Zigama Mama, final product

by Rachel

Eric and I have really appreciated everyone's support for our research/quality improvement project at Kibuye these past few years. Many of you remember the other blog posts that I wrote to introduce the progam (here and here).

Well, as of February 28, 2023, our journal article was finally accepted for publication in the "Frontiers in Global Womens Health" journal. You can read the article here. Even if you can't read all the medical lingo/jargon, the heart of the paper is this: There are a lot of barriers to good health care in Burundi. One of the ones that we could identify and fix was lack of good counseling for women who needed to deliver by Cesarean section, for one reason or another. We offered free ultrasounds as an incentive for these women to come in to meet with me (or another doctor) and provided education on risks as well as a scheduled date to come for a Cesarean section if it was indicated. The goal was to reduce emergency Cesarean sections that could have otherwise been avoided...and, it worked!

The other beautiful thing about this project, and one that is not listed in the article, is how the project has continued on (even after the study period ended). Even now, three years after the program "ended," we've continued to find funding for free ultrasounds, and our number of scheduled Cesarean sections remains high. Perhaps my favorite part is how the generalist physicians have taken up the mantle, so to speak, and now provide almost 100% of the ultrasounds, counseling, decision making, and scheduling for these women. I am involved almost not at all, unless a second opinion is necessary. Simple, sustainable care to improve outcomes and decrease mortality. Fitting that the article was published just a week before International Women's Day. I pray not only the our progam at Kibuye continues, but that other hospitals around the country will be able to replicate the program and improve outcomes for many other women in different regions.

And finally, a big thank you to our former intern Matt Nagy for being the impetus and the driving force behind publishing our study and findings. He is one of the smartest people I know and we are grateful for his wisdom and expertise (far beyond his years!).