WHO standards of care to improve maternal and newborn quality of care in facilities

Overview

The past two decades have been marked by substantive progress in reducing maternal and child deaths. Yet progress has often been slow to reach those who need it most. Quality of care is therefore recognized as a critical aspect of the unfinished maternal and newborn health agenda, especially care during and around labour and delivery and in the immediate postnatal period. For this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has elaborated a vision where “every pregnant woman and newborn receives quality care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period", which is supported by a Quality of Care framework and Standards for improving quality of maternal and newborn care in health facilities. The provision and experience of care are at the core of the WHO framework for improving the quality of care for mothers and newborns around the time of childbirth and its related Standards.

The Quality of Care framework comprises eight domains of quality of care that should be assessed, improved and monitored within the context of the health system. Each domain of quality of care is supported by one standard of care.