Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27171766›Full record

SynthesisGlobal health action2016

Strategies for improving health care seeking for maternal and newborn illnesses in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Zohra S Lassi, Philippa F Middleton, Zulfiqar A Bhutta, Caroline Crowther

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Global health action, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 57 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
57citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

57 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Pooled it
  8. Trial
  9. Trial
  10. Trial
  11. Trial
  12. Trial
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Assessing the General Health System of Cyprus: a questionnaire analysis based on public perception.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025
    Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Zohra S LassiAustralian Research Centre for Health of Women and Babies, Robinson Research Institute, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia; zohra.lassi@adelaide.edu.au.
Philippa F MiddletonAustralian Research Centre for Health of Women and Babies, Robinson Research Institute, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
Zulfiqar A BhuttaCentre for Global Child Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
Caroline CrowtherAustralian Research Centre for Health of Women and Babies, Robinson Research Institute, School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLack of appropriate health care seeking for ill mothers and neonates contributes to high mortality rates. A major challenge is the appropriate mix of strategies for creating demand as well as provision of services.

designSystematic review and meta-analysis of experimental studies (last search: Jan 2015) to assess the impact of different strategies to improve maternal and neonatal health care seeking in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC).

resultsFifty-eight experimental [randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-RCTs, and before-after studies] with 310,652 participants met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analyses from 29 RCTs with a range of different interventions (e.g. mobilization, home visitation) indicated significant improvement in health care seeking for neonatal illnesses when compared with standard/no care [risk ratio (RR) 1.40; 95 confidence interval (CI): 1.17-1.68, 9 studies, n=30,572], whereas, no impact was seen on health care seeking for maternal illnesses (RR 1.06; 95% CI: 0.92-1.22, 5 studies, n=15,828). These interventions had a significant impact on reducing stillbirths (RR 0.82; 95% CI: 0.73-0.93, 11 studies, n=176,683), perinatal deaths (RR 0.84; 95% CI: 0.77-0.90, 15 studies, n=279,618), and neonatal mortality (RR 0.80; 95% CI: 0.72-0.89, 20 studies, n=248,848). On GRADE approach, evidence was high quality except for the outcome of maternal health care seeking, which was moderate.

conclusionsCommunity-based interventions integrating strategies such as home visiting and counseling can help to reduce fetal and neonatal mortality in LMIC.

Indexed as

Maternal Health ServicesPatient Acceptance of Health CarePovertyCommunity Health ServicesFemaleHouse CallsHumansInfantInfant MortalityInfant, NewbornInfant, Newborn, DiseasesPostnatal CarePregnancydeveloping countrieshealth care seekinglow- and middle-income countriesmaternal healthneonatal healthneonatal mortalityperinatal mortality

Identifiers

PMID27171766
PMCPMC4864851

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.