The delivery of high quality and equitable care for both mothers and newborns is complex and requires efforts across many sectors. The United States spends more on childbirth than any other country in the world, yet outcomes are worse than other high-resource countries, and even worse for Black and Native American women. There are a variety of factors that influence childbirth, including social determinants such as income, educational levels, access to care, financing, transportation, structural racism and geographic variability in birth settings. It is important to reevaluate the United States' approach to maternal and newborn care through the lens of these factors across multiple disciplines. Birth Settings in America: Outcomes, Quality, Access, and Choice reviews and evaluates maternal and newborn care in the United States, the epidemiology of social and clinical risks in pregnancy and childbirth, birth settings research, and access to and choice of birth settings.
This open access book is a collection of 12 case studies capturing decades of experience improving health care and outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Each case study is written by healthcare managers and providers who have implemented health improvement projects using quality improvement methodology, with analysis from global health experts on the practical application of improvement methods. The book shows how frontline providers in health and social services can identify gaps in care, propose changes to address those gaps, and test the effectiveness of their changes in order to improve health processes and outcomes. The chapters feature cases that provide real-life examples of the challenges, solutions, and benefits of improving healthcare quality and clearly demonstrate for readers what quality improvement looks like in practice:Addressing Behavior Change in Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health with Quality Improvement and Collaborative Learning Methods in GuatemalaHaiti’s National HIV Quality Management Program and the Implementation of an Electronic Medical Record to Drive Improvement in Patient CareScaling Up a Quality Improvement Initiative: Lessons from Chamba District, IndiaPromoting Rational Use of Antibiotics in the Kyrgyz RepublicStrengthening Services for Most Vulnerable Children through Quality Improvement Approaches in a Community Setting: The Case of Bagamoyo District, TanzaniaImproving HIV Counselling and Testing in Tuberculosis Service Delivery in Ukraine: Profile of a Pilot Quality Improvement Team and Its Scale‐Up JourneyImproving Health Care in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Case Book will find an engaged audience among healthcare providers and administrators implementing and managing improvement projects at Ministries of Health in low- to middle-income countries. The book also aims to be a useful reference for government donor agencies, their implementing partners, and other high-level decision makers, and can be used as a course text in schools of public health, public policy, medicine, and development. ACKNOWLEDGMENT:This work was conducted under the USAID Applying Science to Strengthen and Improve Systems (ASSIST) Project, USAID Award No. AID-OAA-A-12-00101, which is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). DISCLAIMER:The contents of this book are the sole responsibility of the Editor(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. div=""^
This guide has been developed jointly by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and is designed for use by all personnel involved in the care of pregnant women, their foetuses, and their neonates.
The evaluation of reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) by the Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (DCP3) focuses on maternal conditions, childhood illness, and malnutrition. Specifically, the chapters address acute illness and undernutrition in children, principally under age 5. It also covers maternal mortality, morbidity, stillbirth, and influences to pregnancy and pre-pregnancy. Volume 3 focuses on developments since the publication of DCP2 and will also include the transition to older childhood, in particular, the overlap and commonality with the child development volume. The DCP3 evaluation of these conditions produced three key findings: 1. There is significant difficulty in measuring the burden of key conditions such as unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion, nonsexually transmitted infections, infertility, and violence against women. 2. Investments in the continuum of care can have significant returns for improved and equitable access, health, poverty, and health systems. 3. There is a large difference in how RMNCH conditions affect different income groups; investments in RMNCH can lessen the disparity in terms of both health and financial risk.
Optimizing outcomes for women in labor at the global level requires evidence-based guidance of health workers to improve care through appropriate patient selection and use of effective interventions. In this regard, the World Health Organization (WHO) published recommendations for induction of labor in 2011. The goal of the present guideline is to consolidate the guidance for effective interventions that are needed to reduce the global burden of prolonged labor and its consequences. The primary target audience includes health professionals responsible for developing national and local health protocols and policies, as well as obstetricians, midwives, nurses, general medical practitioners, managers of maternal and child health programs, and public health policy-makers in all settings.
Important Notice: The digital edition of this book is missing some of the images or content found in the physical edition.The gold standard for midwives and students is back with Varney’s Midwifery, Fifth Edition. New to this edition are chapters describing the profession of midwifery, reproductive physiology, clinical genetics, and support for women in labor. Interwoven throughout is information on primary care, gynecology, maternity care, and neonatal care. With chapters written by a variety of expert midwives and an increased emphasis on reproductive anatomy and physiology, this new edition assists students and clinicians in understanding not only what to do but why. Updated to reflect evidence-based care, this edition also discusses the pathophysiology of various conditions in the context of normal changes in the reproductive cycle. Also included are numerous new anatomical and clinical illustrations.
"Given the increasing complexities of co-morbidities in women of childbearing age, this book provides a case study approach to several critical conditions which challenge all health care professionals working in this field. The case study approach will help midwives, doctors, midwifery and medical students to ground their clinical skills training on each specific situation by working through the questions and answer format. Of particular importance is the emphasis on inter-professional team working and the links between theory and practice." Dr. Rita Borg Xuereb, Head of Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malta, Malta "The authors are to be commended as this is the first book of its kind and is well overdue ... The content is excellent, well referenced and covers all of the important issues ... The layout makes the book easy to read and the inclusion of pre-reading, self-assessment of knowledge and case studies engages the reader and stimulates further study into the pathophysiology and management of obstetric emergencies. I particularly liked the chapter on sepsis." Professor Christine Kettle, University Hospital of North Staffordshire & Staffordshire University, UK Part of a case book series, this book contains 14 common pregnancy and childbirth emergency scenarios to help prepare student midwives for life in practice. Each case explores and explains the pathology, pharmacology and care principles, and uses test questions and answers to help assess learning. The practical cases link theory to practice and their grounding in reality will really help bring midwifery to life. The book also: Covers the principles, pathology and skills involved in a range of birthing scenarios Acts as a useful aide memoire when simulating managing care procedures Demonstrates the importance of inter-professional team working in problem-solving Uses tables, diagrams and textboxes throughout, which act as a useful reference point Midwifery Practice is essential reading for student midwives, medical students and paramedics and a valuable resource for health professionals pursuing postgraduate studies in high dependency/ critical care. It is also beneficial to the facilitation of maternity based OSCEs. Contributors: Sam Bharmal, Susan Brydon, Margaret Ramsay, Jane Rutherford, Andrew Sim
