Quality Improvement Programme for Mama Connect

Timeline: Août 2015 – Août 2017 | Status: Completed

Nigeria.

Project Overview

Improving maternal health outcomes requires more than increasing access to care—it requires ensuring that the care women receive is safe, effective, respectful, and responsive to their needs. Between Août 2015 and Août 2017, the Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation (HSDF), with support from Merck for Mothers, implemented the Quality Improvement Programme for Mama Connect.

The programme focused on strengthening the quality of maternal healthcare services by supporting health facilities and healthcare providers to adopt continuous quality improvement practices. Through a systematic approach to identifying service delivery gaps and implementing practical solutions, the initiative sought to improve the experience and outcomes of women accessing maternal health services.

Mama Connect reflected a growing recognition that quality of care is a critical determinant of maternal survival and wellbeing. By helping healthcare providers strengthen systems, processes, and practices, the programme contributed to broader efforts to improve maternal health outcomes in Nigeria.

Many maternal health programmes have traditionally focused on expanding access to services, yet access alone does not guarantee positive outcomes. Variations in clinical practice, weak quality assurance systems, limited performance monitoring, and gaps in patient experience can affect the quality of care women receive during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period.

Addressing these challenges required a structured approach that empowered healthcare providers to continuously assess and improve the quality of services delivered within their facilities.

HSDF supported the implementation of quality improvement methodologies that enabled healthcare providers and facilities to identify challenges, test solutions, and monitor progress over time. The programme focused on:

Promoting continuous quality improvement within maternal health services.
Strengthening healthcare providers’ capacity to improve service delivery.
Supporting the use of data to identify and address quality gaps.
Encouraging patient-centred approaches to maternal healthcare.
Strengthening systems that support safer and more effective care.
Facilitating learning and collaboration around quality improvement practices.

By focusing on practical improvements within healthcare settings, the programme aimed to create lasting changes that would benefit both providers and patients.

The Quality Improvement Programme for Mama Connect helped strengthen the systems and practices that influence the quality of maternal healthcare services. Through a focus on continuous improvement, provider engagement, and better use of data, the programme supported efforts to ensure that women received higher-quality care throughout their maternal health journey.

The initiative also contributed valuable lessons on the role of quality improvement in advancing maternal health outcomes, reinforcing the importance of embedding quality into every aspect of healthcare delivery.