Medical technology in maternity services (METEMA)
Duration:
Unit at THL:
The nature of maternity care in developing counties is changing, but very little is known of the current situation of maternity services beyond the mere data on utilization and recommendations. Modern health care technologies are spreading into poorer countries.
In many countries use of caesarean sections has shifted from underuse to unfocused overuse. Iron prophylaxis during pregnancy in areas having endemic malaria is an example of untested wide-spread interventions.
The objectives are
- To study what are the care-seeking and care-giving practices in maternity care: are services population based, what are referral practices, extent of self referrals, extent and focusing of the use of health technology (prophylactic treatments, HIV testing, operative deliveries).
- Within the first objective, to specifically study the level and adequacy of targeting caesarean sections.
- To study mortality and other pregnancy and birth outcomes by policy of administering iron prophylaxis (a trial setting) and by mothers' HIV-status.
Methods
Combination of quantitative and various qualitative methods are used. Key quantitative data are the data collected in preparing and carrying out a pragmatic randomized trial (PROFEG). PROFEG quantitative data will be used to study the adequacy of targeting caesarean sections.
Analysis of mortality and other pregnancy and birth outcomes will be done by policy of administering iron prophylaxis as a whole and stratifying by HIV-status. Qualitative data (documents, observations and interviews) will be used to describe the maternity care system.
The team includes senior and junior researchers both from Finland and Mozambique. Capacity building is an essential part of the project.
Time-table
01.01.2006–31.12.2016
Funding
The study is funded by the Academy of Finland for 2011–2013.
Collaboration
The research is carried out in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine (Department of Community Medicine), University of Eduardo Modlane, Mozambique.
Researchers
Elina Hemminki (PI), Fatima Abacassamo, Orvalho Augusto, Baltazar Chilundo , Leonardo Chavane, Julie Cliff, Elina Hemminki, Taina Kempas, Qian Long, Tavares Madede, Arsenio Fernando Pinto Matusse, Bright Nwaru, Saara Parkkali, Elena Regushevskaya, Graca Salome, Cesar Palha de Sousa.
