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Pregnancy and childbirth in low and middle income countries

This section considers studies regarding all aspects of pregnancy and childbirth in the developing world.

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  1. Nausea and vomiting are experienced by a majority of pregnant women worldwide. Previous studies have yielded conflicting results regarding their impact on birth outcomes and few studies have examined this rela...

    Authors: Amanda Regodón Wallin, James M Tielsch, Subarna K Khatry, Luke C Mullany, Janet A Englund, Helen Chu, Steven C LeClerq and Joanne Katz

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:545

    Content type: Research article

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  2. Sustainable Development Goal 3 aims at reducing global neonatal mortality to at least 12 per 1000 livebirths, under-five mortality to at least 25 per 1000 livebirths and maternal mortality ratio to less than 7...

    Authors: Robert Kaba Alhassan, Seth Owusu-Agyei, Evelyn Korkor Ansah, Margaret Gyapong, Anthony Ashinyo, Mary Eyram Ashinyo, Edward Nketiah-Amponsah, Edem Akorli-Adzimah and Edith Ekpor

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:543

    Content type: Research article

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  3. Despite recent improvements in child survival, neonatal mortality continues to decline at a slower rate and now represents 47% of under-five deaths globally. The World Health Organization developed core indica...

    Authors: Emily Bryce, Luke C. Mullany, Subarna K. Khatry, James M. Tielsch, Steven C. LeClerq and Joanne Katz

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:540

    Content type: Research article

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  4. Factors associated with low birth weight at term (TLBW), a proxy for intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), are not well-elucidated in socioeconomically vulnerable populations. This study aimed to identify th...

    Authors: Ila R. Falcão, Rita de Cássia Ribeiro-Silva, Marcia F. de Almeida, Rosemeire L. Fiaccone, Aline dos S. Rocha, Naiá Ortelan, Natanael J. Silva, Enny S. Paixao, Maria Yury Ichihara, Laura C. Rodrigues and Mauricio L. Barreto

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:536

    Content type: Research article

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  5. Nigeria is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa, with one of the highest neonatal mortality rates and the second highest number of neonatal deaths in the world. There is broad international consensus on w...

    Authors: Jamie Perin, Alain K. Koffi, Henry D. Kalter, Joseph Monehin, Adeyinka Adewemimo, John Quinley and Robert E. Black

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:534

    Content type: Research article

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  6. Accurately estimating gestational age is essential to the provision of time-sensitive maternal and neonatal interventions, including lifesaving measures for imminent preterm birth and trimester-specific health...

    Authors: K. Scott, S. Gupta, E. Williams, M. Arthur, U. V. Somayajulu and L. Noguchi

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:529

    Content type: Research article

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  7. Skilled attendance at delivery is a key marker for reducing maternal mortality. Effective community engagement strategies complemented by community health worker (CHW) services can improve access to maternal h...

    Authors: Anbrasi Edward, Aparna Krishnan, Grace Ettyang, Younghee Jung, Henry B. Perry, Annette E. Ghee and Jane Chege

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:514

    Content type: Research article

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  8. Good quality antenatal care visits are crucial to reduce maternal mortality and improve overall maternal and neonatal health outcomes. A previous study on antenatal care visits analyzed the nationally represen...

    Authors: Mukesh Adhikari, Binaya Chalise, Bihungum Bista, Achyut Raj Pandey and Dipak Prasad Upadhyaya

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:513

    Content type: Research article

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  9. In India, preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) remains one of the foremost challenge in community health. Countrywide MTCT of HIV is estimated to be > 10,000 an...

    Authors: Mihir Bhatta, Nalok Dutta, Srijita Nandi, Shanta Dutta and Malay Kumar Saha

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:509

    Content type: Research article

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  10. Preconception care has the potential to reduce maternal and child morbidities and mortalities. It is a window of opportunity to timely alter or eliminate risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, d...

    Authors: Firanbon Teshome, Yohannes Kebede, Fira Abamecha and Zewdie Birhanu

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:504

    Content type: Research article

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  11. Delivery in a facility with a skilled health provider is considered the most important intervention to reduce maternal and early newborn deaths. Providing care close to people’s homes is an important strategy ...

    Authors: Paul Mubiri, Darious Kajjo, Monica Okuga, Tanya Marchant, Stefan Peterson, Peter Waiswa and Claudia Hanson

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:497

    Content type: Research article

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  12. Thrombotic microangiopathy is associated with HELLP syndrome, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, or atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) during pregnancy. Standard laboratory and physical examinations c...

    Authors: Marc Tshilanda, Ulrick Sidney Kanmounye, Céline Tendobi and Freddy Mbuyi

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:495

    Content type: Case report

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  13. Ultrasound scanning during the 2nd or the 3rd trimester of pregnancy for fetal size disturbances screening is heavily dependent of the choice of the reference chart. This study aimed to assess the agreement of...

    Authors: Biébo Bihoun, Serge Henri Zango, Maminata Traoré-Coulibaly, Innocent Valea, Raffaella Ravinetto, Jean-Pierre Van Geertruyden, Umberto D’Alessandro, Halidou Tinto and Annie Robert

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:492

    Content type: Research article

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  15. Pregnancy is one of the most important periods of any woman’s life, wherein the support of her relatives, especially her spouse, enables her to tolerate the difficulties with good memories. However, in Iran, t...

    Authors: Nahid Mehran, Sepideh Hajian, Masoumeh Simbar and Hamid Alavi Majd

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:489

    Content type: Research article

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  16. To date, there is limited evidence on the effect of antenatal exposure to non-organophosphate household pesticides on infant health. Our hypothesis is that antenatal exposure to non-organophosphate household p...

    Authors: Frida Soesanti, Nikmah S. Idris, Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch, Aryono Hendarto, Diederick E. Grobbee and Cuno S. P. M. Uiterwaal

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:476

    Content type: Research article

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  17. Mothers’ delivery care satisfaction is one of the indicators to monitor the quality of health care provision. However, there is only limited information in this regard in Ethiopia, particularly in the study ar...

    Authors: Hanna Franco Karoni, Getasew Mulat Bantie, Muluken Azage, Ayele Semachew Kasa, Amare Alamirew Aynie and Gebiyaw Wudie Tsegaye

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:473

    Content type: Research article

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  18. Fear of childbirth is a common health concern for women during pregnancy. The Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ) is widely used to measure childbirth fear during pregnancy. However, thi...

    Authors: Madalitso Khwepeya, Hui-Chuan Huang, Gabrielle T. Lee and Shu-Yu Kuo

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:455

    Content type: Research article

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  19. Antenatal care (ANC) and delivery by skilled providers have been well recognized as effective strategies to prevent maternal and neonatal mortality. ANC and delivery services at health facilities, however, hav...

    Authors: Mitsuaki Hirai, Jamae Morris, Jill Luoto, Rosebel Ouda, Nancy Atieno and Robert Quick

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:453

    Content type: Research article

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  20. India has focused on incentivizing institutional delivery and introducing the ASHA worker as a key strategy to improve maternal health outcomes. We examined the determinants of institutional delivery and the r...

    Authors: Pooja L. Paul and Shanta Pandey

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:445

    Content type: Research article

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  21. Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common birth defect around the world. Maternal prepregnancy obesity has been proposed as a risk factor of CHDs, but the relationship of CHD risk with over- and unde...

    Authors: Xuelian Yuan, Zhen Liu, Jun Zhu, Ping Yu, Ying Deng, Xinlin Chen, Nana Li, Shengli Li, Shuihua Yang, Jun Li, Hanmin Liu and Xiaohong Li

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:444

    Content type: Research article

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  22. In low transmission settings early diagnosis is the main strategy to reduce adverse outcomes of malaria in pregnancy; however, microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are inadequate for detecting low-dens...

    Authors: A. M. Vásquez, G. Vélez, A. Medina, E. Serra-Casas, A. Campillo, I. J. Gonzalez, S. C. Murphy, A. M. Seilie, X. C. Ding and A. Tobón Castaño

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:440

    Content type: Research article

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  23. Globally, 15 million infants are born preterm each year, and 1 million die due to complications of prematurity. Over 60% of preterm births occur in Sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. Care at birth for prematur...

    Authors: Eleanor J. Mitchell, Santosh Benjamin, Sam Ononge, James Ditai, Zahida Qureshi, Shabeen Naz Masood, Diane Whitham, Peter J. Godolphin and Lelia Duley

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:439

    Content type: Research article

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  24. To evaluate the association between delays in obstetric care and neonatal near-miss mortality events and death in a public maternity referral center.

    Authors: Ocilia Maria Costa Carvalho, Antônio Brazil Viana Junior, Matheus Costa Carvalho Augusto, Álvaro Jorge Madeiro Leite, Rivianny Arrais Nobre, Olivia Andrea Alencar Costa Bessa, Eveline Campos Monteiro de Castro, Fernanda Nogueira Barbosa Lopes and Francisco Herlânio Costa Carvalho

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:437

    Content type: Research article

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  25. Perinatal mortality remains a problem in Ethiopia. Findings of primary studies varied on level of perinatal mortality and its predictors including inter-pregnancy interval. The aim of this review was to estima...

    Authors: Belayneh Hamdela Jena, Gashaw Andargie Biks, Kassahun Alemu Gelaye and Yigzaw Kebede Gete

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:432

    Content type: Research article

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  26. Globally perinatal and maternal mortality rates remain unacceptably high. There is increasing evidence that simulation-based training in obstetric emergencies is associated with improvement in clinical outcome...

    Authors: A. A. C. van Tetering, A. van Meurs, P. Ntuyo, M. B. van der Hout-van der Jagt, L.G.M. Mulders, B. Nolens, I. Namagambe, A. Nakimuli, J. Byamugisha and S. G. Oei

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:429

    Content type: Study protocol

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  27. Medical screening detects risk factors for disease or presence of disease in otherwise well persons in order to intervene early and reduce morbidity and mortality. During antenatal care (ANC) it is important t...

    Authors: Akampa Mukuve, Mariam Noorani, Ibrahim Sendagire and Miriam Mgonja

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:418

    Content type: Research article

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  28. Postnatal Depression (PND) is a mood disorder that steals motherhood and affects the health and development of a newborn. While the impact of PND on motherhood and newborn in developed countries are well descr...

    Authors: Abel Fekadu Dadi, Emma R. Miller and Lillian Mwanri

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:416

    Content type: Research article

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  29. Infant birthweight is an important public health indicator that is a proxy of maternal and baby’s health. Earthquakes can cause acute distress, but can also contribute to chronic stress through long-term disru...

    Authors: Goma Kumari Khatri, Thach Duc Tran, Sushil Baral and Jane Fisher

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:414

    Content type: Research article

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  30. Maternal retention in HIV care is lower for women in the postpartum period than during pregnancy, but the reasons are poorly understood. We examined key differences in barriers to retention in HIV care during ...

    Authors: Kwame S. Sakyi, Margaret Y. Lartey, Caitlin E. Kennedy, Julie A. Dension, Luke C. Mullany, Prince G. Owusu, Emma Sacks, Emily A. Hurley and Pamela J. Surkan

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:398

    Content type: Research article

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  31. While congenital syphilis is a significant public health problem that can cause severe disabilities, little is known about the situation in Uganda. We describe prevalence, associated factors and clinical prese...

    Authors: Sam Oloya, David Lyczkowski, Patrick Orikiriza, Max Irama, Yap Boum, Richard Migisha, Julius P. Kiwanuka and Juliet Mwanga-Amumpaire

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:385

    Content type: Research article

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  32. Lack of a unified and comparable classification system to unravel the underlying causes of stillbirth hampers the development and implementation of targeted interventions to reduce the unacceptably high stillb...

    Authors: Eseoghene Dase, Oghenebrume Wariri, Egwu Onuwabuchi, Jacob A. K. Alhassan, Iliya Jalo, Nazeem Muhajarine, Uduak Okomo and Aliyu U. ElNafaty

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:383

    Content type: Research article

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  33. Malaria and HIV are common infections in Africa and cause substantial morbidity and mortality in pregnant women. We aimed to assess the association of malaria with anemia in pregnant women and to explore the j...

    Authors: Paddy Ssentongo, Djibril M. Ba, Anna E. Ssentongo, Jessica E. Ericson, Ming Wang, Duanping Liao and Vernon M. Chinchilli

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:379

    Content type: Research article

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  34. Psychological interventions for antenatal depression are an integral part of evidence-based care but need to be contextualised for respective sociocultural settings. In this study, we aimed to understand women...

    Authors: Tesera Bitew, Roxanne Keynejad, Simone Honikman, Katherine Sorsdahl, Bronwyn Myers, Abebaw Fekadu and Charlotte Hanlon

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:371

    Content type: Research article

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  35. Maternal mortality is attributed to combination of contextual factors that cause delay in seeking care, leading to poor utilization of skilled health services. Community participation is one of the acknowledge...

    Authors: Irene Ifeyinwa Eze, Chinyere Ojiugo Mbachu, Edmund Ndudi Ossai, Celestina Adaeze Nweze and Chigozie Jesse Uneke

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:369

    Content type: Research article

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  36. There is wide variation in the utilization of institutional delivery service in Ethiopia. Various socioeconomic and cultural factors affect the decision where to give birth. Although there has been a growing i...

    Authors: Adane Nigusie, Telake Azale and Mezgebu Yitayal

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:364

    Content type: Research article

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  37. This study explored effects of couples’ communication and male participation in birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPCR) on delivery in a health facility (“institutional delivery”). A cross-section...

    Authors: Gilda G. Sitefane, Joya Banerjee, Diwakar Mohan, Connie S. Lee, Jim Ricca, Myra L. Betron and Rosa Marlene Manjate Cuco

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:360

    Content type: Research article

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  38. Overwhelmingly, women in Middle Eastern countries experience birth as dehumanising and disrespectful. Women’s stories can be a very powerful way of informing health services about the impact of the care they r...

    Authors: Suha Abed Almajeed Abdallah Hussein, Hannah G. Dahlen, Olayide Ogunsiji and Virginia Schmied

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:357

    Content type: Research article

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  39. For every neonate who dies, many others experience a near miss event that could have but did not result in death. Neonatal near miss is three to eight times more frequent than neonatal deaths and, therefore, i...

    Authors: Tesfalidet Tekelab, Catherine Chojenta, Roger Smith and Deborah Loxton

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:354

    Content type: Research article

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  40. Globally, every day, approximately 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. The majority of these deaths occur after childbirth (post-partum period) mostly within 24 h. Raisin...

    Authors: Abayneh Desalegn Dangura

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:340

    Content type: Research article

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  42. Over the past two decades, there has been a steady rise in the rate of Cesarean section delivery globally. As a result, short-term and long-term maternal and neonatal complications are rising. The objective of...

    Authors: Wasim Khasawneh, Nail Obeidat, Dawood Yusef and Jomana W. Alsulaiman

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:335

    Content type: Research article

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  43. This study aimed to identify the utilization and factors associated with antenatal care, delivery, and postnatal care services in Tigray regional state, Ethiopia.

    Authors: Mussie Alemayehu, Tesfay Gebregzabher Gebrehiwot, Araya Abrha Medhanyie, Alem Desta, Tesfu Alemu, Atakelti Abrha and Hagos Godefy

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:334

    Content type: Research article

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  44. Induction of labor (IoL) is an increasingly common obstetric procedure. Foley catheter IoL is recommended by WHO. It is associated with the lowest rate of uterine hyperstimulation syndrome and similar duration...

    Authors: Hang Min Chia, Peng Chiong Tan, Sze Ping Tan, Mukhri Hamdan and Siti Zawiah Omar

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:330

    Content type: Research article

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  45. Early initiation of breastfeeding (within an hour of birth) has benefits for newborn health and survival. Optimal breastfeeding supports growth, health, and development. Health facilities provide essential pre...

    Authors: Lindsay Mallick, Rukundo K. Benedict and Wenjuan Wang

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:325

    Content type: Research article

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  46. In many low and medium human development index countries, the rate of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality is high. One factor which may influence this is the decision-to-delivery interval of emergenc...

    Authors: Noemi J. Hughes, Imelda Namagembe, Annettee Nakimuli, Musa Sekikubo, Ashley Moffett, Charlotte J. Patient and Catherine E. Aiken

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:324

    Content type: Research article

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  47. Previous community-based research shows that secondary prevention of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) with misoprostol only given to women with above-average measured blood loss produces similar clinical outcomes c...

    Authors: Holly A. Anger, Rasha Dabash, Nevine Hassanein, Emad Darwish, Mohamed Cherine Ramadan, Medhat Nawar, Dyanna Charles, Miral Breebaart and Beverly Winikoff

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:317

    Content type: Research article

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  48. Pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa tend to have low adherence to antenatal and postnatal care regimens, contributing to high infant and child mortality rates. Despite low adherence figures and the high retur...

    Authors: Kristina Esopo, Lilly Derby and Johannes Haushofer

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:316

    Content type: Research Article

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  49. With the formulation of the National Safe Motherhood Policy in 1998, safe motherhood has forever been a priority program in Nepal. Under the safe motherhood program, every woman is provided with essential mate...

    Authors: Bidusha Neupane, Sujan Rijal, Srijana G.C. and Til Bahadur Basnet

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:308

    Content type: Research article

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  50. In low-income countries like Ethiopia, where families have poor access to or do not utilize the services of formal health care systems, community health workers provide postnatal care services through home vis...

    Authors: Yemane Berhane Tesfau, Alemayehu Bayray Kahsay, Tesfay Gebregzabher Gebrehiwot, Araya Abrha Medhanyie and Hagos Godefay

    Citation: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2020 20:305

    Content type: Research article

    Published on:

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