Using maternal sepsis patient journeys to map and prioritise barriers to quality maternal healthcare in Malawi: a multidisciplinary stakeholder consultation workshop
Background Malawi has made progress in improving access to maternity care services, shifting the focus to quality of care as an essential determinant of maternal health outcomes. However, no effective mechanisms exist to use patients’ experiences of care at health facilities to inform and improve th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Global Health Action |
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2025.2451467 |
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| author | Yamikani Chimwaza Dalisto Ndaferankhande Leonard Mndala Chifundo Ndamala Emily Lifa Mercy Machilika Esther Mwagomba Bernard Dossie Meliya Kwelepeta Bertha Maseko David Lissauer Maria Lisa Odland |
| author_facet | Yamikani Chimwaza Dalisto Ndaferankhande Leonard Mndala Chifundo Ndamala Emily Lifa Mercy Machilika Esther Mwagomba Bernard Dossie Meliya Kwelepeta Bertha Maseko David Lissauer Maria Lisa Odland |
| author_sort | Yamikani Chimwaza |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Malawi has made progress in improving access to maternity care services, shifting the focus to quality of care as an essential determinant of maternal health outcomes. However, no effective mechanisms exist to use patients’ experiences of care at health facilities to inform and improve the quality of maternal healthcare. Objective To use maternal sepsis patient journeys in a workshop with maternal health stakeholders to identify and prioritise barriers in care and recommend interventions to improve maternal healthcare quality in Malawi. Methods In February 2024, in Blantyre, Malawi, using a modified nominal group technique, 28 stakeholders reviewed the patient journeys of three women hospitalised at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, who had sepsis after childbirth. Patient journeys narrate events experienced within a healthcare system in the patient’s words. In a multiframework approach (Four Delays, Respectful Maternity Care, and WHO Quality of Care), stakeholders identified and prioritised barriers to care and recommended interventions to improve the quality of maternal healthcare. Content analysis of the workshop data linked barriers with stakeholders’ suggested interventions. Results Nineteen barriers identified included various delays in receiving care, mistreatment by healthcare providers, and suboptimal quality of care. Stakeholders found patient journeys valuable and insightful for identifying gaps in the quality of care and promoting sepsis awareness among healthcare workers and the public. Conclusions Patient journeys are a novel tool for capturing the experience of care in Malawi. They have the potential to guide strategic improvements in maternal healthcare quality and ultimately reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-dadefb0d718a4045bf00a46675d01478 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1654-9880 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Health Action |
| spelling | doaj-art-dadefb0d718a4045bf00a46675d014782025-02-05T12:46:15ZengTaylor & Francis GroupGlobal Health Action1654-98802025-12-0118110.1080/16549716.2025.24514672451467Using maternal sepsis patient journeys to map and prioritise barriers to quality maternal healthcare in Malawi: a multidisciplinary stakeholder consultation workshopYamikani Chimwaza0Dalisto Ndaferankhande1Leonard Mndala2Chifundo Ndamala3Emily Lifa4Mercy Machilika5Esther Mwagomba6Bernard Dossie7Meliya Kwelepeta8Bertha Maseko9David Lissauer10Maria Lisa Odland11Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Clinical Research ProgrammeMalawi Liverpool Wellcome Clinical Research ProgrammeMalawi Liverpool Wellcome Clinical Research ProgrammeMalawi Liverpool Wellcome Clinical Research ProgrammeMalawi Liverpool Wellcome Clinical Research ProgrammeMalawi Liverpool Wellcome Clinical Research ProgrammeMalawi Liverpool Wellcome Clinical Research ProgrammeMalawi Liverpool Wellcome Clinical Research ProgrammeMalawi Liverpool Wellcome Clinical Research ProgrammeMalawi Liverpool Wellcome Clinical Research ProgrammeMalawi Liverpool Wellcome Clinical Research ProgrammeMalawi Liverpool Wellcome Clinical Research ProgrammeBackground Malawi has made progress in improving access to maternity care services, shifting the focus to quality of care as an essential determinant of maternal health outcomes. However, no effective mechanisms exist to use patients’ experiences of care at health facilities to inform and improve the quality of maternal healthcare. Objective To use maternal sepsis patient journeys in a workshop with maternal health stakeholders to identify and prioritise barriers in care and recommend interventions to improve maternal healthcare quality in Malawi. Methods In February 2024, in Blantyre, Malawi, using a modified nominal group technique, 28 stakeholders reviewed the patient journeys of three women hospitalised at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, who had sepsis after childbirth. Patient journeys narrate events experienced within a healthcare system in the patient’s words. In a multiframework approach (Four Delays, Respectful Maternity Care, and WHO Quality of Care), stakeholders identified and prioritised barriers to care and recommended interventions to improve the quality of maternal healthcare. Content analysis of the workshop data linked barriers with stakeholders’ suggested interventions. Results Nineteen barriers identified included various delays in receiving care, mistreatment by healthcare providers, and suboptimal quality of care. Stakeholders found patient journeys valuable and insightful for identifying gaps in the quality of care and promoting sepsis awareness among healthcare workers and the public. Conclusions Patient journeys are a novel tool for capturing the experience of care in Malawi. They have the potential to guide strategic improvements in maternal healthcare quality and ultimately reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2025.2451467patient journeydelaysbarriersprioritisationmaternal sepsispregnant and postpartum womenquality of carematernal healthcaremalawi |
| spellingShingle | Yamikani Chimwaza Dalisto Ndaferankhande Leonard Mndala Chifundo Ndamala Emily Lifa Mercy Machilika Esther Mwagomba Bernard Dossie Meliya Kwelepeta Bertha Maseko David Lissauer Maria Lisa Odland Using maternal sepsis patient journeys to map and prioritise barriers to quality maternal healthcare in Malawi: a multidisciplinary stakeholder consultation workshop Global Health Action patient journey delays barriers prioritisation maternal sepsis pregnant and postpartum women quality of care maternal healthcare malawi |
| title | Using maternal sepsis patient journeys to map and prioritise barriers to quality maternal healthcare in Malawi: a multidisciplinary stakeholder consultation workshop |
| title_full | Using maternal sepsis patient journeys to map and prioritise barriers to quality maternal healthcare in Malawi: a multidisciplinary stakeholder consultation workshop |
| title_fullStr | Using maternal sepsis patient journeys to map and prioritise barriers to quality maternal healthcare in Malawi: a multidisciplinary stakeholder consultation workshop |
| title_full_unstemmed | Using maternal sepsis patient journeys to map and prioritise barriers to quality maternal healthcare in Malawi: a multidisciplinary stakeholder consultation workshop |
| title_short | Using maternal sepsis patient journeys to map and prioritise barriers to quality maternal healthcare in Malawi: a multidisciplinary stakeholder consultation workshop |
| title_sort | using maternal sepsis patient journeys to map and prioritise barriers to quality maternal healthcare in malawi a multidisciplinary stakeholder consultation workshop |
| topic | patient journey delays barriers prioritisation maternal sepsis pregnant and postpartum women quality of care maternal healthcare malawi |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2025.2451467 |
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