A scoping review of interventions to improve maternal and neonatal care in Nepal
Authors: Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Adhikari, N. and Morgan, J.
Journal: Discover Public Health
Volume: 22
Issue: 1
eISSN: 3005-0774
DOI: 10.1186/s12982-025-01241-x
Abstract:Background: Nepal has achieved significant progress in maternal health outcomes, and the country’s health system prioritises life-saving interventions during pregnancy, delivery, neonatal, and postpartum care. This scoping review aimed to systematically identify and analyse the available on interventions to improve maternal and neonatal care in Nepal. Methods: Our scoping review was conducted using Arksey and O’Malley’s five-stage framework to map existing interventions. Data searches were carried out in Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Scopus, focusing on interventions to improve the maternal and neonatal care. Titles and abstracts were screened, followed by full-text reviews of potentially relevant studies. Key findings were retrieved using a data extraction sheet, and the findings were presented in a narrative synthesis. Results: Our review found 418 studies, and 20 (published between 2004 and 2023) were included for this scoping review using various interventions targeting maternal and neonatal populations. Five overarching interventions were identified. Community-based maternal health literacy was the most significant intervention, followed by health facility strengthening, including health staff training, mobilisation of female community health volunteers for birth preparedness and identifying danger signs, mobile health messaging, and involving husbands in improving the uptake of maternal and neonatal care. Most interventions were a mixture of activities with a combination of interventions rather than a single intervention. Conclusions: The findings highlight that no single intervention is sufficient on its own; indeed, a combination of approaches is needed to improve the uptake of maternal and neonatal care services. Effective interventions should be scaled up and extended to underserved and marginalised communities to ensure that maternal and neonatal care services are accessible to all.
Source: Scopus
A scoping review of interventions to improve maternal and neonatal care in Nepal
Authors: Wasti, S.P., Van Teijlingen, E., Adhikari, N. and Morgan, J.
Journal: DISCOVER PUBLIC HEALTH
Volume: 22
Issue: 1
eISSN: 3005-0774
DOI: 10.1186/s12982-025-01241-x
Source: Web of Science (Lite)
A Scoping Review of Interventions to Improve Maternal and Neonatal Care in Nepal
Authors: Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Adhikari, N. and Morgan, J.
Journal: Discover Public Health
eISSN: 3005-0774
Abstract:Background Nepal has achieved significant progress in maternal health outcomes, and the country's health system prioritises life-saving interventions during pregnancy, delivery, neonatal, and postpartum care to increase the usage of maternal healthcare services. This review aimed to systematically identify and analyse the interventions deployed to improve institutional delivery, skilled birth attendance, and postnatal care for both mothers and neonates in Nepal.
Methods A scoping review of the literature was undertaken using Arksey and O’Malley's five-stage framework to map the existing evidence on interventions to improve maternal and newborn health care. Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Scopus databases were searched for published studies from inception to July 2024. The review includes experimental, quasi-experimental, cohort, and analytical research investigating strategies to improve maternal and newborn health care in Nepal. The study characteristics of the included studies were retrieved using a data extraction sheet, and the results are presented in a narrative synthesis.
Results This review identified 19 studies using various interventions aimed at diverse populations. The studies identified five overarching interventions, with community and health facility-based interventions being the most significant interventions, followed by mobile health messaging, husbands’ involvement, and female community health volunteer (FCHV) mobilisation. The interventions were often a mixture of activities with a combination of interventions rather than a single intervention aiming to improve maternal and/or neonatal health services.
Conclusions The findings highlight is no single magic bullet strategy for improving maternal and neonatal health services, but more likely a mixture of integrated interventions to bring improvements. The effectiveness of several government initiatives in Nepal, such as the "Safe Delivery Incentive, Newborn Care and President Women Upliftment Program", should be investigated, and the targeted interventions should be extended to hard-to-reach communities.
Source: Manual