Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41162463›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

The impact of precipitation on ANC service utilisation and healthcare access in Malawi.

Rachel E Murray-Watson, Margherita Molaro, Rebecca J Murray-Watson, Sakshi Mohan, Bingling She, Tara Mangal, Joseph H Collins, Sangeeta Bhatia, Eva Janoušková, Timothy B Hallett

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In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 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. 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.

Rachel E Murray-WatsonMRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK. rm916@ic.ac.uk.
Margherita MolaroMRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Rebecca J Murray-WatsonEuropean Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Reading, UK.
Sakshi MohanCentre for Health Economics, University of York, York, UK.
Bingling SheMRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Tara MangalMRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Joseph H CollinsInstitute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK.
Sangeeta BhatiaMRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Eva JanouškováInstitute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK.
Timothy B HallettMRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Jameel Institute, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.

Funding

The Welcome Trust 223120/Z/21/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Malawi is vulnerable to climate-related shocks, which are projected to worsen. Whilst some dimensions of this vulnerability have been characterised, little is known about healthcare sector resilience. Coupling facility-specific data on antenatal care (ANC) service provision in Malawi with gridded precipitation data from 2012-2024 we use linear regression analyses to characterise the historic relationship between precipitation and healthcare access. We estimate that precipitation negatively impacted ANC service utilisation in Malawi, with up to 1 in 20 appointments disrupted annually in some districts. Projecting further to 2060 indicates that, cumulatively, up to 250,000 pregnancies could be affected. Notably, if precipitation patterns from 1941 to 1953 had persisted into the 21st century, disruptions between 2012 and 2024 would be a hundred times less frequent, highlighting the significant influence of anthropogenic climate change on healthcare access. In a country already facing high maternal and neonatal mortality, such disruptions could further hinder access to care and worsen health outcomes. To mitigate this, interventions should focus on preserving or improving the physical accessibility of facilities, particularly through resilient transport services and road networks.

Indexed as

Health Services AccessibilityPatient Acceptance of Health CarePrenatal CareRainClimate ChangeFemaleHumansMalawiPregnancyAntenatal careClimate changeClimate disruptionsExtreme weather eventsHealthcare systemsPopulation health

Identifiers

PMID41162463
PMCPMC12572268

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.