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Tech4MH: Five Typical Misfits of Technology in the Developing World

Well-designed medical technology has tremendous potential to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in developing countries. However, according to an influential Duke University study, 98% of donated medical equipment breaks within five years largely because it is designed to function in developed country settings, with regular and adequate supplies of electricity and maintenance. As a result, … Continue reading “Tech4MH: Five Typical Misfits of Technology in the Developing World”

Equipped With a Checklist: Bringing Postnatal Care to the Community

Cross-posted from the Jacaranda Health blog Joyce*, a healthy mother, glows as she admires her new baby. Her husband  collects her belongings as she prepares to leave Jacaranda Maternity, and she hugs the community health worker who provided her discharge education: “See you in a few days,” she says. Most health care providers in Kenya … Continue reading “Equipped With a Checklist: Bringing Postnatal Care to the Community”

NPR Reports on the Critical Role of Midwives in Conflict Zones

NPR’s Shots recently ran a story, How midwives have become critical in war-zones, that discusses the role of midwives in conflict and post-conflict settings. According to the piece, in addition to the critical role they play in delivering babies, midwives are also key to encouraging exclusive breastfeeding, caring for newborns and promoting kangaroo care, supporting … Continue reading “NPR Reports on the Critical Role of Midwives in Conflict Zones”

New Report From UNAIDS and PEPFAR: What About the Women?

  Two years ago, in July 2011, UNAIDS  launched a joint initiative with PEPFAR, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, to help achieve the goal of an AIDS-free generation. The ambitious, if clumsily named, “Global Plan towards the elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive” included … Continue reading “New Report From UNAIDS and PEPFAR: What About the Women?”

Health and Development Foundation: Using mHealth to Improve Maternal Health in Russia

I was recently able to view several sessions from the Global Maternal Health Conference 2013 online, and was particularly interested to hear about the maternal health texting programs and trials discussed in the “Mobile phones for maternal health” session. Text4baby Russia The Russian NGO that I work for, the Health and Development Foundation, is also … Continue reading “Health and Development Foundation: Using mHealth to Improve Maternal Health in Russia”

Can a Simple Checklist Help Save the Lives of Women and Newborns?

According to a new study published in PLoS One by researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the World Health Organization (WHO), a simple and low-cost checklist has the potential to dramatically improve practices of health workers during childbirth. From our colleagues at Harvard School of Public Health: The researchers conducted the study at … Continue reading “Can a Simple Checklist Help Save the Lives of Women and Newborns?”

State of the World’s Mothers Report: The “Best” and “Worst” Places To Be a Mother

Save the Children‘s thirteenth State of the World’s Mothers report was released yesterday–providing a ranking of the “best” and “worst” places to be a mother, based on various indicators such as lifetime risk of maternal death, number of years of formal schooling, maternity leave benefits, access to safe water, under 5 mortality rate, and many … Continue reading “State of the World’s Mothers Report: The “Best” and “Worst” Places To Be a Mother”

A Closer Look at the Interconnections: Healthy Mother, Healthy Newborn

There is ample evidence illustrating that the health of a woman and her newborn baby are intimately connected. We know that: most maternal and newborn deaths are caused by the mother’s poor health before or during pregnancy or due to inadequate care in the critical hours, days, and weeks after birth when a woman dies … Continue reading “A Closer Look at the Interconnections: Healthy Mother, Healthy Newborn”

A “Kangaroo Care Champion” in Brazil

This post was originally posted on Impatient Optimists and is reposted here with permission. The Ministry of Health in Brazil has taken enormous strides to improve maternal and newborn health and adopt a humanized care approach for moms and newborns. They adopted “Kangaroo Care,” also called skin-to-skin contact, the practice of holding a baby close … Continue reading “A “Kangaroo Care Champion” in Brazil”