Background
Objectives
Methods
Protocol and registration
Concept | Definition |
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Asia | The largest continent in the world, occupying the eastern part of the Eurasian landmass and its adjacent islands, and bordered by the Ural Mountains, Arctic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, and Mediterranean and Red Seas. Countries eligible for inclusion are those territorially part of the Asian continent without any inter-continental territorial disputes [48]. |
Middle East | A term referring, generally, to the geographical area and countries between the Black Sea to the north and the Arabian Sea to the south, including Iran and Egypt (e.g. Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel/Palestine, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen) [48]. |
Fragile and conflict-affected situation (FCS | The World Bank Harmonised List of Fragile Situations (FY14) was used, as it is accepted by several development banks and agencies [49]. Criteria are either (a) a harmonized average country performance Indicator assessment (CPIA) rating of 3.2 or less, or (b) the presence of a UN and/or regional peace-keeping or peace-building mission during the past three years. CPIA consists of performance rating against 16 criteria in four clusters: (i) economic management, (ii) structural policies, (iii) policies for social inclusion/equity, and (iv) public-sector management and institutions [50]. |
Health services usage | |
Maternal services | |
Newborn services |
Information sources and search
“maternal health/care” [MeSH] OR “childbirth” [MeSH] OR “institutional delivery” OR “skilled birth attendance” OR “antenatal /prenatal” OR “postnatal/postpartum ” OR “neonatal/perinatal/newborn” OR “infant” OR “child care/health” or “under-five care/health” AND “fragile setting/context” OR “crisis setting” OR “conflict-affected region/areas” OR “Afghanistan” OR “Nepal” OR “Myanmar/Burma” Or “Timor-Leste/East Timor” OR “Yemen” OR “West Bank and Gaza/Palestine/Palestinian Territories” OR “Iraq” OR “Syria” OR “ Asia” OR “ Middle-East”
Eligibility criteria and study selection
Data collection
Data items
Risk of bias in studies
Assessment criteria | Indicators |
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Scientific rigor of data collection, analysis and reporting of qualitative studies | Are the sources of qualitative data (i.e. informants, observations, documents) relevant to address the research question? |
Is the process for analysing qualitative data relevant to address the research question? | |
Is appropriate consideration given to how findings relate to the context (e.g. setting in which data were collected? | |
Is appropriate consideration given to how findings relate to researchers’ influence (e.g. through their interactions with participants)? | |
Scientific rigour of data collection, analysis and reporting of quantitative studies | Is the sampling strategy relevant to address the quantitative research question (quantitative aspect of the mixed methods question)? |
Is the sample representative of the population under study? | |
Is there an acceptable response rate (e.g. 60% or above)? | |
Are the statistical methods used appropriate for measurement? | |
Was there any recall bias in reporting data? |
Summary measures and data synthesis
Results
Study selection
Study characteristics and methodological quality
Author (year) | Country | Design | Sample | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
Newbrander et al. (2013) [26] | Afghanistan | Qualitative | 30 IDIs and 29 FGDs with community members in 5 districts | 6/9 |
Rahmani and Brekke (2013) [27] | Afghanistan | Qualitative | 12 IDIs with pregnant/recently-delivered women and 15 IDIs with providers in 2 provinces | 6/9 |
Hirose et al. (2011) [24] | Afghanistan | Cross-sectional | 411 paired couples surveyed at 1 regional hospital | 7/9 |
Mayhew et al. (2008) [20] | Afghanistan | Cross-sectional | 9917 recently-delivered (2 years) women surveyed in 33 provinces | 5/9 |
Khorrami et al. (2008) [25] | Afghanistan | Cross-sectional | 292 women inpatients with obstetric complaints surveyed at 1 hospital | 5/9 |
Najem and Al-Deen (2011) [28] | Iraq | Cross-sectional | 251 primipara postnatal mothers surveyed at 1 hospital | 4/9 |
Siziya et al. (2009) [29] | Iraq | Secondary survey | 22,980 recently-delivered (1 year) MICS participants | 8/9 |
Sharma et al. (2014) [21] | Nepal | Cross-sectional | 240 recently-delivered (1 year) women surveyed in 1 district. | 5/9 |
Choulagai et al. (2013) [16] | Nepal | Cross-sectional | 2481 recently-delivered (1 year) women surveyed in 3 districts | 7/9 |
Karkee et al. (2013) [19] | Nepal | Prospective cohort | 700 pregnant women in 1 district | 7/9 |
Shrestha et al. (2012) [22] | Nepal | Cross-sectional | 732 married reproductive-age women | 6/9 |
Ulak et al. (2012) [23] | Nepal | Cross-sectional | 352 mothers of infants attending vaccination | 6/9 |
Devkota and Bhatta (2011) [17] | Nepal | Cross-sectional | 71 mothers of newborns | 4/9 |
Dhakal et al. (2011) [18] | Nepal | Cross-sectional | 150 recently-delivered women | 7/9 |
Dhaher et al. (2008) [32] | Palestine | Cross-sectional | 264 postpartum outpatient women | 7/9 |
Giacaman et al. (2007) [33] | Palestine | DHS survey | 2158 women residing in the West Bank and Gaza Strip | 7/9 |
Kempe et al. (2013) [31] | Yemen | Mixed-methods | 220 women with childbirth experience in urban/rural areas | 7/12 |
Basaleem (2012) [30] | Yemen | Mixed-methods | 1678 women surveyed and 11 FGDs with men and women | 9/12 |
Service-usage
Service | Study | Outcome | % usage |
---|---|---|---|
Antenatal care (ANC) | Basaleem (2012) [30] | Professional ANC | 97.7% |
ANC in 1st trimester | 60% | ||
Choulagai et al. (2013) [16] | 4+ ANC | 57% | |
Devkota and Bhatta (2011) [17] | At least one ANC | 71.8% | |
Skilled birth attendance (SBA) | Basaleem (2012) [30] | SBA usage | 50% |
Choulagai et al. (2013) [16] | SBA usage | 48% | |
Dhakal et al. (2011) [18] | SBA usage | 31% | |
Mayhew et al. (2008) [20] | SBA usage | 13% | |
Kempe et al. (2013) [31] | TBA usage (untrained) | 71 (32%) | |
TBA usage (trained) | 10 (5%) | ||
No one attended delivery | 30 (14%) | ||
Attended by medical doctor | 37 (17%) | ||
Attended by nurse-midwife | 29 (13%) | ||
Facility-based delivery (FBD) | Devkota and Bhatta (2011) [17] | Facility-based delivery | 8.5% |
Giacaman et al. (2006) [33] | Facility-based delivery | 96.5% | |
Delivered in govt hospital | 56.4% | ||
Delivered in private hospital | 28.3% | ||
Karkee et al. (2013) [19] | Facility-based delivery | 85% | |
Postnatal care (PNC) | Basaleem (2012) [30] | Received any PNC | 20% |
Dhaher et al. (2008) [32] | Received any PNC | 36.6% | |
Dhakal et al. (2011) [18] | Received any PNC | 34% | |
Received any within 48 h of birth | 19% | ||
Received from a hospital | 78% | ||
Received from a trained physician | 65% | ||
Received from a nurse | 20% | ||
Received from another health-worker | 16% | ||
Newborn care | Devkota and Bhatta (2011) [17] | Breastfed within 1 h of delivery | 7% |
Najem and Al-Deen (2011) [28] | Breastfed within 1 h of delivery | 7% | |
Never breastfed | 13.5% | ||
Ulak et al. (2012) [23] | Breastfed within 1 h of delivery | 57% | |
Devkota and Bhatta (2011) [17] | Did not seek health services for newborn complications | 70.4% | |
Did not vaccinate newborn | 35.2% |
Determinants of service usage
Author (year), country | Outcomes | Determinants | Odds ratio or percentage |
---|---|---|---|
Skilled birth attendance | |||
Choulagai et al. (2013) [16], Nepal | SBA usage | Education | |
Informally educated Educated intermediate and above | OR 1.18 (CI0.92–1.51), p < 0.05 OR 4.41 (CI2.89–6.72), p < 0.05 | ||
Wealth quintile | |||
Q2 (poorer) Q5 (wealthiest) | OR 1.08 (CI 0.81–1.43), p < 0.05 OR 1.90 (CI 1.42–2.56), p < 0.05 | ||
Knowledge | |||
Knowledge of at least one danger sign | OR 1.31 (CI 1.08–1.58), p < 0.05 | ||
Distance | |||
Staying ≤ 30 min from facility | OR 1.31 (CI 1.08–1.58), p < 0.05 | ||
ANC use | |||
≥ 4 ANC visits | OR 2.39 (CI 1.97–2.89), p < 0.05 | ||
Mayhew et al. (2008) [20], Nepal | SBA usage | Wealth quintile | |
Q2 (poorer) Q5 (wealthiest) | OR 1.6 (CI 1.2–2.3), p < 0.01 OR 6.3 (CI 4.4–8.9), p < 0.01 | ||
Distance | |||
Walking distance to clinic (31–60 min) Walking distance to clinic (>90 min) | OR 0.7 (CI 0.6–0.8), p < 0.01 OR 0.4 (CI 0.3–0.6), p < 0.01 | ||
Education | |||
Formally educated | OR 3.8 (CI 3.2–4.5), P < 0.05 | ||
Earlier been to this health facility | OR 1.7 (CI 1.3–2.1), p < 0.05 | ||
At least some basic EmONC equipment in facility | OR 1.0 (CI 0.7–1.3), p < 0.05 | ||
≥ 1 Community health worker in catchment area | OR 0.7 (CI 0.6–0.95), p < 0.05 | ||
≥ 1 female TBA in catchment area | OR 1.3 (CI 1.0–1.7), p < 0.05 | ||
≥ 1 female doctor or midwife at health facility | OR 1.4 (CI 1.1–1.8), p < 0.05 | ||
User fees collected in facility | OR 0.8 (CI 0.6–0.96), p < 0.05 | ||
Antenatal care provided in facility | OR 1.1 (CI 0.8–1.5), p < 0.05 | ||
Siziya et al. (2009) [29], Iraq | TBA usage | Wealth quintile | |
Q2 (poorer) Q4 (wealthier) | OR 2.90 (CI 2.49–3.39), p < 0.05 OR 0.79 (CI 0.65–0.96), p < 0.05 | ||
Age | |||
Women aged 25–34 years | AOR 1.22 (CI 1.08–1.39), p < 0.05 | ||
Education | |||
Formally educated | OR 1.08 (CI 0.96–1.22), p < 0.05 | ||
Children | |||
Having 1–2 children | AOR 0.72 (CI 0.59–0.87), p < 0.05 | ||
Facility-based delivery | |||
Dhakal et al. (2011) [18], Nepal | FBD | Age | |
25+ years 20–24 years | OR1.38 (CI 0.34–5.55), p < 0.001 OR 2.67 (CI 0.70–10.19), p < 0.001 | ||
Occupation | |||
Housewife Working women | OR 4.77 (CI 2.16–10.54), p < 0.001 OR 5.80 (CI 0.91–36.84), p < 0.001 | ||
Education | |||
Educated up to primary level Educated to secondary and above | OR 2.29 (CI 0.82–6.37), p < 0.001 OR 16.59 (CI 6.27–43.80), p < 0.001 | ||
ANC use | |||
≥ 1 ANC visit | OR 20.0 (CI 2.64–151.51), p < 0.001 | ||
Giacaman et al. (2006) [33], Palestine | FBD | Client satisfaction | |
Avoiding public facilities due to dissatisfaction | OR 2.77 (CI 1.89–4.05), p < 0.001 | ||
Financial reasons | |||
Insurance or low cost for opting facility | OR 5.83 (CI 3.96–8.59), p < 0.001 | ||
Karkee et al. (2013) [19], Nepal | FBD | Education | |
Educated up to primary level Educated to higher-secondary or above | AOR 3.57 (CI 1.60–7.94), p < 0.001 AOR 12.39 (CI 5.09–30.2), p < 0.001 | ||
ANC use | |||
≥ 4 ANC visits | AOR 2.15 (CI 1.25–3.69), p < 0.005 | ||
Distance | |||
≤ 30 min 31–60 min | OR 11.61 (CI 5.77–24.0), p < 0.001 AOR 1.72 (CI 0.93–3.19), p < 0.001 | ||
Sharma et al. (2014) [21], Nepal | FBD | Education | |
Formally educated | OR 2.8 (CI 1.58–4.97), p < 0.001 | ||
Distance | |||
< 60 min to facility | OR 3.12 (CI 1.61–0.04), p < 0.001 | ||
ANC use | |||
Had antenatal visits | OR 5.82 (CI 2.95–11.5), p < 0.001 | ||
Shrestha et al. (2012) [22], Nepal | FBD | Distance | |
Residing in remote area | OR 2.81 (CI1.08–7.30), p < 0.05 | ||
Community | |||
Newer community | OR 2.56 (CI 1.19–5.55), p < 0.05 | ||
Education | |||
Formally educated | OR 2.66 (CI 1.18–6.01), p < 0.05 | ||
ANC use | |||
No ANC visits | OR 5.53 (CI 2.12–14.4), p < 0.05 | ||
Emergency obstetric care | |||
Hirose et al. (2011) [24], Afghanistan | Delay in seeking EmONC | ANC use | |
Lack of ANC | AOR 4.6 (CI 1.7–12.2), p < 0.05 | ||
Socio-cultural factors | |||
Usage of traditional healer Weak relationship with her birth family No plan to use health facility for delivery | AOR 3.2 (CI 1.2–8.5), p < 0.05 AOR 2.0 (CI 0.9–4.4), p < 0.05 AOR 2.0 ( CI 0.9–4.2), P < 0.05 | ||
System factors | |||
Absence of a midwife | AOR 2.2 (CI 1.1–4.5), p < 0.05 | ||
Khorrami et al. (2008) [25], Afghanistan | Timely EmONC usage | Distance to facility | |
< 100 miles ≥ 100 miles |
N = 249 (85.3%)
N = 43 (14.7%) | ||
Mode of travel | |||
Automobile Bus |
N = 192 (65.8%)
N = 97 (33.2%) | ||
Cost as a limitation | |||
Yes No |
N = 38 (30.7%)
N = 86 (69.4%) | ||
Safety felt about care at this hospital | |||
Moderately safe Mildly safe |
N = 100 (34.4%)
N = 177 (60.8%) |