title: Improving maternity care in the Dominican Republic: a pilot study of a community-based participatory research action plan by an international healthcare team.
abstract: This article is a report of the process and results of a feasibility pilot study to improve the quality of maternity care in a sample of 31 women and their newborns delivering in a public, tertiary hospital in the Dominican Republic. The pilot study was the first "action step" taken as a result of a formative, community-based participatory research (CBPR) study conducted between 2008 and 2010 by an interdisciplinary, international partnership of U.S. academic researchers, Dominican medical/nursing personnel, and Dominican community health workers. Health personnel and community health workers separately identified indicators most important to measure quality of antepartum maternity care: laboratory and diagnostic studies and respectful, interpersonal communication. At the midpoint and the completion of data collection, the CBPR team evaluated the change in quality indicators to assess improvement in care. The pilot study supports the idea that joint engagement of community health workers, health personnel, and academic researchers with data creation and patient monitoring is motivating for all to continue to improve services in the cultural context of the Dominican Republic.
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA jennifer.foster@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gossett
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Regional San Vicente de Paúl, San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic.
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burgos
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Regional San Vicente de Paúl, San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic.
authors.forename: Ramona
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cáceres
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Regional San Vicente de Paúl, San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tejada
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Regional San Vicente de Paúl, San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dominguez García
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Regional San Vicente de Paúl, San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic.
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ambrosio Rosario
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Regional San Vicente de Paúl, San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic.
authors.forename: Asela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Almonte
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Regional San Vicente de Paúl, San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic.
authors.forename: Lydia J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Perez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research / Q000379:methods; D004293:Dominican Republic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States
keywords: community health workers; community-based participatory research; interdisciplinary collaboration; international research capacity; maternal health; newborn health