ABSTRACT
Most maternal and newborn deaths in low-income countries, including Rwanda, are attributable to preventable causes. Timely access to Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC) guidelines to support clinical decisions could lead to better obstetric care thus reduction of maternal and newborn deaths. Besides, innovative methods such as the usage and reference to healthcare guidelines using mobile devices (mhealth) may support clinical decision making. However, there is little evidence about mhealth that focuses on the clinical decision support process. This proposal aims to investigate the effect of the Safe Delivery mhealth Application(SDA) on nurses’ and midwives’ clinical decision making, so as to inform mhealth interventions for work in specific contexts. The study adopts a quasi-experimental design. Convergent parallel mixed – methods will be used to collect, analyze and interpret data. A pre-intervention assessment of the BEmONC outcomes: Apgar score and PPH progressions, and related knowledge, skills, and perceptions of nurses and midwives will be conducted. The intervention will take place in two district hospitals in Rwanda and entails the implementation of the SDA for six months. Six months’ post-intervention, the effect of the SDA on BEmONC outcomes and the nurses’ and midwives’ knowledge and skills will be evaluated.
Abbreviations
BEmONC | = | Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care |
mhealth | = | Mobile Health |
SDA | = | Safe Delivery mhealth Application |
PPH | = | Post-Partum Hemorrhage |
NR | = | Neonatal Resuscitation |
MNCH | = | Maternal Newborn and Child Health |
WHO | = | World Health Organisation |
UNICEF | = | United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund |
UNFPA | = | United Nations Population Fund |
LMICs | = | Low- and middle-income countries |
ICT | = | Information, communication, technology |
SAQs | = | Self-Administered questionnaires |
FGD | = | Focus Group Discussion |
KII | = | Key Informant Interview |
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the Consortium for Advanced Research and Training (CARTA), The Ministry of Health, Rwanda and The Maternity Foundation.
Authors’ contributions
AN, DNC, MN and LI were involved in the conception and design of the study. AN drafted the manuscript. DNC, MN, and LI reviewed the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Availability of data and materials
This article is a research proposal. The dataset generated for some of the phases of the study has not been analysed but will be made available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Disclosure of interest
The authors report no conflict of interest.
Ethics approval and consent to participate
This study has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of the Witwatersrand (M190258) and the University of Rwanda, College of Medicine and Health Sciences’ Institutional Review Board (No.377/CMHS IRB/2018). Permission has been granted by the hospitals. Written, informed consent will be obtained from all the participants.