Background
EVENTS
Available evidence indicates that Nigeria’s high maternal mortality rate is largely attributable to events that occur during the intrapartum (delivery) period [The reasons proffered by women for use of unskilled birth attendants in Nigeria are multiple [The World Health Organization has made a series of recommendations for optimal intrapartum care for a positive birth experience [To date, there has been limited documentation of formative assessment of the quality of intrapartum care [It was within this context that the maternal health research team at the Women’s Health and Action Research Centre, a non-governmental, and non-profit organization in collaboration with partners across the country, first conducted a series of qualitative and quantitative research to understand the factors associated with the intrapartum care in eight hospitals from four of the six geo-political zones in Nigeria [The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the multifaceted intervention in improving the quality of intrapartum care as reported in exit interviews conducted in intervention as compared to the control hospital. We believe the results will be useful in informing the design and implementation of policies and practices for improving the quality of intrapartum care and increasing the use of skilled birth attendants in the country.