Maternal and neonatal implementation for equitable systems. A study design paper

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Global Health
• Health Systems Research

Background:

• Effective strategies for maternal and neonatal health are known, but implementation and sustainability in low-income countries remain challenging.
• Scaling up interventions requires context-specific, participatory approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve access to quality maternal and neonatal health services sustainably.
• To evaluate a participatory action research approach for healthcare improvement.

Main Methods:

• Quasi-experimental design with participatory action research in Eastern Uganda.
• Intervention components: community empowerment for birth preparedness and health provider/management capacity-building.
• Mixed-methods data collection (surveys, interviews, focus groups) and analysis (descriptive, difference-in-difference, thematic).

Main Results:

• The study generated evidence on implementing and sustaining improved maternal and newborn health services.
• The participatory, multisectoral approach was key to the intervention's success.

Conclusions:

• Participatory action research can effectively increase access to quality maternal and newborn health services.
• Multisectoral engagement is crucial for sustainable healthcare improvements in resource-limited settings.