Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40122558›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

Beyond physical accessibility, bypassing health facilities offering caesarean section: insights from women in Dakar's slums.

El Hadji Malick Sylla, Ndeye Awa Fall, Winfred Dotse-Gborgbortsi, Arsène Brunelle Sandie, Barrel Sow Gueye, Diarra Bousso Senghor, Birane Cissé, Fadima Yaya Bocoum, Ibrahima Ousmane Sy, Cheikh Faye

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Multistakeholder perspectives on geographical accessibility to emergency obstetric care in Benin City, Nigeria.African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence · 2026
    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

10 authors.

El Hadji Malick SyllaWest Africa Regional Office, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Dakar, Senegal msylla@aphrc.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1634-4708
Ndeye Awa FallWest Africa Regional Office, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Dakar, Senegal.
Winfred Dotse-GborgbortsiSchool of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Arsène Brunelle SandieWest Africa Regional Office, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Dakar, Senegal.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5615-3127
Barrel Sow GueyeWest Africa Regional Office, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Dakar, Senegal.
Diarra Bousso SenghorGeography, Universite Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal.
Birane CisséUniversité Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal.
Fadima Yaya BocoumInstitut de Recherche en Sciences de la Sante, Ouagadougou, Centre, Burkina Faso.
Ibrahima Ousmane SyUniversité Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal.
Cheikh FayeWest Africa Regional Office, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Dakar, Senegal.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4028-0575

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe study examines the geographic accessibility of Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric Care (CEmONC) among women residing in the slums of Dakar.

designThe study is a cross-sectional geographic analysis of caesarean care utilisation in health facilities offering the service in Dakar.

settingThe study was conducted in urban slum areas in Dakar.

participants763 women living in urban slums who had undergone a caesarean section in six health facilities in Dakar between July and December 2022. OUTCOME MEASURES: The proportion of women bypassing the nearest health facility and travel time to health facilities.

resultsKey findings show that most women in Dakar's urban slums live within 5 min from a health facility offering caesarean services, with an average travel time of 6.3 min. However, 44.3% bypassed nearby facilities, often travelling outside their district. Medical referral was the primary reason for bypassing (43.2%), followed by the search for higher quality care (13.5%) and reliance on family or social networks (14.9%). Only a small proportion (1.4%) cited more affordable treatment costs as a reason for bypassing.

conclusionDespite the good geographical accessibility of health facilities offering caesarean sections in Dakar, many women bypass nearby facilities due to medical referrals and the search for higher quality care, resulting in increased travel time and costs. Strengthening the quality and capacity of local health centres in urban slums is crucial to minimising unnecessary bypassing and ensuring timely access to essential obstetric services.

Indexed as

Cesarean SectionHealth FacilitiesHealth Services AccessibilityPatient Acceptance of Health CarePoverty AreasAdolescentAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansPregnancySenegalYoung AdultCesarean SectionEmergency Service, HospitalEPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIESHealth Services Accessibility

Identifiers

PMID40122558
PMCPMC11931907

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.