Objective To develop a systematic approach to obtain the best possible national and subnational statistics for maternal and child health coverage indicators from routine health-facility data. Methods Our approach aimed to obtain improved numerators and denominators for calculating coverage at the subnational level from health-facility data. This involved assessing data quality and determining...

BACKGROUND An effective emergency referral transport system is the link between the home of the pregnant woman and a health facility providing basic or comprehensive emergency obstetric care. This study attempts to explore the role of emergency transport associated with maternal deaths in Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh (UP). METHODS A descriptive study was carried out to assess the causes of a...

BACKGROUND Kenya abolished delivery fees in all public health facilities through a presidential directive effective on June 1, 2013 with an aim of promoting health facility delivery service utilization and reducing pregnancy-related mortality in the country. This paper aims to provide a brief overview of this policy's effect on health facility delivery service utilization and maternal mortality...

DEAR EDITOR, With the emergence of antibiotic‐resistant organisms, the importance of hand hygiene (HH) has re‐emerged as a priority for the 21 century hospital administrators. It is proven fact that, organisms that cause hospital acquired infections (HAI) are most commonly transmitted by health care workers and it is a proven fact that HAI rates are significantly reduced when health care worker...

Background The Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) is a continuous study of a nationally representative sample of aged and disabled Medicare beneficiaries sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). It provides comprehensive data on health and functional status, health care expenditures, and health insurance for Medicare beneficiaries. Data on sample persons may be c...

Elderly residents of long-term care facilities are especially vulnerable to certain infectious diseases such as pneumonia, urinary tract infection, and skin or soft tissue infections. As part of quality of care, the detection, control, and prevention of infections in long-term care facilities through an organized infection control program is a requirement of federal, state, and professional reg...

BACKGROUND Community participation has been emphasized internationally as a way of enhancing accountability, as well as a means to enhance health goals in terms of coverage, access and effective utilization. In rural health facilities in Kenya, initiatives to increase community accountability have focused on Health Facility Committees (HFCs). In Coast Province the role of HFCs has been expanded...