Status of malaria in pregnancy services in Madagascar 2010-2021: a scoping review

Malaria in pregnancy (MIP) increases the risk of poor maternal and infant outcomes. To reduce these risks, WHO recommends insecticide-treated net (ITN) use, intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), and prompt case management. However, uptake of these interventions remains sub-optimal in Madagascar. A scoping review was conducted to determine the breadth and depth of information available during 2010-2021 about Madagascar's MIP activities and to identify barriers and facilitators to MIP interventions uptake.

PubMed, Google Scholar, and USAID's files (Development Experience Catalog) were searched using the terms "Madagascar AND pregnancy AND malaria," and reports and materials from stakeholders were collected. Documents in English and French from 2010 to 2021 with data regarding MIP were included. Documents were systematically reviewed and summarized; results were captured in an Excel database.

Of 91 project reports, surveys and published articles, 23 (25%) fell within the stated time period and contained relevant data on MIP activities in Madagascar and were categorized accordingly: eight (35%) quality of care, including health facility readiness, provider knowledge and commodity availability; nine (39%) care-seeking behaviour; and, six (26%) prevention of MIP. Key barriers were identified: nine articles mentioned SP stockouts; seven found limitations of provider knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours (KAB) regarding MIP treatment and prevention; and, one reported limited supervision. MIP care seeking and prevention barriers and facilitators included women's KAB regarding MIP treatment and prevention, distance, wait times, poor service quality, cost, and/or unwelcoming providers. A 2015 survey of 52 health facilities revealed limited client access to antenatal care due to financial and geographic barriers; two 2018 surveys revealed similar findings. Self-treatment and care-seeking delays were reported even when distance was not a barrier.

Among the studies and reports on MIP in Madagascar, the scoping review frequently noted barriers that could be mitigated by reducing stockouts, improving provider knowledge and attitudes, refining MIP communication, and improving service access. There is a need for coordinated efforts to address the identified barriers is the key implication of the findings.