Community mobilisation to increase delivery by trained health workers in Makwanpur district, Nepal

ISRCTN ISRCTN99834806
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN99834806
Secondary identifying numbers 085417/Z/08/Z
Submission date
15/09/2010
Registration date
28/09/2010
Last edited
18/02/2021
Recruitment status
No longer recruiting
Overall study status
Completed
Condition category
Pregnancy and Childbirth
Prospectively registered
Protocol
Statistical analysis plan
Results
Individual participant data

Plain English summary of protocol

Background and study aims
In rural Nepal birth attendance by trained health workers is low. The aim of this study is to find out whether a combination of community mobilisation through women’s groups and health management committee strengthening will lead to increased birth attendance by trained health workers.

Who can participate?
Village development committees in Makwanpur District, Nepal

What does the study involve?
Participating areas are randomly allocated to either receive the intervention or serve as control areas (no intervention). In the intervention areas, Female Community Health Volunteers convene monthly women's groups to identify and address problems that prevent women from delivering either in an institution or at home with a trained health worker. Health management committees also participate in three-day workshops to find ways to improve maternal and newborn health services. Follow-up meetings are conducted every three months to review progress. The number of institutional deliveries and home deliveries conducted by trained health workers, uptake of antenatal and postnatal care, death and stillbirth rates, and maternal illness are assessed and compared between the intervention and control areas.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Not provided at time of registration

Where is the study run from?
Institute of Child Health (UK)

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
October 2010 to September 2012

Who is funding the study?
The Wellcome Trust (UK)

Who is the main contact?
Prof Anthony Costello
a.costello@ich.ucl.ac.uk

Contact information

Prof Anthony Costello
Scientific

Institute of Child Health
University College London
30 Guilford Street
London
WC1N 1EH
United Kingdom

Phone +44 (0)20 7242 9789
Email a.costello@ich.ucl.ac.uk
Dr DS Manandhar
Scientific

MIRA (Mother Infant Research Activities) (Nepal)
PO Box 921
Thapathali
Kathmandu
-
Nepal

Study information

Study designSingle-centre unmasked cluster randomised controlled trial
Primary study designInterventional
Secondary study designCluster randomised trial
Study setting(s)Community
Study typeTreatment
Participant information sheet Not available in web format, please use the contact details below to request a patient information sheet
Scientific titleCommunity mobilisation to increase delivery by trained health workers in Makwanpur district, Nepal: a cluster randomised controlled trial
Study objectivesA combination of community mobilisation through women’s groups, and health management committee strengthening will lead to increased birth attendance by trained health workers, through increased institutional deliveries and increased attendance at home deliveries.
Ethics approval(s)1. Nepal Health Research Council, 12/02/2009, ref: 889
2. University College London (UCL) Research Ethics Committee, 13/09/2010, ref: 2257/001
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studiedMaternal and newborn health
InterventionThe intervention has two components, community mobilisation through women's groups, and health management committee (HMC) strengthening. Both interventions will be implemented for two years in 21 intervention clusters.

Community mobilisation through women's groups:
A government health cadre, the female community health volunteer (FCHV) runs one women's group per month. There are at least nine FCHVs running nine women's groups per cluster (n = 189). FCHVs are supported by seven supervisors, who provide general field support, and conduct monthly training and feedback meetings with FCHVs to discuss the upcoming women's group agenda, and monitor their progress. Women's groups work through a participatory action cycle to identify local problems preventing women from delivering in an institution, or at home with a trained health worker, and then implement and evaluate strategies to address these problems.

Health Management Committee Strengthening:
There is one health institution per cluster and each institution has a health management committee. Four Appreciative Inquiry facilitators and trained representatives from the District Public Health Office conduct three-day workshops with HMCs of each health facility (n = 21). Other participants such as community representatives and health workers may also join workshops. The workshops take an Appreciative Planning and Action approach, where participants are encouraged to build on their strengths to take action to improve health facilities. Facilitators will follow-up on progress at HMC meetings approximately two months after they have completed their planning workshop, and at regular intervals thereafter.
Intervention typeBehavioural
Primary outcome measure1. Deliveries conducted by a trained health worker
2. Institutional deliveries

Primary and secondary outcomes will be measured through prospective identification of pregnancies. Enrolment began on 16 November 2009 and will end on 20 September 2012.
Secondary outcome measures1. Neonatal deaths
2. Stillbirths
3. Maternal morbidities
4. Care behaviours

Primary and secondary outcomes will be measured through prospective identification of pregnancies. Enrolment began on 16 November 2009 and will end on 20 September 2012.
Overall study start date01/10/2010
Completion date30/09/2012

Eligibility

Participant type(s)Patient
Age groupAdult
SexFemale
Target number of participants8000 deliveries
Total final enrolment13721
Key inclusion criteria1. Measurement of outcomes:
1.1. For trained birth attendance within intervention and control clusters, women who deliver infants at gestation 28 complete weeks or greater
1.2. For mortality, women of reproductive age (12 - 49 years old) who die
1.3. Infants born within the study period
2. Intervention: the intervention involves community mobilisation through women's groups and health management committee (HMC) strengthening. Participation in women's groups and their activities is voluntary, and there are no pre-determined intervention inclusion criteria. Participation in HMC strengthening is also voluntary. Participants will usually be HMC members, but may also be community members whom HMCs invite to participate.
Key exclusion criteriaDoes not meet inclusion criteria
Date of first enrolment01/10/2010
Date of final enrolment30/09/2012

Locations

Countries of recruitment

  • England
  • Nepal
  • United Kingdom

Study participating centre

Institute of Child Health
London
WC1N 1EH
United Kingdom

Sponsor information

Institute of Child Health, University College London (UK)
University/education

c/o Anthony Costello
30 Guilford Street
London
WC1N 1EH
England
United Kingdom

Phone +44 (0)20 7242 9789
Email a.costello@ich.ucl.ac.uk
Website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/cihd/
ROR logo "ROR" https://ror.org/02jx3x895

Funders

Funder type

Charity

The Wellcome Trust (UK) (grant ref: 085417)

No information available

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to shareNo
IPD sharing plan summaryNot provided at time of registration
Publication and dissemination planNot provided at time of registration
IPD sharing plan

Study outputs

Output type Details Date created Date added Peer reviewed? Patient-facing?
Protocol article protocol 19/05/2011 Yes No
Results article results 06/05/2020 18/02/2021 Yes No

Editorial Notes

18/02/2021: Publication reference and total final enrolment added.
29/01/2016: Plain English summary added.