Pathfinder is pleased to announce its recent study, titled “Assessment of the Quality of Antenatal Care Services Provided by Health Workers Using a Mobile Phone Decision Support Application in Northern Nigeria: A Pre/Post-Intervention Study,” was published in PLOS ONE, a multidisciplinary Open Access journal.
Pathfinder conducted a pre/post intervention study to assess the effect of introducing a mobile case management and decision support application for antenatal care (ANC) on the quality of ANC services provided in 10 primary health centers in Abuja and Nasawara. A total of 266 ANC clients were interviewed directly after their first ANC visit for that pregnancy.
Nigeria’s maternal mortality ratio is the tenth highest in the world with an estimated 630 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Routinely available, good quality antenatal care services allow the provision of preventive services and counseling that can contribute to the reduction of adverse health outcomes. One of the main barriers to the delivery of high quality ANC services in Nigeria is the lack of skilled providers available at primary health centers; community health extension workers, not originally intended to serve as primary ANC care givers, are now filling that gap and need additional support and training to deliver ANC services. Evidence suggests that mobile phone case management applications have the potential to improve adherence to clinical protocols and improve care.
PLOS ONE accepts scientifically rigorous research, regardless of novelty. PLOS ONE’s broad scope provides a platform to publish primary research, including interdisciplinary and replication studies as well as negative results. The journal’s publication criteria are based on high ethical standards and the rigor of the methodology and conclusions reported.
