Papers by Abhishek Gurung
Special Publications, 2019
BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 2009
The quality of care received by mothers and babies in developing countries is often reported as p... more The quality of care received by mothers and babies in developing countries is often reported as poor. Yet efforts to address this contributory factor to maternal and newborn mortality have received less attention compared with barriers of access to care. The current heightened concern to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 & 5 has illuminated the neglected quality agenda. Whilst there is no universally-accepted definition of ''quality care'', it is widely acknowledged to embrace multiple levels-from patient to health system, and multiple dimensions, including safety as well as efficiency. Quality care should thus lie at the core of all strategies for accelerating progress towards MDG4 &5. Interventions to measure and improve quality need themselves to be evidence-based. Two promising approaches are maternal and perinatal death reviews and criterion-based audit. These and other quality improvement tools have a crucial role to play in the implementation of effective maternal and newborn care.
Additional file 2. Quality Improvement tool.
Additional file 1. Pictorial form of simulated drills.
Additional file 1. SPIRINT checklist filled.
Additional file 2. STROBE flow figure.
Additional file 3. Indepth interview questionnaires.
BMC Pediatrics, 2021
BackgroundEvery year an estimated 7.9 million babies are born with birth defect. Of these babies,... more BackgroundEvery year an estimated 7.9 million babies are born with birth defect. Of these babies, more than 3 million die and 3.2 million have disability. Improving nationwide information on prevalence of birth defect, risk factor and consequence is required for better resource allocation for prevention, management and rehabilitation. In this study, we assess the prevalence of birth defect, associated risk factors and consequences in Nepal.MethodThis is a prospective cohort study conducted in 12 hospitals of Nepal for 18 months. All the women who delivered in the hospitals during the study period was enrolled. Independent researchers collected data on the social and demographic information using semi-structured questionnaire at the time of discharge and clinical events and birth outcome information from the clinical case note. Data were analyzed on the prevalence and type of birth defect. Logistic regression was done to assess the risk factor and consequences for birth defect.Result...
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2020
Background Simulation-based training in neonatal resuscitation is more effective when reinforced ... more Background Simulation-based training in neonatal resuscitation is more effective when reinforced by both practice and continuous improvement processes. We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of a quality improvement program combined with an innovative provider feedback device on neonatal resuscitation practice and outcomes in a public referral hospital of Nepal. Methods A pre- and post-intervention study will be implemented in Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences, a hospital with 8610 deliveries per year. The intervention package will include simulation-based training (Helping Babies Breathe) enhanced with a real-time feedback system (the NeoBeat newborn heart rate meter with the NeoNatalie Live manikin and upright newborn bag-mask with PEEP) accompanied by a quality improvement process. An independent research team will collect perinatal data and conduct stakeholder interviews. Discussion This study will provide further information on the efficiency of neonatal resuscitation training a...
Pediatrics, 2020
BACKGROUND: Worldwide, every year, 6 to 10 million infants require resuscitation at birth accordi... more BACKGROUND: Worldwide, every year, 6 to 10 million infants require resuscitation at birth according to estimates based on limited data regarding “nonbreathing” infants. In this article, we aim to describe the incidence of “noncrying” and nonbreathing infants after birth, the need for basic resuscitation with bag-and-mask ventilation, and death before discharge. METHODS: We conducted an observational study of 19 977 infants in 4 hospitals in Nepal. We analyzed the incidence of noncrying or nonbreathing infants after birth. The sensitivity of noncrying infants with nonbreathing after birth was analyzed, and the risk of predischarge mortality between the 2 groups was calculated. RESULTS: The incidence of noncrying infants immediately after birth was 11.1%, and the incidence of noncrying and nonbreathing infants was 5.2%. Noncrying after birth had 100% sensitivity for nonbreathing infants after birth. Among the “noncrying but breathing” infants, 9.5% of infants did not breathe at 1 minu...
Journal of Nepal Health Research Council, 2019
Background: Improving the performance of health workers on neonatal resuscitation will be critica... more Background: Improving the performance of health workers on neonatal resuscitation will be critical to ensure that the babies are effectively ventilated. We conducted a study to evaluate whether a bag-and-mask ventilation with monitor is effective in improving neonatal resuscitation practice in a simulated setting. Methods: This is a cross-over design conducted in 6 public hospitals with 82 health workers of Nepal nested over a large scale stepped wedged quality improvement project. A one-day training on neonatal resuscitation was conducted. At the end of the training, participants were evaluated on the bag-and-mask ventilation performance in a manikinbased on the tidal volume, positive end expiratory pressure and air leakage from the maskin two sessions (monitor displayed versus hidden). The comparison of the neonatal resuscitation performance with and without monitor displayed is calculated. We also conducted assessment of confidence with or without monitor of the health workers. R...
Archives of Public Health, 2020
Background Preterm birth is a worldwide epidemic and a leading cause of neonatal mortality. In th... more Background Preterm birth is a worldwide epidemic and a leading cause of neonatal mortality. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the incidence, risk factors and consequences of preterm birth in Nepal. Methods This was an observational study conducted in 12 public hospitals of Nepal. All the babies born during the study period were included in the study. Babies born < 37 weeks of gestation were classified as preterm births. For the association and outcomes for preterm birth, univariate followed by multiple regression analysis was conducted. Results The incidence of preterm was found to be 93 per 1000 live births. Mothers aged less than 20 years (aOR 1.26;1.15–1.39) had a high risk for preterm birth. Similarly, education of the mother was a significant predictor for preterm birth: illiterate mothers (aOR 1.41; 1.22–1.64), literate mothers (aOR 1.21; 1.08–1.35) and mothers having basic level of education (aOR 1.17; 1.07–1.27). Socio-demographic factors such as smoking (aOR 1.13; 1.01...
Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2020
The aim of this study was to identify the incidence, risk factors and outcome associated with mec... more The aim of this study was to identify the incidence, risk factors and outcome associated with meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS). Methods: An observational study was conducted in 12 public hospitals in Nepal from 1 July 2017 to 29 August 2018. All babies born within the study period were included in the study. Babies who were diagnosed as MAS were designated as outcome. Data were analysed with bivariate analysis followed by multiple regression analysis. Results: The overall incidence of MAS was 2.0 per 1000 livebirths. Babies born at post-term gestation (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.41; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05-5.55), nulliparity (AOR = 2.26; 95% CI: 1.20-4.28), instrumental delivery (AOR = 4.79; 95% CI: 2.52-9.10) and caesarean delivery (AOR = 3.67; 95% CI: 2.29-5.89) were significantly associated with MAS. Babies with MAS had a 10-fold risk for pre-discharge mortality (odds ratio = 9.87; 95% CI: 5.81-16.76). Conclusions: The findings in this study are consistent with that reported in other studies. MAS has a high risk of neonatal mortality. Thus, monitoring during pregnancy and labour is necessary for early identification of high-risk conditions associated with MAS. Strengthening of newborn care services is essential to curtail mortality.
BMJ Paediatrics Open, 2020
ObjectiveTo identify the prevalence, risk factors and health impacts associated with small for ge... more ObjectiveTo identify the prevalence, risk factors and health impacts associated with small for gestational age (SGA) births in Nepal.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 public hospitals in Nepal from 1 July 2017 to 29 August 2018. A total of 60 695 babies delivered in these hospitals during the study period were eligible for inclusion. Clinical information of mothers and newborns was collected by data collectors using a data retrieval form. A semistructured interview was conducted at the time of discharge to gather sociodemographic information from women who provided the consent (n=50 392). Babies weighing less than the 10th percentile for their gestational age were classified as SGA. Demographic, obstetric and neonatal characteristics of study participants were analysed for associations with SGA. The association between SGA and likelihood of babies requiring resuscitation or resulting in stillbirth and neonatal death was also explored.ResultsThe prevalence of SGA bir...
Maternal and Child Health Journal, 2019
Introduction Nepal has made considerable progress on improving child survival during the Millenni... more Introduction Nepal has made considerable progress on improving child survival during the Millennium Development Goal period, however, further progress will require accelerated reduction in neonatal mortality. Neonatal survival is one of the priorities for Sustainable Development Goals 2030. This paper examines the trends, equity gaps and factors associated with neonatal mortality between 2001 and 2016 to assess the likelihood of Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) target being reached in Nepal by 2030. Methods This study used data from the 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016 Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys. We examined neonatal mortality rate (NMR) across the socioeconomic strata and the annual rate of reduction (ARR) between 2001 and 2016. We assessed association of socio-demographic, maternal, obstetric and neonatal factors associated with neonatal mortality. Based on the ARR among the wealth quintile between 2001 and 2016, we made projection of NMR to achieve the ENAP target. Using the L...
Maternal and Child Health Journal, 2020
Background Almost all preventable neonatal deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries ... more Background Almost all preventable neonatal deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries and affect the poorest who have the least access to high quality health services. Cost of health care is one of the factors preventing access to quality health services and universal health coverage. In Nepal, the majority of expenses related to newborn care are borne by the caregiver, regardless of socioeconomic status. We conducted a study to assess the out of pocket expenditure (OOPE) for sick newborn care in hospitals in Nepal. Methods This cross-sectional study of hospital care for newborns was conducted in 11 hospitals in Nepal and explored OOPE incurred by caregivers for sick newborn care. Data were collected from the caregivers of the sick newborn on the topics of cost of travel, accommodation, treatment (drugs, diagnosis) and documented on a sick newborn case record form. Results Data were collected from 814 caregivers. Cost of caregivers’ stay accounted for more than 40% of the...
Maternal and Child Health Journal, 2019
Introduction Globally, 2.6 million stillbirths occur each year. Empowering women can improve thei... more Introduction Globally, 2.6 million stillbirths occur each year. Empowering women can improve their overall reproductive health and help reduce stillbirths. Women empowerment has been defined as women’s ability to make choices in economic decision-making, household and health care decision-making. In this paper, we aimed to evaluate if women’s empowerment is associated with stillbirths. Methods Data from 2016 Nepal Demographic Health Surveys (NDHS) were analysed to evaluate the association between women’s empowerment and stillbirths. Equiplots were generated to assess the distribution of stillbirths by wealth quintile, place of residence and level of maternal education using data from NHDS 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016 data. For the association of women empowerment factors and stillbirths, univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted. Results A total of 88 stillbirths were reported during the survey. Univariate analysis showed age of mother, education of mother, age of husba...
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Papers by Abhishek Gurung