Journal article
Redesigning maternal health services – context matters
published 24 May 2019
published 24 May 2019
The plea for the childbirth service redesign is underpinned by the assumption that the centralisation of childbirth services to hospitals will result in (1) more efficient delivery care, (2) more skillful maternity providers and (3) more timely emergency care interventions including blood transfusion and caesarean section.
In this commentary published in BMJ Global Health, Claudia Hanson and Joanna Schellenberg call for research to develop and test context-specific redesign strategies for improved childbirth care based on the two continuums of care: from pregnancy, through to childbirth and postnatal care, and from community to specialised referral care.
Strategies need to take into account specific aspects of access, safety and quality of care in the respective setting in order for safe and respectful childbirth care to reach all women.