Obstetric Fistula and Mental Health: From Tanzania to Mali

By Melissa Watt, Associate Professor of the Practice in Global Health, Duke UniversityMay 22, 2019Data from a pilot study in Mali are helping the country provide more holistic fistula care to women and girls.Like most global health researchers, I want my work to have the broadest possible reach and greatest possible impact. That ’s why, when I had the serendipitous opportunity to partner withIntraHealth International to share the lessons I ’d learned through my obstetric fistula research in Tanzania, I jumped on it.Obstetric fistula results from prolonged obstructed labor or a perforation made during a caesarean section. The condition primarily affects women in low-resource settings who don ’t have access to emergency obstetric care. Its devastating physical and emotional effects—uncontrollable leakage of urine and/or feces, nerve damage, infections, shame, isolation and stigma, to name just a few—are well-documented through research. However, until a few years ago, no evidence-b ased mental health interventions had been developed for this population.To help address this gap, I conducted a  pilot study on a nurse-delivered mental health intervention for obstetric fistula patients in collaboration with colleagues at Duke University and the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center in Moshi, Tanzania. The findings suggested that the intervention, developed through formative research with local stakehol ders and based on psychological theory, was well received by the pa...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Capacity Building for Fistula Treatment and Prevention in Mali (Fistula Mali) Obstetric Fistula Mental Health International Day to End Fistula Source Type: news