Assessment of Interventions in Primary Health Care for Improved Maternal, New-Born and Child Health in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review

Friday Okonofua, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo State , Nigeria
Lorretta Favour C. Ntoimo, Federal University Oye-Ekiti
Oludamilola Adejumo, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo
Wilson Imongan, Women's Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC)
Rosemary Ogu, University of Port Harcourt
Seun Anjorin, Women's Health and Action Research Centre

Primary health care (PHC) holds great potential to improve maternal, new-born and child health (MNCH) outcomes. Meanwhile, there has been limited documentation of its effect on increasing universal access to maternal, new-born and child health services in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a systematic review of empirical evidence and interventions at the primary health care level for effective delivery of MNCH care in sub-Saharan Africa. Using terms related to PHC and MNCH, we searched African Journals Online, PubMed/Medline, Popline, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar among others for studies published in English between 2000 and 2017. A total of 25 studies were included in the review. Effective interventions included financial incentives, task-shifting, community-directed engagements, training of providers, mobile health, cost-sharing and supportive supervision among others. The results documented in these studies indicate that effective delivery of PHC will significantly improve maternal, new-born and child health in sub-Saharan Africa.