Barriers to access and utilization of emergency obstetric care at health facilities in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of literature.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Nearly 15% of pregnancies end in fatal perinatal obstetric complications including bleeding, infections, hypertension, obstructed labour and complications of abortion. Globally, an estimated 10.7 million women have died due to obstetric complications in the last two decades, and two thirds of these deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. Though the majority of maternal mortalities can be prevented, different factors can hinder women's access to emergency obstetric services. Therefore, this review is aimed at synthesizing current evidence on barriers to access and utilization of emergency obstetric care in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods

Articles were searched from MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Maternity and Infant Care databases using predefined search terms and strateg

SUBMITTER: Geleto A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6234634 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature