Overview

In 2003 WHO published "Working with individuals, families and communities to improve maternal and newborn health", known as the IFC Framework, that promotes integrating the health promotion approach set out in the Ottawa Charter into national maternal and newborn health strategies. More than 10 years after the original framework was published, we have updated the evidence for key interventions and for community participation.

This report summarizes the final recommendation and the process for developing the guideline on health promotion interventions for maternal and newborn health. The primary audience for the guideline is health programme managers, including governmental and non-governmental organizations, and policy makers who are responsible for designing maternal, newborn and child health programmes, primarily in low-income settings. The guideline is also aimed at health providers and teaching institutions, to increase knowledge of interventions important for: (i) improving maternal and newborn health; (ii) improving the care provided within the household by women and families; (iii) increasing community support for maternal and newborn health; and (iv) increasing access to, and use of, skilled care. Development programmes and organizations supporting women’s empowerment and rights will also find this guideline of use.

Contents

• Acknowledgements
• Acronyms
• Executive summary
• 1. Background
  • Objective of the guideline
  • Target audience
• 2. Methods
  • Declaration of interests by participants at the WHO technical consultation
  • Decision-making during the technical consultation
  • Document preparation and peer review
• 3. Results
  • Preamble
  • Evidence and recommendations
  • RECOMMENDATION 1 Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness
  • RECOMMENDATION 2 Male involvement (MI) interventions for MNH
  • RECOMMENDATION 3 Interventions to promote awareness of human, sexual and reproductive rights and the right to access quality skilled care
  • RECOMMENDATION 4 Maternity waiting homes (MWHs)
  • RECOMMENDATION 5 Community-organized transport schemes
  • RECOMMENDATION 6 Partnership with Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs)
  • RECOMMENDATION 7 Providing culturally appropriate skilled maternity care
  • RECOMMENDATION 8 Companion of choice at birth
  • RECOMMENDATION 9 Community mobilization through facilitated participatory learning and action cycles with women's groups
  • RECOMMENDATION 10 Community participation in Maternal Death Surveillance and Response (MDSR)
  • RECOMMENDATION 11 Community participation in quality-improvement processes
  • RECOMMENDATION 12 Community participation in programme planning and implementation
• 4. Research implications
• 5. Planned dissemination of guidelines
• 6. Review and update of the recommendations
• References
• APPENDIX 1 External experts and WHO staff involved in the preparation of the guideline
• APPENDIX 2 Authors of Final Report, Systematic Reviews and Background Papers per Recommendation
• APPENDIX 3 Summary of considerations related to the strength of the recommendations
• APPENDIX 4 Table of characteristics of included studies
• Grade Tables

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