SynthesisBMC health services research2026
Maternal and neonatal health service access and utilisation in sub-Saharan Africa (2015-2023): a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC health services research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Maternal education and infant survival in Somaliland: a descriptive decomposition of observed survival differences across sequential adjustment models.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Maternal healthcare quality, continuity, and experiences among pregnant adolescents and adult women in Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Africa: A cohort study.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Incidence, Mortality, and Premature Mortality From Neonatal Disorders in Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa, From 1990 to 2023.Sage open pediatricsArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDespite maternal and neonatal health being crucial health indicators, in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), access and utilisation remain low, leading to high maternal and neonatal death rates. Current epidemiological data is vital to inform policy planners to improve these health outcomes; however, relevant evidence from SSA is limited. This review assessed maternal (antenatal, delivery, and postnatal care) and neonatal health service use, access status, and associated factors in SSA. It aimed to raise awareness about the challenges mothers and newborns face in the region to support the development of sustainable solutions.
methodsFollowing Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines, specific inclusion and exclusion criteria were established using the PECOS framework (Population, Exposure, Comparator, Outcome, and Study area). Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Emcare, CINAHL, Scopus, and Maternity and Infant Care databases were searched, and titles, abstracts, and full texts were reviewed to determine eligibility. Independent quality assessments were performed using JBI checklists. Data were extracted, and descriptive synthesis was performed. Random effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the proportion of deliveries occurring in a health facility and within SSA regions.
resultsA total of 64 studies were included. Six studies focused exclusively on antenatal care (ANC), twenty on delivery care, eleven on maternal and neonatal postnatal care, and thirteen on mixed components of maternal health services. The proportion of mothers receiving at least one antenatal care (ANC) visit ranged from 22% in Chad to 99% in Ghana. The median prevalence of receiving four or more ANC visits across all SSA countries was 52.5%. Most women did not receive the World Health Organization’s recommended four or more ANC visits. Maternal delivery service utilisation varied widely across SSA countries due to financial constraints, transportation limitations, and low awareness of the importance of ANC services. The pooled proportion of deliveries conducted in a health facility was 63% (95% CI: 0.55, 0.72). In most countries, the utilisation of postnatal care services within the recommended 2–7 days was critically low. The practice of essential newborn care services, such as immediate breastfeeding initiation and skin-to-skin contact, were influenced by factors including caesarean section birth, ANC attendance, place and mode of delivery, maternal education, and awareness of neonatal danger signs. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: In SSA, maternal and neonatal health service access and utilisation rates remain low and need more attention. Prioritisation of this issue by policymakers and healthcare providers, including the development of targeted interventions, is crucial to enhance maternal and neonatal healthcare access and utilisation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.