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Factors influencing referrals for ultrasound-diagnosed complications during prenatal care in five low and middle income countries.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Ultrasound during antenatal care (ANC) is proposed as a strategy for increasing hospital deliveries for complicated pregnancies and improving maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes. The First Look study was a cluster-randomized trial conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Kenya, Pakistan and Zambia to evaluate the impact of ANC-ultrasound on these outcomes. An additional survey was conducted to identify factors influencing women with complicated pregnancies to attend referrals for additional care. METHODS:Women who received referral due to ANC ultrasound findings participated in structured interviews to characterize their experiences. Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel statistics were used to examine differences between women who attended the referral and women who did not. Sonographers' exam findings were compared to referred women's recall. RESULTS:Among 700 referred women, 510 (71%) attended the referral. Among referred women, 97% received a referral card to present at the hospital, 91% were told where to go in the hospital, and 64% were told that the hospital was expecting them. The referred women who were told who to see at the hospital (88% vs 66%), where to go (94% vs 82%), or what should happen, were more likely to attend their referral (68% vs 56%). Barriers to attending referrals were cost, transportation, and distance. Barriers after reaching the hospital were substantial. These included not connecting with an appropriate provider, not knowing where to go, and being told to return later. These barriers at the hospital often led to an unsuccessful referral. CONCLUSIONS:Our study found that ultrasound screening at ANC alone does not adequately address barriers to referrals. Better communication between the sonographer and the patient increases the likelihood of a completed referral. These types of communication include describing the ultrasound findings, including the reason for the referral, to the mother and staff; providing a referral card; describing where to go in the hospital; and explaining the procedures at the hospital. Thus, there are three levels of communication that need to be addressed to increase completion of appropriate referrals-communication between the sonographer and the woman, the sonographer and the clinic staff, and the sonographer and the hospital. TRIAL REGISTRATION:NCT01990625 .

SUBMITTER: Franklin HL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6291965 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Factors influencing referrals for ultrasound-diagnosed complications during prenatal care in five low and middle income countries.

Franklin Holly L HL Mirza Waseem W Swanson David L DL Newman Jamie E JE Goldenberg Robert L RL Muyodi David D Figueroa Lester L Nathan Robert O RO Swanson Jonathan O JO Goldsmith Nicole N Kanaiza Nancy N Naqvi Farnaz F Pineda Irma Sayury IS López-Gomez Walter W Hamsumonde Dorothy D Bolamba Victor Lokomba VL Fogleman Elizabeth V EV Saleem Sarah S Esamai Fabian F Liechty Edward A EA Garces Ana L AL Krebs Nancy F NF Michael Hambidge K K Chomba Elwyn E Mwenechanya Musaku M Carlo Waldemar A WA Tshefu Antoinette A Lokangaka Adrien A Bose Carl L CL Koso-Thomas Marion M Miodovnik Menachem M McClure Elizabeth M EM

Reproductive health 20181212 1

<h4>Background</h4>Ultrasound during antenatal care (ANC) is proposed as a strategy for increasing hospital deliveries for complicated pregnancies and improving maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes. The First Look study was a cluster-randomized trial conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Kenya, Pakistan and Zambia to evaluate the impact of ANC-ultrasound on these outcomes. An additional survey was conducted to identify factors influencing women with complicated pregnancies ...[more]

PMID: 30541560

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Project description:BackgroundImproving maternal health has been a primary goal of international health agencies for many years, with the aim of reducing maternal and child deaths and improving access to antenatal care (ANC) services, particularly in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). Health interventions with these aims have received more attention from a clinical effectiveness perspective than for cost impact and economic efficiency.MethodsWe collected data on resource use and costs as part of a large, multi-country study assessing the use of routine antenatal screening ultrasound (US) with the aim of considering the implications for economic efficiency. We assessed typical antenatal outpatient and hospital-based (facility) care for pregnant women, in general, with selective complication-related data collection in women participating in a large maternal health registry and clinical trial in five LMICs. We estimated average costs from a facility/health system perspective for outpatient and inpatient services. We converted all country-level currency cost estimates to 2015 United States dollars (USD). We compared average costs across countries for ANC visits, deliveries, higher-risk pregnancies, and complications, and conducted sensitivity analyses.ResultsOur study included sites in five countries representing different regions. Overall, the relative cost of individual ANC and delivery-related healthcare use was consistent among countries, generally corresponding to country-specific income levels. ANC outpatient visit cost estimates per patient among countries ranged from 15 to 30 USD, based on average counts for visits with and without US. Estimates for antenatal screening US visits were more costly than non-US visits. Costs associated with higher-risk pregnancies were influenced by rates of hospital delivery by cesarean section (mean per person delivery cost estimate range: 25-65 USD).ConclusionsDespite substantial differences among countries in infrastructures and health system capacity, there were similarities in resource allocation, delivery location, and country-level challenges. Overall, there was no clear suggestion that adding antenatal screening US would result in either major cost savings or major cost increases. However, antenatal screening US would have higher training and maintenance costs. Given the lack of clinical effectiveness evidence and greater resource constraints of LMICs, it is unlikely that introducing antenatal screening US would be economically efficient in these settings--on the demand side (i.e., patients) or supply side (i.e., healthcare providers).Trial registrationTrial number: NCT01990625 (First posted: November 21, 2013 on https://clinicaltrials.gov ).

Dataset Information

Factors influencing referrals for ultrasound-diagnosed complications during prenatal care in five low and middle income countries.

Publications

Factors influencing referrals for ultrasound-diagnosed complications during prenatal care in five low and middle income countries.

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