Case Study: Experience Applying and Tracking a Quality Improvement Approach for Maternal and Newborn Health Services in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Standards-Based Management and Recognition (SBM-R®) approach to quality improvement was applied to maternal and newborn health services in Guinea, Mozambique, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. In every country, the quality of service delivery, as measured by clinical performance standards, improved following the intervention. The performance of evidence-based service delivery practices, as measured through service statistics, also increased and institutional rates of postpartum hemorrhage and very early neonatal deaths exhibited declining trends. Findings suggest that the effects of SBM-R reach beyond service delivery processes to health outputs and outcomes and demonstrate the potential returns of investing in quality improvement approaches.