The Lancet Maternal Health Series: Global Research and Evidence (FutureLearn)

The Lancet Maternal Health Series: Global Research and Evidence (FutureLearn)

Hear the latest expert evidence from The Lancet Maternal Health Series and learn what you can do to improve maternal healthcare. Imagine a woman in a remote village, perhaps in Africa or South Asia. She’s giving birth at home with a relative. Without access to drugs or transport, she could die. While maternal deaths have nearly halved in the past 25 years worldwide, thanks to the increased use of maternity services, progress has not been universal.

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This online course explores the state of maternal health globally, based on The Lancet Maternal Health Series. You will review the latest evidence from experts, and learn what is needed to ensure good-quality, woman-centred maternal healthcare for all.

What topics will you cover?

  • The shifting burden of the epidemiology of global maternal health, how it has changed and key drivers
  • Capability and coverage of maternal health care including where and how women give birth; linking women to routine and emergency care; facility capability and staffing
  • Quality maternal health care and how it relates to evidence-based medicine and respectful care
  • Poor quality maternal health care including “too much, too soon” and “too little, too late”, and how care can be improved
  • Navigating the future of global maternal health including evolving priorities, challenges and opportunities in the Sustainable Development
  • Goal era including shocks; innovations; partnership and advocacy; financing; developing better data collection and research

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Discuss the state of the world’s maternal health and health care.
  • Investigate quality maternal health care, including the extremes of 'too little, too late' and 'too much, too soon'.
  • Explore and reflect on the future of maternal health.
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