Only a small number of women in rural Uganda agree to receive free antenatal care, and as a result thousands die per year from pregnancy-related complications — but a new study suggests a novel method of reaching them: the radio
Researchers have found that advertising free ultrasound exams for pregnant women increased utilization by a staggering 490 percent.
"Our hypothesis was that if we could offer free ultrasounds, so that women could see their unborn baby, more women would come forward and attend the antenatal clinic," Dr. Michael Silverman, a scientist at Lawson and Western and senior author on the study, said in a statement. "Who doesn't want to see their unborn baby? It's like magic."
GE HealthCare’s Repair Center Solutions are an ideal complement to your in-house service team. We service a broad range of mobile devices, including monitors and cardiology devices, parts, and portable ultrasound systems and probes.
In developing countries, women typically refuse antenatal care because it’s either against their cultural beliefs or they don’t think modern medicine is necessary. Because of that, they’re not aware of any pregnancy complications such as whether the placenta is in the wrong place or the baby is turned the wrong way.
The biggest risk in Africa is the transmission of HIV, hepatitis B or syphilis from mother to child, which can cause chronic infections, birth defects and even death. Undiagnosed maternal malaria can also lead to severe complications.
The study, which was published in PLoS ONE, was a collaborative effort among Lawson Health Research Institute, Western University, Bridge to Health Medical and Dental and Kigezi Healthcare Foundation.
They found that advertising free ultrasound exams by word-of-mouth didn’t lead to a significant increase in the number of women who received antenatal care. Since radios are common in Ugandan households, they decided to take that approach.
That resulted in an almost sixfold increase in the amount of women who attended the antenatal care clinics. The increase was the greatest in women who had previously seen a traditional healer — among this group, nine times as many women attended the care clinics.
The researchers hope that health care providers will educate the pregnant women on the safety and trustworthiness of modern medicine, so that they will continue to attend the clinics, especially when they are in labor.
