INTRODUCTION Inequities in accessibility to, and utilisation of maternal healthcare services impede progress towards attainment of the maternal health-related Millennium Development Goals. The objective of this study is to examine the extent to which maternal health services are utilised in Ghana, and whether inequities in accessibility to and utilization of services have been eliminated follow...

BACKGROUND Prenatal healthcare is likely to prevent adverse outcomes, but an adequate review of utilization and its determinants is lacking. OBJECTIVE To review systematically the evidence for the determinants of prenatal healthcare utilization in high-income countries. METHOD Search of publications in EMBASE, CINAHL and PubMed (1992-2010). Studies that attempted to study determinants of pr...

INTRODUCTION Utilization of orthodox health facilities for maternal health services is determined by factors operating at the individual, household, community and state level. The prevalence of small family norm is one of the identified variables operating within the community which influences the decision of where to access care (orthodox/traditional). The objective of the study was to determi...

This paper highlights some of the challenges facing maternal health in Nepal and to suggest possible solutions for improvements. Key literature from across the globe is reviewed and discussed in a Nepalese context. Maternal mortality remains one of the biggest public health problems in Nepal. Lack of access to basic maternal healthcare, difficult geographical terrain, poorly developed transport...

Background The pursuit of equity in health and healthcare has been the key feature of health policy in India. However, despite the policy significance, the volume of literature available on this issue is scarce. Therefore, this paper is an attempt to examine the horizontal inequities in healthcare utilization, consisting of outpatient and inpatient care in 15 major states and north-eastern regi...

Background Health literacy presents an enormous challenge in the delivery of effective healthcare and quality outcomes. We evaluated the impact of low health literacy (LHL) on healthcare utilization and healthcare expenditure.   Methods Database analysis used Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) from 2005-2008 which provides nationally representative estimates of healthcare utilization and e...

background & aim: prenatal care is a key strategy for achieving public health goals, primary healthcare objectives, and the millennium development goals. the aim of this study was to investigate the factors influencing the use of prenatal care services in order to design suitable interventions and promote the use of these services. methods:in this systematic quantitative literature review, stud...

background: lack of access to health services has been mentioned as one of the main causes of health inequity in health system. the aim of this study was to measure horizontal inequity in access to outpatient services in shiraz. method: this household survey was conducted among 1608 participants above 18 years in shiraz in 2012. four-stage sampling was used. according to high amount of zero-val...