the capacity of nurses and provide a framework for determining the full expression of the nursing role.

Introduction: Cholera, a disease caused by Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139 remains an important public health problem globally. In the last decade, Kenya has experienced a steady increase of cholera cases. In 2009 alone, 11,769 cases were reported to the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation. This study sought to describe the phenotypic characteristics of the isolated V. cholerae isolates., Methods: This was a laboratory based cross-sectional study that involved isolates from different cholera outbreaks. Seventy six Vibrio cholerae O1 strains from different geographical areas were used to represent 2007 to 2010 cholera epidemics in Kenya, and were characterized by serotyping, biotyping, polymerase chain r(PCR), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and ribotyping along with antimicrobial susceptibility testing., Results: Seventy six Vibrio cholerae O1 strains from different geographical areas were used to represent 2007 to 2010 cholera epidemics in Kenya. Serotype Inaba was dominant (88.2%) compared to Ogawa. The isolates showed varying levels of antibiotic resistance ranging from 100% susceptible to tetracycline, doxycycline, ofloxacin, azithromycin, norfloxacin and ceftriaxone to 100% resistant to furazolidone, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, polymyxin-B and streptomycin. The isolates were positive for ctxA, tcpA (El Tor), rtxC genes and were biotype El Tor variant harboring classical ctxB gene. All the isolates were classified as cholera toxin (CT) genotype 1 as they had mutation in the ctxB at positions 39 and 68. All the isolates had genetically similar NotI PFGE and BglI ribotype patterns. The absence of any observed variation is consistent with a clonal origin for all of the isolates., Conclusion: Kenya experienced cholera numerous outbreak from 2007-2010. The clinical Vibrio cholerae O1 isolates from the recent cholera epidemic were serotypes Inaba and Ogawa, Inaba being the predominant serotype. The Vibrio cholerae O1 strains were biotype El Tor variants that produce cholera toxin B (ctx B) of the classical type and were positive for ctxA, tcpA El Tor and rtxC genes.

Abstract Background Nurses in Vietnam, as is typical of many low-income countries, are hampered from impacting health outcomes by low occupational status, overcrowded hospitals and few career development opportunities. In order to understand the current practice environment encountered by nurses in Vietnam in the most realistic way, we listened to the voices of nurses currently performing nursing roles in Vietnam. Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the emic (insider) perspectives on cultural meaning applied by nurses at a northern Vietnamese women�s hospital to influence professional practice and interpret experience. Design A micro-ethnography approach was used. Methods Seven nurses and one vice-Dean of a school of nursing were interviewed. Data collection consisted of open-ended interviews, participant observation and journal recordings. Spradley�s (1979, 1980) Development Research Sequence was used to guide data collection and analysis. Results/Findings Five themes emerged. These were the big number of patients is a burden for nurses; nurses do not, cannot make their own decisions (but they can and do); my feeling depends on doctor's feeling; nurses learn more from doctor; and just a few nurses can attend the [Vietnamese Nurses Association] meeting. Conclusion The experiences described by the nurses and the vice-Dean of a nursing school reflect the challenges of practicing nursing in one Vietnamese hospital and the resourcefulness of nurses in overcoming those challenges. Recurrent themes highlight the need to better position nurses in Vietnam to advance towards full expression of the professional nursing role.

Background: A prospective, nonblinded intervention study was conducted (1) to evaluate the psychometric properties of a new questionnaire, the CHEQ (Coordination of Handoff Effectiveness Questionnaire) for measuring the quality of handoff interactions in labor and delivery (L&D) and (2) to demonstrate the utility of the CHEQ in evaluating the effectiveness of a previously described intervention, the tangible handoff, for standardizing handoffs in L&D., Methods: The CHEQ incorporates three existing handoff-related scales: teamwork climate, job satisfaction, and burnout. Two new scales--information quality and process quality--were developed, refined, and evaluated. The CHEQ was administered to 56 eligible L&D nurses pre- and post-implementation of the tangible handoff intervention., Results: Baseline and postintervention response rates for the CHEQ were 98% and 84%, respectively. Overall, the teamwork climate scale significantly improved from 57.17% to 68.35% (t = -2.84, p = .006), and the burnout scale significantly decreased from 49.70% to 36.21% (t = -2.56, p = .012) following implementation of the tangible handoff. Job satisfaction improved, although not at a statistically significant level. Cronbach's alpha results ranged from .68 to .96 for all scales, both pre- and post-intervention., Conclusions: The CHEQ is psychometrically sound for evaluating handoffquality, is practical to administer, achieves high response rates, and is amenable to straightforward statistical analysis. The CHEQ is useful for evaluating handoff quality and gauging the responsiveness to a unit-level intervention in the scope of unit-level climate. The CHEQ may be replicated or adapted for other clinical areas to investigate handoffs and inform the design and evaluation of handoff interventions.

The tangible handoff tool, a standardized, patient-specific, two-sided pocket card that guides nurses through transfer of care at each shift, is intended to improve continuity and coordination of care in labor and delivery.