Perceptions of community members on community maternal death reporting in Lilongwe, version 1

Telela, Ivy

Perceptions of community members on community maternal death reporting in Lilongwe, version 1

Date

2021-03-04

Authors

Telela, Ivy

Publisher

Kamuzu University of Health Sciences

Abstract

Perceptions of community members on community maternal death reporting at Chiseka and Chadza villages in Mitundu, Lilongwe. ”Perceptions Of Community Members On Community Maternal Death Reporting In Mitundu, Lilongwe Background There is an increased attention to maternal health that brings the need for the demand for measures of maternal mortality at the national and subnational level (Stanton et al., 2001). Community maternal death reporting therefore is as important as hospital identification of maternal death because it helps the country to ascertain nation’s position on safe motherhood/ quality of healthcare provided. Suspected maternal deaths in the community may be reported by community members, community health workers (CHW), traditional birth attendants, or other community leaders within 48 hours to a health facility (World Health Organization, 2013). In Malawi most maternal death reporting are community members, community health workers but they take more than 48 hours and sometimes they are not even reported at all. Problem statement: Maternal deaths are not reported by the communities in Malawi (Bayley et al., 2015) despite efforts and incentives from the safe motherhood initiative. This is also evident from Lilongwe district health office where anecdotal notes from 2018 to 2019 reveals that there were 22 maternal deaths in 2019, out of which 19 were hospital maternal deaths in different health facilities in Lilongwe and 3 were community maternal deaths which were discovered but remained unreported by the community. These unreported deaths occurred in Chileka and Mitundu catchment areas. These were discovered when some family members brought neonates to the hospital to ask for help with milk following the deaths of their mothers during childbirth. Lilongwe district, like many other districts in Malawi has benefited a lot from research on maternal health and mortality which is focused on general issues like top causes of maternal deaths, landscape analysis of maternal health service delivery, causes and consequences of maternal HIV transmission, but there hasn’t been any known specific research work on exploring the community’s knowledge, attitudes and practices pertaining to maternal death reporting. The author therefore proposes to conduct a study on the perceptions of community members on community maternal death reporting. Research aim. To explore the perceptions of community members on community maternal deaths reporting in Lilongwe district. Methodology: A qualitative approach with a descriptive design is proposed to be applied to this study. A qualitative approach offers visions to different problems and helps in developing concepts or theories for potential quantitative research (carol, 2016). On the other hand descriptive design has the ability to gather insights regarding a concept that is not fully understood or previously researched in depth (Kim, Sefcik, & Bradway, 2017). So this study fits in very well because as more insight will be explored pertaining to community maternal death reporting will form a basis for concepts for a possible quantitative research. Key informant interviews and focus groups will be the tools which will be used for data collection. Significance of the study: Maternal death reporting contributes to maternal health policy making, health planning, and reasonable health resource allocation at all levels, and this helps to improve maternal survival (Du et al., 2012). Therefore understanding of the perceptions of community members on community maternal death reporting may contribute to informing the devising of appropriate interventions to improve reporting of maternal deaths. This will in the long run improve maternal deaths statistics and development of appropriate maternal health management policies to prevent further community maternal deaths, may be used as a platform for further research and contribute to the body of knowledge in maternal health in Lilongwe and nation as a whole.