Our Approach

Our approach to testing facility-based quality of care interventions targeting the prenatal and intrapartum periods is rapidly shoring up weaknesses in both provision and experience of care — key factors in the high rates of maternal and newborn death. Tackling flawed data and information systems and inadequate tools for measuring gestational age has enabled us to better understand the scope of the problem.

These strategies are changing the culture of care across settings to address preterm birth, from health care systems and clinical facilities through individual providers and families. This culture change occurs in a complex ecosystem that will lead to improved quality of care for preterm infants and their mothers.

Our research focused on improving the quality of facility care for mothers and newborns through the following trials: a package of interventions in Kenya and Uganda and group antenatal and postnatal care in Rwanda.