Maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health

Quality of care

A series of Quality of Care Network webinars on capacity building for improving quality of care in health facilities

Women and their babies queue outside the maternity ward of Kissidougou Hospital in the town of Kissidougou, Guinea, in May 2010.

The Quality of Care Network, through its global Learning Platform, is building a community of health practitioners across all levels of service delivery, to harvest local implementation ideas and share experiences within and across countries. As part of its learning activities, the Quality of Care Network is organizing a series of webinars on selected topics on quality of care improvement from a country perspective, as well as quality improvement implementation science.

A Network to halve maternal and newborn deaths in facilities in 5 years

Elizabeth Wezena with babies in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital in the Upper East region of Ghana.
UNICEF

February 2017 -- Many women, their babies and children still die, or suffer from life-long disabilities, even after reaching a health facility, due to poor care practices. Improving the quality of care provided is of utmost urgency. With a target of halving maternal and newborn deaths in facilities in 5 years, national governments from 9 first wave countries and partners are joining forces to establish a Network to improve the quality of care provided to mothers, newborns and children. The Network will support countries to achieve their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and achieve the vision set out by the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health.

Standards for improving quality of maternal and newborn care in health facilities

A nurse helps a new mother to breastfeed in Viet Nam.
UNICEF/T. Viet Hung

August 2016 -- This framework has been developed in response to WHO’s global vision where ‘every pregnant woman and newborn receives quality care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period’ under the umbrella of Universal Health Coverage and Quality of Care.

Quality midwifery care for mothers and newborns

Midwife, checking the blood pressure of a pregnant woman with a stethoscope, in Khaspak, Afghanistan
WHO/C Black

Midwifery is defined as “skilled, knowledgeable and compassionate care for childbearing women, newborn infants and families across the continuum from prepregnancy, pregnancy, birth, postpartum and the early weeks of life”. The evidence shows us that midwifery plays a “vital” role, and when provided by educated, trained, regulated, licensed midwives, is associated with improved quality of care and rapid and sustained reductions in maternal and newborn mortality.

Vision

The vision for the Quality of Care Network is that every pregnant woman and newborn receives quality care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period.

What do we mean by Quality of Care?

Elizabeth Wezena with babies in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital in the Upper East region of Ghana.
UNICEF

Quality of care is defined as ‘the extent to which health care services provided to individuals and patient populations improve desired health outcomes.’

What is the Quality of Care Network?

Midwifery training, Afghanistan.
UNICEF

Broadening the focus from access to care to include quality of care, WHO and UNICEF are launching a Network for Improving Quality of Care for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health to cut preventable maternal and newborn illness and deaths, and to improve every mother’s experience of care.

Quality midwifery care for mothers and newborns

A midwife with mother and baby: Malawi.
White Ribbon Alliance

The evidence shows us that midwifery plays a “vital” role, and when provided by educated, trained, regulated, licensed midwives, is associated with improved quality of care and rapid and sustained reductions in maternal and newborn mortality.

Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescent's Health 2016-2030

Cover of the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health.

Quality, Equity, Dignity efforts will build on and leverage the important work of partners committed to the Every Woman Every Child Global strategy for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health and its targets to end preventable maternal, newborn and child mortality and stillbirths.

Publications on quality of care