In response to PAR-10-038, we propose to test whether adapting an established HIV/AIDS program support platform to strengthen maternal and newborn health (MNH) services will increase uptake of these services and thus improve outcomes for both HIV-negative and HIV-positive women and their newborns. One of NIAID's key strategic priorities is to reduce health disparities and improve health by using translational research. Tanzania, the largest country in East Africa, has an HIV prevalence of 5.7% and some of the highest maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the world. With the support of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Tanzania has made remarkable progress in providing HIV services, averting 7,500 newborn HIV infections in 2009 alone. In contrast, expanding uptake of basic maternal and newborn health (MNH) services needed to reduce maternal and newborn mortality has been less successful. Fewer than half of Tanzania's women and newborns utilize high-quality MNH services, despite the existence of well-defined policies and guidelines. Our preliminary data suggest that low service utilization may be due to poor quality of services. Poor quality of services in turn results in poor health outcomes. To succeed in the same weak health systems, HIV programs have pioneered an innovative approach to upgrade infrastructure, provide training and quality assurance, and work with local communities. Could this three-pronged health system support strategy originally developed for HIV programs be expanded to improve the quality and uptake of MNH services? Despite its clinical and public health relevance, there are no randomized studies to answer this question. This study will use rigorous research methods to define effective strategies for scaling evidence- based health services in clinical and public health settings. We propose to undertake a cluster-randomized study to test the hypothesis that adapting HIV program strategies to strengthen MNH services (MNH+) will increase quality and utilization of essential MNH and HIV services among Tanzanian women. The study will be done jointly with the Tanzania Ministry of Health, Ifakara Health Institute, the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP), the Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program. Twelve health centers in Pwani Region (eastern Tanzania) will be paired on baseline characteristics and randomly allocated to receive support to improve the quality and reach of MNH services or join the control group. Population-level utilization of antenatal, delivery, postnatal, PMTCT and HIV care will be assessed using population- representative surveys of 3000 women living within the catchments of intervention and control health centers. Improvements in quality and extent of implementation of the intervention will be tracked using detailed facility data, using ICAP's monitoring frameworks, and structured clinical observation. Understanding whether the HIV experience can be leveraged for maternal and newborn health care can assist in the translation of evidence from bedside to the community (T2 translation) to save maternal and newborn lives in low-income countries.

Public Health Relevance

, there are no randomized studies to answer this question. This study will use rigorous research methods to define effective strategies for scaling evidence- based health services in clinical and public health settings. We propose to undertake a cluster-randomized study to test the hypothesis that adapting HIV program strategies to strengthen MNH services (MNH+) will increase quality and utilization of essential MNH and HIV services among Tanzanian women. The study will be done jointly with the Tanzania Ministry of Health, Ifakara Health Institute, the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP), the Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program. Twelve health centers in Pwani Region (eastern Tanzania) will be paired on baseline characteristics and randomly allocated to receive support to improve the quality and reach of MNH services or join the control group. Population-level utilization of antenatal, delivery, postnatal, PMTCT and HIV care will be assessed using population- representative surveys of 3000 women living within the catchments of intervention and control health centers. Improvements in quality and extent of implementation of the intervention will be tracked using detailed facility data, using ICAP's monitoring frameworks, and structured clinical observation. Understanding whether the HIV experience can be leveraged for maternal and newborn health care can assist in the translation of evidence from bedside to the community (T2 translation) to save maternal and newborn lives in low-income countries.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AI093182-03
Application #
8507599
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-DIRH-J (08))
Program Officer
Bacon, Melanie C
Project Start
2011-08-15
Project End
2016-07-31
Budget Start
2013-08-01
Budget End
2014-07-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$703,115
Indirect Cost
$245,354
Name
Columbia University (N.Y.)
Department
Public Health & Prev Medicine
Type
Schools of Public Health
DUNS #
621889815
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10032
Larson, Elysia; Rabkin, Miriam; Mbaruku, Godfrey M et al. (2017) Missed Opportunities to Improve the Health of Postpartum Women: High Rates of Untreated Hypertension in Rural Tanzania. Matern Child Health J 21:407-413
Larson, Elysia; Vail, Daniel; Mbaruku, Godfrey M et al. (2017) Beyond utilization: measuring effective coverage of obstetric care along the quality cascade. Int J Qual Health Care 29:104-110
Kruk, Margaret E; Hermosilla, Sabrina; Larson, Elysia et al. (2015) Who is left behind on the road to universal facility delivery? A cross-sectional multilevel analysis in rural Tanzania. Trop Med Int Health 20:1057-66
Larson, Elysia; Vail, Daniel; Mbaruku, Godfrey M et al. (2015) Moving Toward Patient-Centered Care in Africa: A Discrete Choice Experiment of Preferences for Delivery Care among 3,003 Tanzanian Women. PLoS One 10:e0135621
Larson, Elysia; Hermosilla, Sabrina; Kimweri, Angela et al. (2014) Determinants of perceived quality of obstetric care in rural Tanzania: a cross-sectional study. BMC Health Serv Res 14:483
Kruk, Margaret E; Hermosilla, Sabrina; Larson, Elysia et al. (2014) Bypassing primary care clinics for childbirth: a cross-sectional study in the Pwani region, United Republic of Tanzania. Bull World Health Organ 92:246-53
Mbaruku, Godfrey M; Larson, Elysia; Kimweri, Angela et al. (2014) What elements of the work environment are most responsible for health worker dissatisfaction in rural primary care clinics in Tanzania? Hum Resour Health 12:38