Post-partum family planning services can prevent maternal and child morbidity and mortality in low-resource settings. We assessed the effect of a family planning intervention package on modern contraceptive use at 12 months post partum in predominantly rural Burkina Faso. Yam Daabo was a two group, multi-intervention, single-blinded, cluster randomised controlled trial. Primary health-care centres were randomly allocated to intervention or control clusters in a 1:1 ratio with only data analysts masked to the allocation assignment. Interventions comprised refresher training for the provider, a counselling tool, supportive supervision, availability of contraceptive services 7 days a week, client appointment cards, and invitation letters for partners. The primary outcome was modern contraceptive prevalence at 12 months, and secondary outcomes were modern contraceptive prevalence at 6 weeks and 6 months post partum. Analysis was by modified intention to treat. Prevalence ratios were adjusted for cluster effects and baseline characteristics. This study was registered with the Pan-African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR201609001784334). From July 27-Oct 17, 2016, eight clinics were randomised and 571 women were enrolled and allocated: 286 to four intervention clusters and 285 to four control clusters. Of these, 523 completed the 12-month study exit interview (260 in the intervention group, 263 in the control group) and 523 were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. At 12 months, modern contraceptive prevalence was 55% among women who received the package and 29% among those who received routine care in control clusters (adjusted prevalence ratio 1·79, 95% CI 1·30-2·47). Significant differences in modern contraceptive prevalence were also seen between intervention and control groups at 6 weeks (42% and 10%, respectively; adjusted prevalence ratio 3·88, 95% CI 1·46-10·35) and 6 months (59% and 24%, respectively; 2·31, 1·44-3·71). A package of six low-technology interventions, aimed at strengthening existing primary health-care services and enhancing demand for these services, can effectively increase modern contraceptive use for up to a year post partum in rural settings in Burkina Faso and has the potential to be suitable in similar settings in this country and others. Government of France.

Postpartum care (PPC) has remained relatively neglected in many interventions designed to improve maternal and neonatal health in sub-Saharan Africa. The Missed Opportunities in Maternal and Infant Health project developed and implemented a context-specific package of health system strengthening and demand generation in four African countries, aiming to improve access and quality of PPC. A realist evaluation was conducted to enable nuanced understanding of the influence of different contextual factors on both the implementation and impacts of the interventions. Mixed methods were used to collect data and test hypothesised context–mechanism–outcome configurations: 16 case studies (including interviews, observations, monitoring data on key healthcare processes and outcomes), monitoring data for all study health facilities and communities, document analysis and participatory evaluation workshops. After evaluation in individual countries, a cross-country analysis was conducted that led to the development of four middle-range theories. Community health workers (CHWs) were key assets in shifting demand for PPC by ‘bridging’ communities and facilities. Because they were chosen from the community they served, they gained trust from the community and an intrinsic sense of responsibility. Furthermore, if a critical mass of women seek postpartum healthcare as a result of the CHWs bridging function, a ‘buzz’ for change is created, leading eventually to the acceptability and perceived value of attending for PPC that outweighs the costs of attending the health facility. On the supply side, rigid vertical hierarchies and defined roles for health facility workers (HFWs) impede integration of maternal and infant health services. Additionally, HFWs fear being judged negatively which overrides the self-efficacy that could potentially be gained from PPC training. Instead the main driver of HFWs’ motivation to provide comprehensive PPC is dependent on accountability systems for delivering PPC created by other programmes. The realist evaluation offers insights into some of the contextual factors that can be pivotal in enabling the community-level and service-level interventions to be effective.

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The Missed Opportunities in Maternal and Infant Health (MOMI) project aimed at reducing maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity within the year after childbirth in four sub-Saharan African countries. MOMI interventions including the integration of maternal and infant services in the postpartum (PP) period at day 6–10, week 6–8, and month 9 were implemented from September 2013 to December 2015. We hereby assess the effect of integrating maternal postpartum care (PPC) in infant immunization services in Kaya health district in Burkina Faso. We apply a longitudinal mixed method on monthly monitoring data collected from 12 months before the project start to the end. Outcome indicators were: attendance of PPC at day 6–10 and week 6–8, provision of PP family planning counselling, and management of PP morbidity in mother and infant. We tested the significance level of changes in the different indicators by performing an interrupted time series analysis with Newey–West standard errors and one lag. Additional data were extracted at the individual level which allowed to link infant immunization with maternal PPC from September 2013 to August 2014 in the health facilities’ (HF) PP and immunization registers. We also conducted a review of documents that allowed for a qualitative evaluation of the effects. Show an increasing trend of all monitored indicators during the interventions, particularly at day 6–10 when PPC increased from 61% in 2013 to 81% in 2015 and especially in rural areas (p < 0.05). We found large improvements in the detection and management of PP maternal hemorrhage, sepsis and newborn fever or low temperature. However, the intervention was less successful in raising PPC at week 6–8 and later due to the existence of structural barriers, caused for instance by the lack of collaboration among health workers and high turnover in the staff of HF. The overall package of community and facility interventions contributed to improve integrated PPC at day 6–10, particularly the role of community health workers. While the integration of maternal and child health services seems to be a valid concept, it needs to be rethought within the primary health care system.