scholarly journals Preconception Care to Improve Pregnancy Outcomes: The Science

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-362
Author(s):  
Hani Atrash ◽  
Brian Jack
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Pregnancy Outcomes ◽  
Preconception Care ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
World Health ◽  
Care Providers

Introduction: In the last decades, improvements in the care of pregnancy and child development have been observed worldwide. However, pregnancy problems remain high in most countries. There was a concentration of care in the prenatal period as the primary approach for improving pregnancy results. Currently, attention to the care of pregnant women, women who have recently given birth, and newborns are focused on the care of preconception to improve the results of pregnancy and improve the outcomes of child growth and development. Objective: Describe the evidence for preconception care (PCC) and information to the health care provider, as well as describe instruments to present health care providers with PCC, its definition, its components, recommended interventions, and the scientific basis for recommendations. Methods: There was a search for published and unpublished literature related to scientific evidence for the effectiveness of PCC in improving pregnancy results. The search was carried out based on Pubmed and using data scraping techniques, in the material available on the internet and disseminated by international organizations, such as the World Health Organization and reports by government agencies. Results: It is reported that the literature on the scientific basis for PCC is fragmented, and most publications discuss evidence of one or a few interventions, with the majority of reports considering PCC for specific populations, such as women with chronic health problems and couples with infertility. However, these publications do not offer a realistic view of the proposed PCC interventions, with the scientific evidence that supports them. The general aspects of the existing literature and the recommended preconceived care interventions are described, together with the quality of the scientific evidence and the strength of the recommendations behind each of these interventions. Conclusion: Many clinical interventions have been identified that could be offered to women before conception to help avoid adverse outcomes. Most of these interventions have scientific evidence to support their role in improving pregnancy outcomes. Therefore, it is recommended that clinical care providers incorporate evidence-based prejudice services in their daily care of women of reproductive age, in an effort to improve women’s health before and during pregnancy, as well as improve pregnancy outcomes for women and their children.

scholarly journals Perceptions about preconception care among health care providers in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria - A qualitative study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oludoyinmola Omobolade Ojifinni ◽  
Latifat Ibisomi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Maternal Health ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Pregnancy Outcomes ◽  
Preconception Care ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Medical Problems ◽  
Potential Benefits

Abstract Background: Preconception care (PCC) is a recognised strategy for optimising maternal health and improving maternal and neonatal outcomes. Research has shown that PCC services are minimally available and yet to be fully integrated into maternal health services in Nigeria. This study explored the perceptions about PCC services among health care providers in Ibadan, Nigeria. Methods: This was a case study research among 26 health care providers – 16 specialist physicians and nine nurses covering 10 specialties: Obstetrics/Gynaecology, Cardiology, Endocrinology among others at the primary, secondary and tertiary health care levels. In-depth interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed on MAXQDA using thematic analysis. Results: Six main themes were identified from the data – scope of PCC, people who require PCC, where PCC services can be provided, acceptability of PCC services, relevance of PCC to different specialties including gynaecologists, cardiologists, nephrologists, psychiatrists and possible benefits of PCC. PCC was viewed as care for women, men and couples before pregnancy to optimise health status and ensure positive pregnancy outcomes. Almost all participants stated that PCC services should be offered at all three levels of health care with referral when needed from the lower to higher levels. The prevailing opinion on the circumstances when PCC is required was that although all people of reproductive age would benefit, those who had medical problems such as hypertension, sickle cell disease, diabetes and infertility would benefit more. Participants opined that delayed health care seeking observed in the community may influence acceptability of PCC especially for people without known pre-existing conditions. All specialist physicians identified the relevance of PCC to their practice and identified potential benefits of PCC. The potential benefits outlined included opportunity to plan and prepare for pregnancy to ensure positive pregnancy outcomes. Conclusion: Preconception care is perceived as being more important for promoting positive pregnancy outcomes in people with known medical problems and is relevant to different specialities of medical practice. Provision of the service will however require establishment of guidelines and its uptake will depend on acceptability to people with known medical problems who will benefit from the service.

scholarly journals Perceptions about preconception care among health care providers in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria - A qualitative study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oludoyinmola Omobolade Ojifinni ◽  
Latifat Ibisomi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Maternal Health ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Pregnancy Outcomes ◽  
Preconception Care ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Medical Problems ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Potential Benefits

Abstract Background Preconception care (PCC) is a recognised strategy for optimising maternal health and improving maternal and neonatal outcomes. Research has however shown that preconception care services are not routinely provided as part of maternal health services in Nigeria. This study explored the perceptions about preconception care services among health care workers in Ibadan, Nigeria.Methods This was a qualitative descriptive study involving 25 in-depth interviews among 16 specialist physicians and nine nurses covering 10 specialties: Obstetrics/Gynaecology, Cardiology, Endocrinology among others at the primary, secondary and tertiary health care levels. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed on MAXQDA using thematic analysis.Results Six main themes were identified from the data – what PCC is, people who require PCC, where PCC services can be provided, acceptability of PCC services, the relevance of PCC to different specialties including gynaecologists, cardiologists, nephrologists, psychiatrists and the possible benefits of PCC. PCC was viewed as care for women, men and couples before pregnancy to optimise health status and ensure positive pregnancy outcomes. Almost all the participants stated that PCC services should be offered at all three levels of health care with referral when needed from the lower to higher levels. The prevailing opinion on the circumstances when PCC is required was that although all people of reproductive age would benefit, those who had medical problems such as hypertension, sickle cell disease, diabetes and infertility would benefit more. Acceptance and use of PCC services could however be hindered by the attitude of potential clients especially for those without any known pre-existing condition who may not use the service even if they were aware of its existence. All specialist physicians identified the relevance of PCC to their practice and identified potential benefits of PCC. The potential benefits outlined included opportunity to plan and prepare for pregnancy to ensure positive pregnancy outcomes.Conclusion Preconception care is important for positive pregnancy outcomes in people with known medical problems and is relevant to different specialities of medical practice. Its uptake will however depend on its acceptability to the people who will benefit from the service.

scholarly journals Preconception care to improve pregnancy outcomes: clinical practice guidelines

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-416
Author(s):  
Hani Atrash ◽  
Brian Jack
Keyword(s):  
Risk Behaviors ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Pregnancy Outcomes ◽  
Preconception Care ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Medical Conditions ◽  
Care Providers

Introduction: There is scientific evidence that the health of women before pregnancy contributes to the maternal and infant outcomes of pregnancy. There is also scientific evidence that the health of women of reproductive age may be improved through the provision of Preconception Care (PCC). Preconception care includes interventions to assess, identify, address, and modify a woman’s health conditions and risks to ensure that these health conditions and risks do not negatively affect the outcome of her pregnancy. Many of the medical conditions, environmental exposures, personal behaviors, and psychosocial risks associated with negative pregnancy outcomes have been identified and there are recommendations for including these conditions in PCC services. Objective: Our purpose is to present a tool for clinical care providers involved in delivering PCC services. We try to answer the following questions: what do providers actually do when a woman of reproductive age arrives at their offices? What questions to ask? What examinations to conduct? What laboratory tests to perform? And, what education and counselling to offer? Methods: We reviewed published and un-published literature related to the scientific evidence for the effectiveness of PCC in improving pregnancy outcomes. We searched PubMed for published articles, and we searched the internet for unpublished reports prepared by international organizations such as the World Health Organization and reports from governmental agencies. We summarized the information and presented a comprehensive overview of actions that providers should take to address various risk behaviors, exposures and health conditions. Results: Several scientists, countries, and international organizations have proposed answers to the above questions. However, there has been no consistency and there is not a single publication that includes a comprehensive compilation of the proposed actions. We summarized the recommended actions that clinical care providers should take in addressing various health conditions, risk behaviors, and exposures. Conclusion: It is recommended that all providers screen all women for their intentions to become pregnant and to provide them with appropriate services. Women should be referred to specialized care when risk behaviors and medical conditions that go beyond the skills and abilities of the primary care provider are identified.

scholarly journals Positive Psychology in Lifestyle Medicine and Health Care: Strategies for Implementation

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 480-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liana S. Lianov ◽  
Barbara L. Fredrickson ◽  
Carrie Barron ◽  
Janani Krishnaswami ◽  
Anne Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Lifestyle Medicine

Prevention and treatment of lifestyle-related diseases are realized through leading a healthy lifestyle. Activities supporting positive psychology can facilitate healthy behaviors and improve physiological health. Adding such activities to clinical care promotes attainment of the physical, social, and emotional elements of health, as defined by the World Health Organization—leading to (1) prolonged lifespan and quality of life, (2) lowered costs of care, and (3) reduced rates of provider burnout. A key challenge remains the translation of positive psychology–based practices into practical, implementable strategies by health care providers. An essential step is collaboration of positive psychology and health care researchers and practitioners to develop standards, terms, and measures and arrive at evidence-based clinical approaches addressing total well-being. The first Summit on Happiness Science in Healthcare enabled national experts and stakeholders in lifestyle medicine, medical education, health care administration, psychology, and community welfare to convene and identify best practices for practical implementation of positive psychology science into health care. This article draws on the summit discussions to address the gap between positive psychology theory and practical implementation in health care. We briefly summarize the positive psychology–health outcomes relationship and present key strategies needed to bridge this gap.

scholarly journals An Electronic-Based Curriculum to Train Acute Care Providers in Rural Haiti and India

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4s) ◽  
pp. 152-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayesha Khan ◽  
Stefanie S. Sebok-Syer ◽  
Hanna Linstadt ◽  
Megan Storm ◽  
Nadeem Modan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
World Health ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Electronic Learning ◽  
Health Organization

ABSTRACT Background Access to a trained, competent health care workforce remains a challenge globally, particularly in rural settings. To bridge this gap, the World Health Organization calls for innovations in electronic learning and task shifting. Yet, these approaches are underutilized due to cost, challenges associated with implementing technology, and a lack of suitably educated trainees. Objective We explored the feasibility of the Acute Care Providers Project (ACPP) to remotely train community members to be health care providers in 2 sites: Haiti and India. Methods The ACP program is an asynchronous curriculum that provides core health content and a structured approach to clinical care through an electronic curriculum. The curriculum is reinforced with case-based practice and hands-on workshops for procedural skills. ACPP was deployed in rural Haiti and India. Evaluation of the program included multiple-choice pretests and posttests, an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), and direct observation of skills. Results Four Haitian and 55 Indian trainees completed the course. In Haiti, mean scores were 34.8% (SD 12.4) on the pretest and 78.0% (SD 6.5) on the posttest (P = .004). Trainees scored 100% on the OSCE and passed the skills checklist. In India, mean scores were 16.5% (SD 3.9) on the pretest and 81.7% (SD 9.0) on the posttest (P < .001). Trainees scored a median of 91.8% (SD 3.95) on the OSCE and all passed the skills checklist. Conclusions The ACPP offers a scalable, replicable asynchronous curriculum to train lay individuals to provide basic health care in rural communities.

Health Care Providers in War and Armed Conflict: Operational and Educational Challenges in International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Conventions, Part I. Historical Perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (02) ◽  
pp. 109-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick M. Burkle ◽  
Adam L. Kushner ◽  
Christos Giannou ◽  
Mary A. Paterson ◽  
Sherry M. Wren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Geneva Convention ◽  
World Health ◽  
International Humanitarian Law ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
The Impact

AbstractSince 1945, the reason for humanitarian crises and the way in which the world responds to them has dramatically changed every 10 to 15 years or less. Planning, response, and recovery for these tragic events have often been ad hoc, inconsistent, and insufficient, largely because of the complexity of global humanitarian demands and their corresponding response system capabilities. This historical perspective chronicles the transformation of war and armed conflicts from the Cold War to today, emphasizing the impact these events have had on humanitarian professionals and their struggle to adapt to increasing humanitarian, operational, and political challenges. An unprecedented independent United Nations–World Health Organization decision in the Battle for Mosul in Iraq to deploy to combat zones emergency medical teams unprepared in the skills of decades-tested war and armed conflict preparation and response afforded to health care providers and dictated by International Humanitarian Law and Geneva Convention protections has abruptly challenged future decision-making and deployments. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:109–115)

Training health workers to provide person-centred maternal and newborn health care in Burkina Faso

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-159
Author(s):  
Janet Perkins ◽  
Aminata Bargo ◽  
Cecilia Capello ◽  
Carlo Santarelli
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Newborn Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Maternal And Newborn Health ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Maternal And Newborn

Assuring the provision of person-centred care is critical in maternal and newborn health (MNH). As a component of the national strategy to improve MNH, Burkina Faso Ministry of Health, supported by Enfants du Monde, La Fondation pour le Développement Communautaire/Burkina Faso and UNFPA, is implementing the World Health Organization’s (WHO) framework for Working with Individuals, Families and Communities (IFC) to improve MNH. As a first step in district implementation, participatory community assessments were conducted. These assessments consistently revealed that poor interactions with healthcare providers posed one important barrier preventing women from seeking MNH services. In order to address this barrier, healthcare providers were trained to improve their interpersonal skills and in counselling women. During 2011-12 a total of 175 personnel were trained over a 5-day course developed using a WHO manual. The course was met with enthusiasm as providers expressed their need and desire for such training. Immediate post-test results revealed an impressive increase in knowledge and anecdotal evidence suggests that training has influenced provider’s behaviours in their interactions with women. In addition, health care providers are taking concrete action to build the capabilities of women to experience pregnancy and birth safely by engaging directly with communities.  While early findings are promising, an evaluation will be necessary to measure how the training has influenced practices, whether this translates into a shift of perceptions at community level and ultimately its contribution toward promoting person-centred care in Burkina Faso.

scholarly journals Nurses' performance on hospital discharge: patients' point of view

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Alcalá Pompeo ◽  
Maria Helena Pinto ◽  
Claudia Bernardi Cesarino ◽  
Renilda Rosa Dias Ferreira de Araújo ◽  
Nadia Antonia Aparecida Poletti
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Hospital Discharge ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Discharge Process ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Discharge Instructions ◽  
Effective Discharge ◽  
Number Of Patients

OBJECTIVE: To know the hospital discharge process in place and the nurses' performance in preparing patients for discharge. METHODS: A descriptive study using semi-structured interviews was used to collect data from 43 patients of medical-surgical units of a major teaching hospital in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. RESULTS: The majority of patients (83.72%) received tailored discharge instructions. However, a great number of patients (72.08%) reported discharge instructions were not given by nurses. Almost a half of patients (48.84%) reported that discharge instructions were given by their physicians. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study provide insights to improve the educational process of new nurses and their preparation to provide effective discharge instructions. There is also a need to design and implement a hospital discharge process that promotes the participation of interdisciplinary health care providers who are involved in patient clinical care. This discharge process might be an effective way to change health care providers' attitude toward discharge instructions.

scholarly journals Health care professionals’ adherence to partograph use in Ethiopia: analysis of 2016 national emergency obstetric and newborn care survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Weldemariam Gebrehiwot ◽  
Mulugeta Woldu Abrha ◽  
Haftom Gebrehiwot Weldearegay
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Multivariable Analysis ◽  
Newborn Care ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
World Health ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Care Survey ◽  
National Emergency

Abstract Background The period around childbirth and the first 24 hours postpartum remains a perilous time for both mother and newborn. Health care providers’ compliance to the World Health Organization modified partogram across the active first stage of labor is a graphic representation of a mother’s condition that is used as a guide in providing quality obstetrics care. However, little evidence is documented on the health providers’ adherence to the use of the partograph in Ethiopia, which limits health care providers’ ability to improve quality care services. Therefore, this study assessed the adherence of partograph use and associated factors in Ethiopia. Methods Data from the Ethiopian 2016 National Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care survey of 3,804 health facilities that provided maternity services were used. We extracted 2611 partograph charts over a 12 months period prior to the survey to review the proper recording of each component. Data analyses were performed using SPSS version 22.0 software. A logistic regression analyses was used to identify the association of explanatory variables with the outcome variable. A p-value of <0.05 was considered as cut off point to declare the significance association in the multivariable analysis. Results Of the total 2611 partographs reviewed, 561(21.5%) of them were fully recorded as per the WHO guideline. Particularly, molding in 50%, color of liquor in 70.5%, fetal heart beat in 93.3%, cervical dilation in 89.6%, descent in 63.2%, uterine contraction in 94.5%, blood pressure in 80.5%, pulse rate in 70.5%, and temperature in 53% were accurately recorded. The odds of adherence to partograph use were 1.4 in rural health facilities when compared to their counterparts (AOR=1.44; 95% CI: 1.15, 1.80, P- 0.002). Conclusion This study revealed a poor level of adherence in partograph use in Ethiopia. Molding, maternal temperature and decent were the least recorded parameters of the partograph. The odds of completion of partograph were high in rural facilities. Strong supporting supervision and mentoring the health workers to better record and use of partograph are needed mainly in urban health facilities. Moreover in the future, interventional research should be conducted to improve the current rate of adherence.

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