From Evaluating a Skilled Care Initiative in Rural Burkina Faso to Policy Implications for Safe Motherhood in Africa - Article Example

From evaluating a Skilled Care Initiative in Rural Burkina Faso to Policy Implications for Safe Motherhood in AfricaThe theoretical framework that guides the study presented in the article is that skilled attendance is regarded as being among the most important strategies of intervention for safe motherhood, especially in low-pressure settings. It analyses the role of safe motherhood policy in reducing cases of maternal and perinatal mortality. With the view of user fees in perspective, accessibility of public resources that would ensure safe delivery to reduce these mortalities is limited.

This framework views human as being laggards in accepting new changes in the society, since most women still refrain from attending health care services. The study also reveals humans as prejudicial, for failing to put in place universal policies that would incorporate poor people as well. (Meda, et.al., 2008).The research questions of this study include: what practices lead to the rise in maternal mortality? What is the role of safe motherhood policy in alleviating fatalities of motherhood? How can these alarming rates of mortalities be reduced?

The purpose of the research is to study the current situation of motherhood safety, identify contributing factors and recommend possible solutions to the problem, through generation of evidence-based policies that would be useful in promoting safe motherhood programs in Burkina Faso (72-74).The type of research design used in this study is a descriptive, evidence-based design, carrying out studies in different settings and providing factual representation of results from the field. It involves naturalist studies, drawing citations from case studies, intent observation of human behavior within the study settings of Burkina Faso, and use of surveys.

It also involves review of literature, thus has elements of Review design.The findings of this study reveal that for safe motherhood to prevail, three main issues have to be addressed: user fees, human health professionals and geographical access to health facilities by the mothers. Additionally, owing to the importance of skilled attendance at delivery, effective health policies should be established to achieve its successful implementation. Other policies that have emerged to be important in such implementation include fostering maternal referral service, to take care of emergency procedures; promoting community mobilization to encourage women to use maternal health services; and abolishment of user fees to cater for poor women as well (73-76).

The implications for practice and policy, as depicted in the study are diverse in the field of maternal safety, depending on which types of policies are employed. The study reveals that effective implementation of the safe motherhood policy would lead to a significant reduction in perinatal and maternal fatalities, as well as encourages safe practices of childbearing (75). The policies have to be implemented as a package, so as to have impact on current situation of maternal health. ReferenceMeda, N.,et.al. (2008). From evaluating a skilled care initiative in rural Burhone Faso to policy implications for safe motherhood in Africa.

Tropical Medicine and International Health, 13, 68-72.