Assessing emergency obstetric and newborn care: can performance indicators capture health system weaknesses?
Regular monitoring and assessment of performance indicators for emergency obstetric and newborn care can help to identify priorities to improve health services for women and newborns. The aim of this study was to perform a district wide assessment of emergency obstetric and newborn care performance and identify ways for improvement.



Facility assessment of 13 dispensaries, four health centers and one district hospital in a rural district in Tanzania was performed in two data collection periods in 2014. Assessment included a facility walk-through to observe facility infrastructure and interviews with facility in-charges to assess available services, staff and supplies. In addition facility statistics were collected for the year 2013. Results were discussed with district representatives.



Approximately 65% of expected births took place in health facilities and 22% of women with complications were treated in facilities expected to provide emergency care. None of the facilities was, however, able to perform at the expected level for emergency obstetric and newborn care since not all required signal functions could be provided. Inadequate availability of essential drugs such as uterotonics, antibiotics and anticonvulsants as well as lack of ability to perform vacuum extraction and blood transfusion limited performance.



Performance of emergency obstetric and newborn care in Magu District was not in accordance with expected guidelines and highly influenced by lack of available resources and an insufficiently functioning health care system. Improving assessment approaches, to look beyond the signal functions, can capture weaknesses in the system and will help to understand poor performance and identify locally applicable ways for improvement.
Institute of Health and Society, Department of Community Medicine and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. a.solnesmiltenburg@gmail.com.|Women Centered Care Project, a project of the African Woman Foundation, Magu, Mwanza Region, Tanzania. a.solnesmiltenburg@gmail.com.
Andrea
A
Solnes Miltenburg
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sekotoure Regional Referral Hospital, Mwanza, Mwanza Region, Tanzania.
Richard Forget
RF
Kiritta
Magu District Council, Magu, Mwanza Region, Tanzania.
Thabea Benedicto
TB
Bishanga
Department of Obstetrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.|Athena Institute, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Jos
J
van Roosmalen
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Leeuwarden Medical Centre, Henri Dunantweg 2, 8934 AD, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.|Department of Health Sciences, Community and Occupational Medicine, Global Health, University Medical Centre Groningen/University of Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, P.O. Box 196, 9700 AD, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Jelle
J
Stekelenburg
D000328:Adult; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006767:Hospitals, District / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018743:Perinatal Care / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D011247:Pregnancy; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013636:Tanzania
Emergency obstetric and newborn care; Resource problems; Signal functions