New tools that will provide you with a positive pregnancy experience

The WHO provides practical steps to help countries adapt to global guidelines on antenatal care

Governments can help save the lives and improve the pregnancy experience of every woman and adolescent by updating their national guidelines with WHO Recommendations on Antenatal Care, In order for WHO recommendations to be effective, they must be adapted to the local context and followed in a consistent manner.

That is why the WHO has now published Manual for adapting the recommended child protection system, in collaboration with Ministries of Health, WHO regional and state offices, implementation experts and stakeholders.

This handbook contains practical steps for governments wishing to implement WHO recommendations at the national and subnational levels.

In the Appendix, antenatal care monitoring framework, was developed to help countries and healthcare institutions monitor their progress and impact.

Standard procedure for adapting WHO guidelines

WHO antenatal guidelines for a positive pregnancy experience include 23 context-specific recommendations: they should adapt to local situations, for example, a population with different nutritional needs or infection rates.

There is currently no standardized method for implementing global recommendations at the national level.

The new manual on antenatal care guides policy makers in interpreting and implementing contextual recommendations; steps that may be time consuming but that are necessary to provide care to meet the needs and preferences of each person.

“Countries not only sought technical guidelines for antenatal care, but also wanted an evidence-based approach on how to adapt those guidelines to their context,” explained Dr. Nancy Kidula, a medical officer at the WHO Regional Office for Africa.

Understanding the local context for improving maternal health

The Ugandan Ministry of Health has successfully used the new tool manual as part of efforts to improve the experience of women in care during pregnancy.

Policy makers were able to accept the new recommendations, while addressing local practices that are not recommended, following practical steps for community engagement, planning and analysis. They were also able to integrate antenatal care into the broader framework of maternal health, including tuberculosis screening and birth plans and emergency preparedness.

“This new handbook has galvanized country teams, changing the way they view coverage, quality and availability before,” continued Dr. Kidula, who supported development and its implementation in Uganda, as well as eSwatina, Namibia, Rwanda and Zambia.

“Using tools to analyze different levels of the health system, they were able to see where there were not enough trained staff and the necessary supplies for women seeking care. We notice a large difference in the antenatal care guidelines of countries that have used this handbook and those that have not. ”

Monitoring the delivery and performance of pre-war care

Monitoring is an important part of the process of improving routine preschool care, at the state and health care level.

A new monitoring framework for World Health Recommendations that includes indicators on clinical care and strategies for their improvement. Like the toolkit, the monitoring framework is designed for local adaptation, with global and contextual indicators.

It also identifies shortcomings where new indicators are needed: in particular, the lack of currently available indicators that would encompass an individual’s experience of care.

This is crucial, as the care experience is a key component of quality and respected care, at the heart of the WHO recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience.

Strategic support to countries to improve maternal health and beyond

The new antenatal care handbook is part of a broader strategy to improve support for countries adapting and implementing WHO guidelines throughout the continuity of maternal care.

“Although the Ministry of Health is proactively working to strengthen antenatal care in the country, there is a need to harmonize packages according to WHO recommendations,” explained Dr. Ram Chahar, National Program Officer (Maternal and Reproductive Health), WHO Office for India.

“The use of annatal care protection tools has simplified the process of adjusting and revising the existing antenatal care package.”

A similar approach could be useful in all areas of health

“When WHO guidelines are designed to be adapted for use in different contexts, they are more effective in addressing different health needs. As countries work to improve the health, well-being and rights of each individual, they need tools that in turn will enable WHO recommendations to act on them. “said Dr. Özge Tunçalp, a WHO / HRP scientist.

These tools and other sources of antenatal care will be available on the World Adult Health Portal, which will launch in July.