Trends in use of referral hospital services for care of sick newborns in a community-based intervention in Tangail District, Bangladesh.
The Projahnmo-II Project in Mirzapur upazila (sub-district), Tangail district, Bangladesh, is promoting care-seeking for sick newborns through health education of families, identification and referral of sick newborns in the community by community health workers (CHWs), and strengthening of neonatal care in Kumudini Hospital, Mirzapur. Data were drawn from records maintained by the CHWs, referral hospital registers, a baseline household survey of recently-delivered women conducted from March to June 2003, and two interim household surveys in January and September 2005. Increases were observed in self-referral of sick newborns for care, compliance after referral by the CHWs, and care-seeking from qualified providers and from the Kumudini Hospital, and decreases were observed in care-seeking from unqualified providers in the intervention arm. An active surveillance for illness by the CHWs in the home, education of families by them on recognition of danger signs and counselling to seek immediate care for serious illness, and improved linkages between the community and the hospital can produce substantial increases in care-seeking for sick newborns.
Bari
Sanwarul
S
ICDDR,B, GPO Box 128, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh.
Mannan
Ishtiaq
I
Rahman
Mohammed Anisur
MA
Darmstadt
Gary L
GL
Serajil
M Habibur R
MH
Baqui
Abdullah H
AH
El Arifeen
Shams
S
Rahman
Syed Moshfiqur
SM
Saha
Samir K
SK
Ahmed
A S M Nawshad Uddin
AS
Ahmed
Saifuddin
S
Santosham
Mathuram
M
Black
Robert E
RE
Winch
Peter J
PJ
D001459:Bangladesh; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007224:Infant Care / Q000592:standards; D007229:Infant Welfare; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008429:Maternal Welfare; D012017:Referral and Consultation