Measuring progress towards the MDG for maternal health: including a measure of the health system's capacity to treat obstetric complications.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
This paper argues for an additional indicator for measuring progress of the Millennium Development Goal for maternal health-the availability of emergency obstetric care.

METHODS:
MDG monitoring will be based on two indicators:
the maternal mortality ratio and the proportion of births attended by skilled personnel. Strengths and weaknesses of a third indicator are discussed

RESULTS:
The availability of EmOC measures the capacity of the health system to respond to direct obstetric complications. Benefits to using this additional indicator are its usefulness in determining an adequate distribution of services and showing management at all levels what life-saving interventions are not being provided, and stimulate thought as to why. It can reflect programmatic changes over a relatively short period of time and data requirements are not onerous.

CONCLUSION:
A measure of strength of the health system is important since many interventions depend on the health system for their implementation.

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Author information

Author/s: Bailey, P (P); Paxton, A (A); Lobis, S (S); Fry, D (D);

Affiliation: Health Services Research, Family Health International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA. pbailey(-atsign-)fhi.org

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (Int J Gynaecol Obstet), published in Ireland. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Jun; vol 93 (issue 3) : pp 292-9

Dates: Created 2006/06/05; Completed 2006/11/30;

PMID: 16682036, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Emergency Medical Services - standards; supply & distribution; utilization
Female
Humans
Maternal Health Services - standards; supply & distribution; utilization
Maternal Mortality

Maternal Mortality
Obstetric Labor Complications - therapy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications - mortality; therapy
Quality of Health Care

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