New Study Demonstrates the Power of Ultrasound Screenings to Transform Maternal and Newborn Care in Rural Uganda
Friday, November 22, 2013
Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest neonatal mortality rate (32 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2012) and accounts for 38 percent of neonatal deaths globally. Concomitantly, the maternal mortality rate is estimated at 500 deaths per 1,000,000 live births representing 162,000 maternal deaths annually. A recent study sponsored by Imaging the World (ITW), and funded in part by Royal Philips, demonstrated that providing pregnant women in rural Uganda access to ultrasound screenings resulted in a “magnet effect” on overall improved quality of maternal and newborn care.
The study, implemented at Nawanyago Health Centre III, showed increases in the number of women attending antenatal visits and in husbands taking a more active role in health choices surrounding pregnancy for the very first time. It also showed a near-doubling of newborns delivered by skilled health care workers.
Source: The Wall Street Journal (link opens in a new window)
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