Content of antenatal care and perception about services provided by primary hospitals in Nepal: a convergent mixed methods study

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yubraj Acharya ◽  
Nigel James ◽  
Rita Thapa ◽  
Saman Naz ◽  
Rishav Shrestha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Antenatal Care ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
National Level ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
World Health ◽  
Outcome Variable

Abstract Background Nepal has made significant strides in maternal and neonatal mortality over the last three decades. However, poor quality of care can threaten the gains, as maternal and newborn services are particularly sensitive to quality of care. Our study aimed to understand current gaps in the process and the outcome dimensions of the quality of antenatal care (ANC), particularly at the sub-national level. We assessed these dimensions of the quality of ANC in 17 primary, public hospitals across Nepal. We also assessed the variation in the ANC process across the patients’ socio-economic gradient. Methods We used a convergent mixed methods approach, whereby we triangulated qualitative and quantitative data. In the quantitative component, we observed interactions between providers (17 hospitals from all 7 provinces) and 198 women seeking ANC and recorded the tasks the providers performed, using the Service Provision Assessments protocol available from the Demographic and Health Survey program. The main outcome variable was the number of tasks performed by the provider during an ANC consultation. The tasks ranged from identifying potential signs of danger to providing counseling. We analyzed the resulting data descriptively and assessed the relationship between the number of tasks performed and users’ characteristics. In the qualitative component, we synthesized users’ and providers’ narratives on perceptions of the overall quality of care obtained through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Results Out of the 59 tasks recommended by the World Health Organization, providers performed only 22 tasks (37.3%) on average. The number of tasks performed varied significantly across provinces, with users in province 3 receiving significantly higher quality care than those in other provinces. Educated women were treated better than those with no education. Users and providers agreed that the overall quality of care was inadequate, although providers mentioned that the current quality was the best they could provide given the constraints they faced. Conclusion The quality of ANC in Nepal’s primary hospitals is poor and inequitable across education and geographic gradients. While current efforts, such as the provision of 24/7 birthing centers, can mitigate gaps in service availability, additional equipment, infrastructure and human resources will be needed to improve quality. Providers also need additional training focused on treating patients from different backgrounds equally. Our study also points to the need for additional research, both to document the quality of care more objectively and to establish key determinants of quality to inform policy.

Determinants of good and poor quality as perceived by US health care managers

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 708-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Amati ◽  
Amer A. Kaissi ◽  
Annegret F. Hannawa
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Health Care Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Written Narratives ◽  
Care Managers ◽  
Care Assessment

Purpose The scientific literature evidences that the quality of care must be improved. However, little research has focused on investigating how health care managers – who are responsible for the implementation of quality interventions – define good and poor quality. The purpose of this paper is to develop an empirically informed taxonomy of quality care as perceived by US managers – named the Integrative Quality Care Assessment Tool (INQUAT) – that is grounded in Donabedian’s structure, process and outcome model. Design/methodology/approach A revised version of the critical incident technique was used to collect 135 written narratives of good and poor quality care from 74 health care managers in the USA. The episodes were thematically analyzed. Findings In total, 804 units were coded under the 135 written narratives of care. They were grouped under structure (9 percent, n=69), including organizational, staff and facility resources; process (52 percent, n=419), entailing communication, professional diligence, timeliness, errors, and continuity of care; outcomes (32 percent, n=257), embedding process- and short-term outcomes; and context (7 percent, n=59), involving clinical and patient factors. Process-related categories tended to be described in relation to good quality (65 percent), while structure-related categories tended to be associated with poor quality (67 percent). Furthermore, the data suggested that managers did not consider their actions as important factors influencing quality, but rather tended to attribute the responsibility for quality care to front-line practitioners. Originality/value The INQUAT provides a theoretically grounded, evidence-based framework to guide health care managers in the assessment of all the components involved with the quality of care within their institutions.

scholarly journals RACIAL DISPARITIES IN HIP FRACTURE CARE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S469-S469
Author(s):  
Iman Ali ◽  
Jessica Jang ◽  
Sanjana Vattigunta ◽  
Ankit Bansal ◽  
Uma Srikumaran
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Hip Fracture ◽  
Racial Disparities ◽  
Hip Fractures ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Length Of Hospital Stay ◽  
Patient Characteristics ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Black Patients

Abstract Hip fractures are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Delaying surgery for more than 24 hours after presentation results in more complications, higher 30-day mortality rate, and longer stays in the hospital. As such, high-quality care should be provided consistently to an increasingly diverse patient population. We determined if race characteristics influence the quality of care provided to patients with hip fractures. We conducted a retrospective analysis on patients at our institution between January 2015 and December 2017. Patients were categorized as white, Black, Asian, and other. The primary outcome variable was the time between presentation to surgery. Other outcomes included length of hospital stay and narcotic pain medication consumption in the first 24 hours postoperatively. Adjusted analysis was performed, controlling for sex, age, body mass index (BMI), American Society of Anesthesiologists’ (ASA) classification of health, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). There were 1544 hip fracture patients included in the study. The majority of patients were white (84.1%) followed by Black (7.6%), Asian (4.5%), and other (3.7%). Most patients were female (69.6%). After adjusting for patient characteristics, Black patients experienced a significantly greater delay to surgery after presentation than white patients (42.1 vs. 34.9 hours). In addition, Black patients experienced significantly longer length of hospital stays compared to their white counterparts (6.9 vs. 5.8 days). Racial disparities in the quality of care provided to hip fracture patients persist even after adjusting for patient characteristics. Addressing these disparities can possibly enhance outcomes for minority patients.

scholarly journals Antenatal care processes in rural Southern Nepal: gaps in and quality of service provision—a cohort study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. e056392
Author(s):  
Emily Bryce ◽  
Joanne Katz ◽  
Tsering Pema Lama ◽  
Subarna K Khatry ◽  
Steven C LeClerq ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Antenatal Care ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Adjusted Risk ◽  
Provision Of Services ◽  
Standard Quality

ObjectivesThis study aimed to compare a standard quality of care definition to one that reflected focused antenatal care (FANC) guidelines and examine associations with receipt of good quality of care.DesignThis study was a longitudinal cohort study.SettingsFive government health posts in the Sarlahi district of Southern NepalParticipantsPregnant women between the ages of 15 and 49 who presented for their first antenatal care (ANC) visit at the study health posts.Main outcomesThere were two quality of care definitions: (1) provision of seven services at least once during pregnancy (QOC1) and (2) provision of services to reflect the FANC guidelines by incorporating a frequency of care dimension for certain services (QOC4+).ResultsThere was variation in service provision both in terms of frequency of provision and by gestational age at the visit. There were 213 women (49.1%) that received good quality care by the first definition, but when the frequency of service provision was included for the second definition the percentage dropped to 6.2%. There were significant differences in provision of quality care by health post for both definitions. The number of visits (QOC1 adjusted risk ratio (aRR) 1.18, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.23; QOC4+ aRR 1.46, 95% CI 1.11 to 2.80) and care during the first trimester (QOC1 aRR 1.22, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.49) and maternal age (QOC1 aRR 1.27, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.58) were associated with greater likelihood of good quality ANC.ConclusionThis analysis demonstrated that measuring quality of care by receipt of services at least once during pregnancy may overestimate the true coverage of quality of ANC. Future efforts should improve feasibility of including frequency of care in quality of care definitions.

scholarly journals Increasing Registered Nurse Hours Per Resident Day for Improved Nursing Home Residents’ Outcomes Using a Longitudinal Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 402
Author(s):  
Juh Hyun Shin ◽  
Rosemary Anne Renaut ◽  
Mark Reiser ◽  
Ji Yeon Lee ◽  
Ty Yi Tang
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Nurse Staffing ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Care Outcomes ◽  
Quota Sampling

The purpose of this study was to estimate how much resident outcomes can improve with an increase in hours per resident day (HPRD) of registered nurses (RNs) staffing. Nursing home (NH) staff in Korea have serious problems with inappropriate nurse staffing standards and poor working conditions, which lead to poor quality of care for NH residents. This study used a longitudinal survey design. A quota sampling was used with a total of several repeated survey measurement from 2017 to 2020 (n = 74). The independent variable was the amount of nurse staffing HPRD and the outcome variable was the compiled outcome of 15 quality-of-care indicators. Data were directly collected from all participating NHs. A longitudinal, multilevel model was used for analysis. An increase of one unit of RN HPRD (60 min) corresponded to a decrease of about 10.5% of residents with deteriorated quality of care outcomes. This study emphasized that increasing RN HPRD decreased residents’ deteriorated outcomes in NHs. This suggests that professional RNs must be secured to an appropriate level to improve the quality of care for NH residents.

scholarly journals Effective coverage and budget implications of skill-mix change to improve neonatal nursing care: an explorative simulation study in Kenya

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. e001817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Apostolos Tsiachristas ◽  
David Gathara ◽  
Jalemba Aluvaala ◽  
Timothy Chege ◽  
Edwine Barasa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Neonatal Mortality ◽  
Nursing Care ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Skill Mix ◽  
Neonatal Nursing ◽  
Low Middle Income Countries

IntroductionNeonatal mortality is an urgent policy priority to improve global population health and reduce health inequality. As health systems in Kenya and elsewhere seek to tackle increased neonatal mortality by improving the quality of care, one option is to train and employ neonatal healthcare assistants (NHCAs) to support professional nurses by taking up low-skill tasks.MethodsMonte-Carlo simulation was performed to estimate the potential impact of introducing NHCAs in neonatal nursing care in four public hospitals in Nairobi on effectively treated newborns and staff costs over a period of 10 years. The simulation was informed by data from 3 workshops with >10 stakeholders each, hospital records and scientific literature. Two univariate sensitivity analyses were performed to further address uncertainty.ResultsStakeholders perceived that 49% of a nurse full-time equivalent could be safely delegated to NHCAs in standard care, 31% in intermediate care and 20% in intensive care. A skill-mix with nurses and NHCAs would require ~2.6 billionKenyan Shillings (KES) (US$26 million) to provide quality care to 58% of all newborns in need (ie, current level of coverage in Nairobi) over a period of 10 years. This skill-mix configuration would require ~6 billion KES (US$61 million) to provide quality of care to almost all newborns in need over 10 years.ConclusionChanging skill-mix in hospital care by introducing NHCAs may be an affordable way to reduce neonatal mortality in low/middle-income countries. This option should be considered in ongoing policy discussions and supported by further evidence.

scholarly journals Implementation of a performance-based financing scheme in Malawi and resulting externalities on the quality of care of non-incentivized services

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Brenner ◽  
Caterina Favaretti ◽  
Julia Lohmann ◽  
Jobiba Chinkhumba ◽  
Adamson S. Muula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Antenatal Care ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Child Health Services ◽  
Negative Externalities ◽  
Positive Externalities ◽  
Performance Based Financing ◽  
A Performance

Abstract Background Countries in Africa progressively implement performance-based financing schemes to improve the quality of care provided by maternal, newborn and child health services. Beyond its direct effects on service provision, evidence suggests that performance-based financing can also generate positive externalities on service utilization, such as increased use of those services that reached higher quality standards after effective scheme implementation. Little, however, is known about externalities generated within non-incentivized health services, such as positive or negative effects on the quality of services within the continuum of maternal care. Methods We explored whether a performance-based financing scheme in Malawi designed to improve the quality of childbirth service provision resulted positive or negative externalities on the quality of non-targeted antenatal care provision. This non-randomized controlled pre-post-test study followed the phased enrolment of facilities into a performance-based financing scheme across four districts over a two-year period. Effects of the scheme were assessed by various composite scores measuring facilities’ readiness to provide quality antenatal care, as well as the quality of screening, prevention, and education processes offered during observed antenatal care consultations. Results Our study did not identify any statistically significant effects on the quality of ANC provision attributable to the implemented performance-based financing scheme. Our findings therefore suggest not only the absence of positive externalities, but also the absence of any negative externalities generated within antenatal care service provision as a result of the scheme implementation in Malawi. Conclusions Prior research has shown that the Malawian performance-based financing scheme was sufficiently effective to improve the quality of incentivized childbirth service provision. Our findings further indicate that scheme implementation did not affect the quality of non-incentivized but clinically related antenatal care services. While no positive externalities could be identified, we also did not observe any negative externalities attributable to the scheme’s implementation. While performance-based incentives might be successful in improving targeted health care processes, they have limited potential in producing externalities – neither positive nor negative – on the provision quality of related non-incentivized services.

scholarly journals Sterilization regret in India: Is quality of care a matter of concern?

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anjali Bansal ◽  
Laxmi Kant Dwivedi
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Family Planning ◽  
Health Facility ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Public Health Facility ◽  
The Family ◽  
Planning Methods

Abstract Background According to United Nations, 19% of females in the world relied only on the permanent method of family planning, with 37% in India according to NFHS-4. Limited studies tried to measure the sterilization regret, and its correlated factors. The study tried to explore the trend of sterilization regret in India from 1992 to 2015 and to elicit the determining effects of various factors on sterilization regret, especially in context to perceived quality of care in the sterilization operations and type of providers. Data and methods The pooled data from NFHS-1, NFHS-3 and NFHS-4 was used to explore the regret by creating interaction between time and all the predictors. Predicted probabilities were calculated to show the trend of sterilization regret amounting to quality of care, type of health provider at the three time periods. Results The sterilization regret was increased from 5 % in NFHS-1 to 7 % in NFHS-4. According to NFHS-4, for those whose sterilization was performed in private health facility the regret was found to be less (OR-0.937; 95% CI- (0.882–0.996)) compared to public health facility. Also, the results show a two-fold increase in regret when women reported bad quality of care. The results from predicted probabilities provide enough evidence that the regret due to bad quality of care in sterilization operation had increased with each subsequent round of NFHS. Conclusion Many socio-economic and demographic factors have influenced the regret, but the poor quality of care contributed maximum to the regret from 1992 to 2015. The health facilities have seriously strayed from improving the health and well-being of women in providing the family planning methods. In addition, to public facilities, the regret amounting to private facilities have also increased from NFHS-1 to 4. The quality of care provided in the family planning operation should be standardized in every hospital to strengthen the health systems in the country. The couple should be motivated to adopt more of spacing methods.

scholarly journals Parental Involvement Policies for Minors Seeking Abortion in the Southeast and Quality of Care

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari White ◽  
Subasri Narasimhan ◽  
Sophie A. Hartwig ◽  
Erin Carroll ◽  
Alexandra McBrayer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Parental Involvement ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Patient Centeredness ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Staff Members

Abstract Introduction Thirty-seven states require minors seeking abortion to involve a parent, either through notification or consent. Little research has examined how implementation of these laws affect service delivery and quality of care for those who involve a parent. Methods Between May 2018 and September 2019, in-depth interviews were conducted with 34 staff members involved in scheduling, counseling, and administration at abortion facilities in three Southeastern states. Interviews explored procedures for documenting parental involvement, minors’ and parents’ reactions to requirements, and challenges with implementation and compliance. Both inductive and deductive codes, informed by the Institute of Medicine’s healthcare quality framework, were used in the thematic analysis. Results Parental involvement laws adversely affected four quality care domains: efficiency, patient-centeredness, timeliness, and equity. Administrative inefficiencies stemmed from the extensive documentation needed to prove an adult’s relationship to a minor, increasing the time and effort needed to comply with state reporting requirements. If parents were not supportive of their minor’s decision, participants felt they had a duty to intervene to ensure the minor’s decision and needs remained centered. Staff further noted that delays to timely care accumulated as minors navigated parental involvement and other state mandates, pushing some beyond gestational age limits. Lower income families and those with complex familial arrangements had greater difficulty meeting state requirements. Conclusions Parental involvement mandates undermine health service delivery and quality for minors seeking abortion services in the Southeast. Policy Implications Removing parental involvement requirements would protect minors’ reproductive autonomy and support the provision of equitable, patient-centered healthcare.

scholarly journals The relationship between inequitable gender norms and provider attitudes and quality of care in maternal health services in Rwanda: a mixed methods study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Doyle ◽  
Shamsi Kazimbaya ◽  
Ruti Levtov ◽  
Joya Banerjee ◽  
Myra Betron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Care Provider ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Gender Norms ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Gender Attitudes ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Men’S Involvement

Abstract Background Rwanda has made great progress in improving reproductive, maternal, and newborn health (RMNH) care; however, barriers to ensuring timely and full RMNH service utilization persist, including women’s limited decision-making power and poor-quality care. This study sought to better understand whether and how gender and power dynamics between providers and clients affect their perceptions and experiences of quality care during antenatal care, labor and childbirth. Methods This mixed methods study included a self-administered survey with 151 RMNH providers with questions on attitudes about gender roles, RMNH care, provider-client relations, labor and childbirth, which took place between January to February 2018. Two separate factor analyses were conducted on provider responses to create a Gender Attitudes Scale and an RMNH Quality of Care Scale. Three focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted in February 2019 with RMNH providers, female and male clients, explored attitudes about gender norms, provision and quality of RMNH care, provider-client interactions and power dynamics, and men’s involvement. Data were analyzed thematically. Results Inequitable gender norms and attitudes – among both RMNH care providers and clients – impact the quality of RMNH care. The qualitative results illustrate how gender norms and attitudes influence the provision of care and provider-client interactions, in addition to the impact of men’s involvement on the quality of care. Complementing this finding, the survey found a relationship between health providers’ gender attitudes and their attitudes towards quality RMNH care: gender equitable attitudes were associated with greater support for respectful, quality RMNH care. Conclusions Our findings suggest that gender attitudes and power dynamics between providers and their clients, and between female clients and their partners, can negatively impact the utilization and provision of quality RMNH care. There is a need for capacity building efforts to challenge health providers’ inequitable gender attitudes and practices and equip them to be aware of gender and power dynamics between themselves and their clients. These efforts can be made alongside community interventions to transform harmful gender norms, including those that increase women’s agency and autonomy over their bodies and their health care, promote uptake of health services, and improve couple power dynamics.

scholarly journals Quality of care in the free maternal healthcare era in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review of providers’ and managers’ perceptions

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Ansu-Mensah ◽  
Frederick Inkum Danquah ◽  
Vitalis Bawontuo ◽  
Peter Ansu-Mensah ◽  
Tahiru Mohammed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Healthcare Financing ◽  
Maternal Healthcare ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Free maternal healthcare financing schemes play an essential role in the quality of services rendered to clients during antenatal care in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, healthcare managers’ and providers’ perceptions of the healthcare financing scheme may influence the quality of care. This scoping review mapped evidence on managers’ and providers’ perspectives of free maternal healthcare and the quality of care in SSA. Methods We used Askey and O’Malley’s framework as a guide to conduct this review. To address the research question, we searched PubMed, CINAHL through EBSCOhost, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Google Scholar with no date limitation to May 2019 using keywords, Boolean terms, and Medical Subject Heading terms to retrieve relevant articles. Both abstract and full articles screening were conducted independently by two reviewers using the inclusion and exclusion criteria as a guide. All significant data were extracted, organized into themes, and a summary of the findings reported narratively. Results In all, 15 out of 390 articles met the inclusion criteria. These 15 studies were conducted in nine countries. That is, Ghana (4), Kenya (3), and Nigeria (2), Burkina Faso (1), Burundi (1), Niger (1), Sierra Leone (1), Tanzania (1), and Uganda (1). Of the 15 included studies, 14 reported poor quality of maternal healthcare from managers’ and providers’ perspectives. Factors contributing to the perception of poor maternal healthcare included: late reimbursement of funds, heavy workload of providers, lack of essential drugs and stock-out of medical supplies, lack of policy definition, out-of-pocket payment, and inequitable distribution of staff. Conclusion This study established evidence of existing literature on the quality of care based on healthcare providers’ and managers’ perspectives though very limited. This study indicates healthcare providers and managers perceive the quality of maternal healthcare under the free financing policy as poor. Nonetheless, the free maternal care policy is very much needed towards achieving universal health, and all efforts to sustain and improve the quality of care under it must be encouraged. Therefore, more research is needed to better understand the impact of their perceived poor quality of care on maternal health outcomes.

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