Improving Maternal and Neonatal Health in South East Asia
Author Information
Author(s): Pisake Lumbiganon, SJ. McDonald, M. Laopaiboon, T. Turner, S. Green, CA. Crowther
Hypothesis
A targeted intervention to build capacity for generating, synthesising and implementing relevant evidence would lead to improved adherence to appropriate clinical practices leading to better health outcomes for women and babies in South East Asia.
Conclusion
Investing in developing capacity for research use, synthesis and generation can lead to improvements in maternal and neonatal health practice.
Supporting Evidence
- Substantial variation in clinical practice change was observed between sites.
- Some care practices improved across all countries, such as increased family support during labor.
- However, in some areas, there was no significant change in practice.
Takeaway
This study shows that teaching hospitals how to use research can help improve care for mothers and babies.
Methodology
A before-after study was conducted in nine hospitals across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, assessing health care practices and outcomes for 1000 women at each hospital before and after a tailored capacity development intervention.
Potential Biases
The before-after design may have introduced biases due to variations in clinical practice and other baseline variables between hospitals.
Limitations
The study design was not a randomized controlled trial, which could have minimized selection bias and confounding.
Participant Demographics
Women presenting to labor wards at participating hospitals in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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