Improving Birth Outcomes: Meeting the Challenge in the Developing World free book download

Description
Birth outcomes have improved dramatically worldwide in the past 40 years. Yet there is still a large gap between the outcomes in developing and developed countries. This book addresses the steps needed to reduce that gap. It reviews the available statistics of low birth weight, prematurity, and birth defects; reviews current knowledge and practices of a healthy pregnancy, identifies cost-effective opportunities for improving birth outcomes and supporting families with an infant handicapped by birth problems, and recommens priority research, capacity building, and institutional and global efforts to reduce adverse birth outcomes in developing countries. The committee has based its study on data and information from several developing countries, and provides recommendations that can assist the March of Dimes, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and NIH in tailoring their international program and forging new partnerships to reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with adverse birth outcomes.
Table of Contents

Executive Summary 3
1 Introduction 17
2 Reducing Maternal Mortality and Morbidity 43
Causes of Maternal Morbidity and Mortality 44
Infections 48
Interventions 52
3 Reducing Neonatal Mortality and Morbidity 91
Causes of Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality 91
Interventions 102
4 Reducing Fetal Mortality 135
Factors Contributing to Late Fetal Deaths 138
Interventions 148
5 Improving Birth Outcomes within Health Care Systems 165
The Evidence Base 166
Primary Care and Referral 166
Building Capacity for Reproductive Health Care 178
Managing Health Care Systems 184
6 The Problem of Low Birth Weight 205
Patterns of Occurrence 205
Causes of IUGR and Preterm Birth 207
Consequences of IUGR and Preterm Birth 212
Interventions to Prevent Preterm Birth and IUGR 217
7 Reducing Mortality and Morbidity from Birth Defects 237
Patterns of Occurrence 238
Causes of Birth Defects 238
Reducing the Impact of Birth Defects 248
8 Preventing Perinatal Transmission of HIV 263
The HIV/AIDS Epidemic 263
Interventions to Prevent HIV Transmission 267
9 Summing Up: The Way Forward 293
App. A: Workshop Agenda 301
App. B: Defining Developing Countries 305
App. C The Essential Competencies of a Skilled Birth Attendant 310
App. D: Committee Biographies 314
App. E: Dissenting Note 320
Glossary 324
Acronyms 334
Index 337

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