How community and healthcare provider perceptions, practices and experiences influence reporting, disclosure and data collection on stillbirth: Findings of a qualitative study in Afghanistan

Publication date: Available online 12 July 2019Source: Social Science & MedicineAuthor(s): Aliki Christou, Ashraful Alam, Sayed Murtaza Sadat Hofiani, Mohammad Hafiz Rasooly, Adela Mubasher, Mohammad Khakerah Rashidi, Michael J. Dibley, Camille Raynes-GreenowAbstractQuality concerns exist with stillbirth data from low- and middle-income countries including under-reporting and misclassification which affect the reliability of burden estimates. This is particularly problematic for household survey data. Disclosure and reporting of stillbirths are affected by the socio-cultural context in which they occur and societal perceptions around pregnancy loss. In this qualitative study, we aimed to understand how community and healthcare providers' perceptions and practices around stillbirth influence stillbirth data quality in Afghanistan. We collected data through 55 in-depth interviews with women and men that recently experienced a stillbirth, female elders, community health workers, healthcare providers, and government officials in Kabul province, Afghanistan between October-November 2017. The results showed that at the community-level, there was variation in local terminology and interpretation of stillbirth which did not align with the biomedical categories of stillbirth and miscarriage and could lead to misclassification. Specific birth attendant practices such as avoiding showing mothers their stillborn baby, had implications for women’s ability to recall skin appearance and d...
Source: Social Science and Medicine - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research