Kangaroo mother care: a multi-country analysis of health system bottlenecks and potential solutions

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Abstract

Background

Preterm birth is now the leading cause of under-five child deaths worldwide with one million direct deaths plus approximately another million where preterm is a risk factor for neonatal deaths due to other causes. There is strong evidence that kangaroo mother care (KMC) reduces mortality among babies with birth weight <2000 g (mostly preterm). KMC involves continuous skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding support, and promotion of early hospital discharge with follow-up. The World Health Organization has endorsed KMC for stabilised newborns in health facilities in both high-income and low-resource settings. The objectives of this paper are to: (1) use a 12-country analysis to explore health system bottlenecks affecting the scale-up of KMC; (2) propose solutions to the most significant bottlenecks; and (3) outline priority actions for scale-up.

Methods

The bottleneck analysis tool was applied in 12 countries in Africa and Asia as part of the Every Newborn Action Plan process. Country workshops involved technical experts to complete the survey tool, which is designed to synthesise and grade health system "bottlenecks", factors that hinder the scale-up, of maternal-newborn intervention packages. We used quantitative and qualitative methods to analyse the bottleneck data, combined with literature review, to present priority bottlenecks and actions relevant to different health system building blocks for KMC.

Results

Marked differences were found in the perceived severity of health system bottlenecks between Asian and African countries, with the former reporting more significant or very major bottlenecks for KMC with respect to all the health system building blocks. Community ownership and health financing bottlenecks were significant or very major bottlenecks for KMC in both low and high mortality contexts, particularly in South Asia. Significant bottlenecks were also reported for leadership and governance and health workforce building blocks.

Conclusions

There are at least a dozen countries worldwide with national KMC programmes, and we identify three pathways to scale: (1) champion-led; (2) project-initiated; and (3) health systems designed. The combination of all three pathways may lead to more rapid scale-up. KMC has the potential to save lives, and change the face of facility-based newborn care, whilst empowering women to care for their preterm newborns.

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Most cited references 83

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National, regional, and worldwide estimates of preterm birth rates in the year 2010 with time trends since 1990 for selected countries: a systematic analysis and implications.

Hannah Blencowe, Simon Cousens, Mikkel Z Oestergaard … (2012)

Preterm birth is the second largest direct cause of child deaths in children younger than 5 years. Yet, data regarding preterm birth (<37 completed weeks of gestation) are not routinely collected by UN agencies, and no systematic country estimates nor time trend analyses have been done. We report worldwide, regional, and national estimates of preterm birth rates for 184 countries in 2010 with time trends for selected countries, and provide a quantitative assessment of the uncertainty surrounding these estimates. We assessed various data sources according to prespecified inclusion criteria. National Registries (563 datapoints, 51 countries), Reproductive Health Surveys (13 datapoints, eight countries), and studies identified through systematic searches and unpublished data (162 datapoints, 40 countries) were included. 55 countries submitted additional data during WHO's country consultation process. For 13 countries with adequate quality and quantity of data, we estimated preterm birth rates using country-level loess regression for 2010. For 171 countries, two regional multilevel statistical models were developed to estimate preterm birth rates for 2010. We estimated time trends from 1990 to 2010 for 65 countries with reliable time trend data and more than 10,000 livebirths per year. We calculated uncertainty ranges for all countries. In 2010, an estimated 14·9 million babies (uncertainty range 12·3-18·1 million) were born preterm, 11·1% of all livebirths worldwide, ranging from about 5% in several European countries to 18% in some African countries. More than 60% of preterm babies were born in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where 52% of the global livebirths occur. Preterm birth also affects rich countries, for example, USA has high rates and is one of the ten countries with the highest numbers of preterm births. Of the 65 countries with estimated time trends, only three (Croatia, Ecuador, and Estonia), had reduced preterm birth rates 1990-2010. The burden of preterm birth is substantial and is increasing in those regions with reliable data. Improved recording of all pregnancy outcomes and standard application of preterm definitions is important. We recommend the addition of a data-quality indicator of the per cent of all live preterm births that are under 28 weeks' gestation. Distinguishing preterm births that are spontaneous from those that are provider-initiated is important to monitor trends associated with increased caesarean sections. Rapid scale up of basic interventions could accelerate progress towards Millennium Development Goal 4 for child survival and beyond. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through grants to Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group (CHERG) and Save the Children's Saving Newborn Lives programme; March of Dimes; the Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Childe Health; and WHO, Department of Reproductive Health and Research. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Every Newborn: progress, priorities, and potential beyond survival.

Joy E. Lawn, Hannah Blencowe, Shefali Oza … (2014)

In this Series paper, we review trends since the 2005 Lancet Series on Neonatal Survival to inform acceleration of progress for newborn health post-2015. On the basis of multicountry analyses and multi-stakeholder consultations, we propose national targets for 2035 of no more than 10 stillbirths per 1000 total births, and no more than 10 neonatal deaths per 1000 livebirths, compatible with the under-5 mortality targets of no more than 20 per 1000 livebirths. We also give targets for 2030. Reduction of neonatal mortality has been slower than that for maternal and child (1-59 months) mortality, slowest in the highest burden countries, especially in Africa, and reduction is even slower for stillbirth rates. Birth is the time of highest risk, when more than 40% of maternal deaths (total about 290,000) and stillbirths or neonatal deaths (5·5 million) occur every year. These deaths happen rapidly, needing a rapid response by health-care workers. The 2·9 million annual neonatal deaths worldwide are attributable to three main causes: infections (0·6 million), intrapartum conditions (0·7 million), and preterm birth complications (1·0 million). Boys have a higher biological risk of neonatal death, but girls often have a higher social risk. Small size at birth--due to preterm birth or small-for-gestational-age (SGA), or both--is the biggest risk factor for more than 80% of neonatal deaths and increases risk of post-neonatal mortality, growth failure, and adult-onset non-communicable diseases. South Asia has the highest SGA rates and sub-Saharan Africa has the highest preterm birth rates. Babies who are term SGA low birthweight (10·4 million in these regions) are at risk of stunting and adult-onset metabolic conditions. 15 million preterm births, especially of those younger than 32 weeks' gestation, are at the highest risk of neonatal death, with ongoing post-neonatal mortality risk, and important risk of long-term neurodevelopmental impairment, stunting, and non-communicable conditions. 4 million neonates annually have other life-threatening or disabling conditions including intrapartum-related brain injury, severe bacterial infections, or pathological jaundice. Half of the world's newborn babies do not get a birth certificate, and most neonatal deaths and almost all stillbirths have no death certificate. To count deaths is crucial to change them. Failure to improve birth outcomes by 2035 will result in an estimated 116 million deaths, 99 million survivors with disability or lost development potential, and millions of adults at increased risk of non-communicable diseases after low birthweight. In the post-2015 era, improvements in child survival, development, and human capital depend on ensuring a healthy start for every newborn baby--the citizens and workforce of the future. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Preterm birth–associated neurodevelopmental impairment estimates at regional and global levels for 2010

Hannah Blencowe, Anne Lee, Simon Cousens … (2013)

Background: In 2010, there were an estimated 15 million preterm births worldwide ( 90%) survive without neurodevelopmental impairment. Developing effective means of prevention of preterm birth should be a longer term priority, but major burden reduction could be made immediately with improved coverage and quality of care. Improved newborn care would reduce mortality, especially in low-income countries and is likely to reduce impairment in survivors, particularly in middle-income settings.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Linda Vesel

Anne-Marie Bergh

Kate J Kerber

Bina Valsangkar

Goldy Mazia

Sarah G Moxon

Hannah Blencowe

Gary L Darmstadt

Joseph de Graft Johnson

Kim E Dickson

Juan Gabriel Ruiz Peláez

Severin Ritter von Xylander

Joy E Lawn

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

Title: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Publisher: BioMed Central

ISSN (Electronic): 1471-2393

Publication date Collection: 2015

Publication date (Electronic): 11 September 2015

Volume: 15

Issue: Suppl 2

Page: S5

Affiliations

[1 ]Innovations for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Concern Worldwide US, 355 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA

[2 ]Health Section, Programme Division, UNICEF Headquarters, 3 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA

[3 ]MRC Unit for Maternal and Infant Health Care Strategies, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X323, Arcadia 0007, Pretoria, South Africa

[4 ]Saving Newborn Lives, Save the Children, 2000 L Street NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036, USA

[5 ]USAID's Maternal and Child Survival Program, 455 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20001, USA

[6 ]Maternal, Adolescent, Reproductive and Child Health (MARCH) Centre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, WC1E 7HT, UK

[7 ]Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, WC1E 7HT, UK

[8 ]Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA

[9 ]School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Carrera 7 No 40-62, Bogotá, Colombia

[10 ]Fundación Canguro, Calle 56A No 50-36 - Bloque A13, Apto 416, Pablo VI Azul, Bogotá, Colombia

[11 ]Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Carrera 7 No 40-62, Bogotá, Colombia

[12 ]Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland

Article

Publisher ID: 1471-2393-15-S2-S5

DOI: 10.1186/1471-2393-15-S2-S5

PMC ID: 4577801

PubMed ID: 26391115

SO-VID: 0313c29a-b681-41e1-8c22-a2755dbc0145

License:

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.

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Kangaroo mother care: a multi-country analysis of health system bottlenecks and potential solutions

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Abstract

Background

Methods

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Conclusions

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Advocacy for Maternal and Women’s Health

Most cited references 83

National, regional, and worldwide estimates of preterm birth rates in the year 2010 with time trends since 1990 for selected countries: a systematic analysis and implications.

Every Newborn: progress, priorities, and potential beyond survival.

Preterm birth–associated neurodevelopmental impairment estimates at regional and global levels for 2010

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