Journal article
Monitoring childbirth care in primary health facilities: a validity study in Gombe State, northeastern Nigeria
published 21 August 2019
published 21 August 2019
Antoinette Bhattacharya et al assessed twenty-five childbirth care indicators to validate health worker documentation and women’s self-reports. Women who were interviewed at the time of leaving the health facility were able to recall the care they received with a high degree of validity (AUC≥0.70 and 0.75<IF<1.25) for 9 of 20 indicators assessed; six additional indicators met either AUC or IF criteria for validity. During follow-up interviews, women’s ability to recall their experience had high validity for one of 15 indicators assessed, the placement of their newborn skin-to-skin; two additional indicators met IF criteria only. Health worker documentation had high validity for four of 10 indicators assessed; three additional indicators met AUC or IF criteria.
In conclusion the authors recommend that in addition to standard household surveys, monitoring of facility-based childbirth care should consider drawing from and linking multiple data sources, including routine health facility data and exit interviews with recently delivered women.