Skilled Birth Attendant Coverage

Delivery with a skilled attendant reduces the risk of a woman or her child dying during delivery. The indicator therefore assesses the proportion of women whose last delivery was attended by a skilled health personnel (i.e. doctor, nurse or midwife).

Collect the following data by conducting individual interviews with a representative sample of women aged 15 – 49 who in the past 2 years delivered a live child:

RECOMMENDED SURVEY QUESTIONS (Q) AND POSSIBLE ANSWERS (A)

Q1: Who assisted with the delivery of this child?

A1: (record all mentioned)

1) doctor

2) nurse

3) midwife

4) traditional birth attendant

5) community health worker

6) family member/ friend

7) other

8) no one

To calculate the indicator’s value, divide the number of respondents who were assisted either by a doctor or a nurse or a midwife by the total number of respondents. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.

Disaggregate the data by place of delivery (e.g. hospital, health clinic, home), type of skilled personnel (doctor, nurse, midwife), respondent’s location (rural / urban), age and socio-economic characteristics (wealth quintile, level of education).

1) Use the following two questions to assess whether the respondent is “aged 15 – 49 years and had a live birth in the last 2 years”:

Q: What is your age?

A: specify: ______ / won’t say

Q: In the past two years, did you give birth to a child that was alive when it was born?

A: yes / no / won’t say

2) Skilled health personnel is an accredited health professional - such as a midwife, doctor, nurse or auxiliary nurse/ midwife - who has been educated and trained to proficiency in the skills needed to manage uncomplicated pregnancies, childbirth and the immediate postnatal period, and in the identification, management and referral of complications in women and newborns. Traditional birth attendants and community health workers, trained or not, are excluded from the category of skilled attendants for delivery.