Childbirth: A Global Perspective

Emory University

About this Course

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This course will review challenges for maternal and newborn health in the developing world, where a great many women and babies are suffering from complications during pregnancy, childbirth, and the days following birth. Themes covered include the epidemiology of maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity, relevant issues for the global health workforce, community-based interventions to improve maternal and newborn health and survival, and sociocultural dynamics surrounding birth.
This course provides a broad overview of maternal and newborn health issues facing low-income and transitional countries, where more than 2.6 million babies are stillborn and nearly 500,000 women die during childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications each year. In the developing world, many women deliver at home without a skilled care provider, drugs, or technological supports. Maternal and newborn survival can be improved by mobilizing communities and improving access to skilled care.

Through lectures, case studies and readings, course participants will learn about delivery challenges for maternal and newborn health services and how to utilize community-based strategies to improve the health and survival of mothers and babies.

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Intermediate Level

Approx. 9 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, English, Spanish

Instructor

Instructor rating

5/5 (5 Ratings)

Lynn Sibley

Professor

Neil Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing

10,722 Learners

1 Course

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Intermediate Level

Approx. 9 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, English, Spanish

Offered by

Emory University

Emory University, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is one of the world's leading research universities. Its mission is to create, preserve, teach and apply knowledge in the service of humanity.

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week

Week 1

2 hours to complete

Introduction to Maternal Mortality and Morbidity in the Global Context

Welcome to Module 1! This course will discuss the global health implications of pregnancy and childbirth in the developing world, where far too many women and babies die from complications during pregnancy, childbirth, and soon after childbirth. Themes covered in this module include an introduction to maternal care, an in-depth look at the numbers, and a look at maternal mortality and morbidity in a global context.

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 37 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

5 videos

Introduction10m

A Closer Look at the Numbers 5m

Causes of Death 7m

Signs of Progress 5m

Accelerating the Global Response 8m

3 readings

Course Overview10m

About Us10m

Readings & Resources10m

1 practice exercise

Introduction to Maternal Mortality and Morbidity in the Global Context30m

Week

Week 2

2 hours to complete

Introduction to Maternal Mortality and Morbidity in the U.S. Context

In this module you’ll visit the United States where, believe it or not, maternal mortality rate is actually on the rise! In fact, maternal mortality has doubled in the U.S. during the last two decades. Why is that? And what can be done to reverse this trend? Along the way you’ll meet a physician and her patient who will help us answer some of these questions.

2 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 65 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

7 videos

Introduction10m

Trends and Disparities in U.S. Maternal Mortality 11m

Severe Maternal Morbidity7m

Primary Prevention of Maternal Deaths 3m

Interview with Diana Childers and Dr. Wendy Book 10m

Secondary Prevention of Maternal Death 11m

When Prevention Fails: Maternal Mortality Review 11m

1 reading

Readings & Resources10m

1 practice exercise

Introduction to Maternal Mortality and Morbidity in the US 30m

Week

Week 3

1 hour to complete

The Impact of the Health Care Workforce Shortage

In this module we’ll be discussing the critical importance of having an adequate and well-trained health workforce for reducing maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality. We’ll be discussing the problems of shortage and maldistribution, as well as some important strategies for addressing these problems such as task shifting and task sharing.

1 hour to complete

6 videos (Total 45 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

6 videos

Health Care Workforce Shortages 6m

Maldistribution & Migration 6m

Shortage, Maldistribution, & Migration Solutions 6m

Task Shifting vs. Task Sharing 8m

The Effectiveness of Task Shifting & Task Sharing 10m

Policy Issues 6m

1 reading

Readings & Resources10m

1 practice exercise

The Impact of the Health Care Workforce Shortage on Maternal and Newborn Care30m

Week

Week 4

1 hour to complete

Emergency Obstetric Care & Health Facility Services

In this module, we will learn about a globally recognized package of such interventions called emergency obstetric care, or EmOC. We will spend some time learning about how emergency obstetric care is assessed and monitored at the national and sub-national levels, including quality improvement measures. Lastly, we will consider some key challenges and potential solutions in developing country contexts.

1 hour to complete

6 videos (Total 39 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

6 videos

Introduction 6m

EmOC Signal Functions6m

United Nations Process Indicators for Monitoring EmOC 8m

EmOC Monitoring and Assessment 5m

Quality Improvement in EmOC 3m

Challenges to EmOC Implementation in Developing Country Contexts8m

1 reading

Readings & Resources10m

1 practice exercise

Emergency Obstetric Care: Health Facility Services that Support Maternal Health and Survival30m

Week

Week 5

2 hours to complete

Improving Maternal Care through Community-Based Interventions

This module will take a new turn - how ordinary citizens can be mobilized to effectively take action to improve health for mothers and babies. You will learn about participatory learning and action. You will learn what research studies have to say about the effectiveness of this kind of approach. Also, you will get a chance to see specific examples of the outcomes of community mobilization in two settings, one in Atlanta, Georgia in the U.S., and one in the Caribbean country on the island of Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic.

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 51 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

6 videos

Introduction 12m

Participatory Learning and Action in Practice7m

Effectiveness Research7m

Center for Black Women's Wellness 9m

Dominican Republic: Community-Based Participatory Research Project 6m

Essentials for Sustained Empowerment 7m

1 reading

Readings & Resources10m

1 practice exercise

Improving Maternal and Newborn Care through Community-Based Interventions30m

Week

Week 6

2 hours to complete

Case Study in Ethiopia: Educating the Community and Training Front-Line Community Health Workers

Welcome to the last module! In this module, you will receive an overview of the Maternal and Newborn Health in Ethiopia Partnership (referred to as MaNHEP). Also, you will learn about the Ethiopian context regarding maternal health; the overall goal of the MaNHEP project and its key partners and supports; where the project was situated within Ethiopia; the assumptions that serve as the basis for the project’s intervention; the project evaluation; and a summary of results. Finally, we will take a step back to examine the strengths of the project and its potential for scale-up and possible application elsewhere.

2 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 38 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

7 videos

MaNHEP Introduction 4m

MaNHEP Theory of Action 3m

MaNHEP Intervention Prongs 5m

MaNHEP Collaborative Quality Improvement 4m

MaNHEP Behavior Change Communications 6m

MaNHEP Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation 8m

MaNHEP Key Project-Level Results 4m

1 reading

Readings & Resources10m

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
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What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
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Will I earn university credit for completing the Course?
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Childbirth: A Global Perspective