Globally, Nigeria is the second highest contributor to maternal mortality after India, contributing to 20% of maternal deaths. Between 2005 and 2015, it is estimated that over 600,000 maternal deaths and no less than 900,000 maternal near-miss cases occurred in Nigeria. Pregnant women face the risk of dying from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. The most common cause of maternal deaths in Nigeria has been attributed to heavy bleeding, postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), which accounts for 23% of all maternal deaths, followed by infections following childbirth (sepsis) at 17% and unsafe abortion at 11%. The availability of quality medication during and after a woman goes into labour can have life changing consequences on the outcomes of pregnant women such as stopping bleeding immediately after childbirth. Other medicines on the list for mothers include medicines to treat infection, high blood pressure and sexually transmitted infections as well as medication to prevent preterm births.
In assessing the quality of maternal medicines or policy implications in relation to maternal medicines, the most pressing questions that policymakers can be faced with include
- Is the current policy for the procurement of maternal medicines informed by evidence that is high quality and up to date?
- Have previous policies been evaluated or taken into account (this may differ across the different states in Nigeria)?
- Have the current maternal medicines procured been tested or assessed for efficaciousness?
- Have the policymakers considered and addressed common implementation problems?
- Can the implementation process be replicated and adapted for the different states in Nigeria?
- Are the maternal medicines cost-effective and procurement financially sustainable?
- Have the risks been identified and weighed against the potential benefits?
- Have policy makers judged the appropriate level of central government involvement?
- Have roles and responsibilities been defined, and what are the accountability mechanisms?
To answer these questions, policymakers, require access to the most relevant and useful evidence available on the efficacy of maternal medicines, the availability and cost. Evidence in the clinical care context differs from evidence in the public health and health policy domains. It is often difficult to apply rigid hierarchies of evidence to public health policy. Although randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews are methods of choice when assessing the effectiveness of medications, complex health-care problems pose different challenges.1–3. Evidence providers and health policymakers from developing countries have insisted that evidence needs to be broader than that based solely on randomized controlled trials. Observational studies, qualitative research and even “experience”, “know-how”, dialogues consensus and “local knowledge” should also be considered. Over the last decade there has been growing interest in identifying methods to ensure that policy decisions that are aimed at strengthening health systems in low- and middle-income countries are guided by the best available research evidence.
Nigeria Health Watch is delighted to announce our very first Evidence Briefing for relevant research in quality of maternal medicines used in Nigeria. Evidence briefs are used as primary inputs for the deliberative dialogues that facilitate interactions between researchers, policymakers and stakeholders. Such interactions are known to increase the likelihood that research evidence will be used in policymaking.
This is an official call for abstracts for research to be featured and disseminated at the Nigeria Health Watch Evidence for health briefing.
How to apply
Kindly complete the following Application – CLICK HERE
Guidelines for submitting an Abstract
Abstract Topics
The online system will prompt you to select the most appropriate general topic category for your submission from this list below:
- Quality Improvement
- Perception study
- Supply chain
- Storage
- Clinical Practice
Presenting Author
The online system will ask you to confirm the Presenting Author. All presentations (oral or poster) must be made by a listed author who has been directly involved in the project.
Abstract Formatting Guidelines
Abstracts must use the following outline
- Introduction and aims
- Methods
- Results
- Discussion and conclusion
Note – The maximum length of an abstract is 300 words; this count excludes the abstract title, authors and their designations. Successful applicants will be contacted 2 weeks after deadline
Deadline – 31/10/2020
Should you have any questions, contact dara@nigeriahealthwatch.com