Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33413161›Full record

ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2021

Resilience to maintain quality of intrapartum care in war torn Yemen: a retrospective pre-post study evaluating effects of changing birth volumes in a congested frontline hospital.

Josephine Obel, Antonio Isidro Carrion Martin, Abdul Wasay Mullahzada, Ronald Kremer, Nanna Maaløe

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Research progress of health care in Yemeni children during the war: review.Primary health care research & development · 2022
    Review
  5. Article
  6. 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

5 authors.

Josephine ObelMédecins Sans Frontières, Saana, Yemen. jobel@dadlnet.dk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1398-2109
Antonio Isidro Carrion MartinMédecins Sans Frontières, London, UK.
Abdul Wasay MullahzadaMédecins Sans Frontières, Saana, Yemen.
Ronald KremerMédecins Sans Frontières, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Nanna MaaløeGlobal Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFragile and conflict-affected states contribute with more than 60% of the global burden of maternal mortality. There is an alarming need for research exploring maternal health service access and quality and adaptive responses during armed conflict. Taiz Houbane Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Yemen was established during the war as such adaptive response. However, as number of births vastly exceeded the facility's pre-dimensioned capacity, a policy was implemented to restrict admissions. We here assess the restriction's effects on the quality of intrapartum care and birth outcomes.

methodsA retrospective before and after study was conducted of all women giving birth in a high-volume month pre-restriction (August 2017; n = 1034) and a low-volume month post-restriction (November 2017; n = 436). Birth outcomes were assessed for all births (mode of birth, stillbirths, intra-facility neonatal deaths, and Apgar score < 7). Quality of intrapartum care was assessed by a criterion-based audit of all caesarean sections (n = 108 and n = 82) and of 250 randomly selected vaginal births in each month.

resultsBackground characteristics of women were comparable between the months. Rates of labour inductions and caesarean sections increased significantly in the low-volume month (14% vs. 22% (relative risk (RR) 0.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.45-0.87) and 11% vs. 19% (RR 0.55, 95% CI 0.42-0.71)). No other care or birth outcome indicators were significantly different. Structural and human resources remained constant throughout, despite differences in patient volume.

conclusionsAssumptions regarding quality of care in periods of high demand may be misguiding - resilience to maintain quality of care was strong. We recommend health actors to closely monitor changes in quality of care when implementing resource changes; to enable safe care during birth for as many women as possible.

Indexed as

Armed ConflictsBirth RateAdolescentAdultApgar ScoreCesarean SectionConfidence IntervalsControlled Before-After StudiesDelivery, ObstetricEfficiency, OrganizationalFemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHumansInfant, NewbornLabor, InducedOutcome and Process Assessment, Health CareAdaptive responseArmed conflictCaesarean sectionChildbirthFragile and conflict-affected statesHumanitarian responseQuality of careYemen

Identifiers

PMID33413161
PMCPMC7791801

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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.