DR. ABDALLAH IBRAHIM, CPH
School of Public Health
University of Ghana
Post-doc Coordinator – Accelerate Project
Project Title


Accelerating progress towards attainment of
Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 4 and
5 in Ghana through basic health systems
functioning strengthening (Accelerate Project)
Project Duration: 2011 - 2015
Accelerate Project - Ghana

Accelerate involves six PhD researchers in three
disciplines, namely:
 Clinical
Epidemiology,
 Medical Anthropology,
 Health Policy & Health Systems

The PhD researchers focusses on health care
improvements to reduce maternal and neonatal
mortality in Ghana.
Accelerate Project – Ghana/Netherlands Team
The Accelerate Project


Explore “how” and “why” clinical decision making for
maternal and newborn care by frontline providers
(doctors, clinical, public and community health nurses and
midwives) is done in the health system
Explore what interventions would be most appropriate
to support and improve the quality of clinical care
decision making.
Accelerate Project - Progress

Project is currently at a “mixed-stage”, including:
 Completed
data collection
 Completed draft manuscripts
 Data analyses

Peer-reviewed article publications in:
 BMC
 PlosOne
 Health
Policy and Planning
 Health Research Policy and Systems
Sample Progress of (Accelerate) PhD studies
Study
Short title
Study design (data
source)
Outcome
Statistical method
Progress so far
Study I
Risk factors for
neonatal mortality
Cross sectional (DHS)
Neonatal mortality
Multilevel logistic
regression
Published
Study II
Neonatal data
validation
Routine hospital data
Data accuracy
Error rate & % of missing
data estimation
Published
Study III
Risk factors for LBW
Cross sectional (DHS)
Low birth weight
Multilevel logistic
regression
Published
Study IV
Trends in childhood
mortality: impacts &
challenges of health
programs
Longitudinal study (DHS) Trends in childhood
mortality
Trend analysis & Poisson
regression
Completed
Study V
Effect of maternal
Cross sectional (DHS)
health insurance status
on utilization of the
continuum of care
Antenatal, Skilled
Logistic regression
delivery and postnatal
care utilization
Completed
Study VI
Variations in neonatal
mortality across 49
Sub-Saharan Africa
countries
Cross sectional (World
Health Organization &
World Bank)
Variation in neonatal
mortality
Control chart, and spatial
analysis
Completed
Study VII
Prediction model for
stillbirth
Hospital data
Stillbirth
Logistic regression
Data quality check &
analysis
Accelerate Project Stakeholders

National level
 Ghana
Health service
 Ministry of Health

Sub-national and Facility level
 Health
care centers
 Frontline health workers (Nurses, doctors, midwives)
 District health managers

Individual level
 Pregnant

women
Stakeholders are involved at all levels
Stakeholder engagement strategies


Accelerate researchers have used various methods to
engage the key stakeholders in their research.
They include:
 Ethnography
 Individual
 Dialogues
meetings
Key research findings
Accelerate is advancing for
stakeholder actions
Findings
Community socioeconomic deprivation positively
associated with neonatal death regardless of
individual characteristics
Findings
Dwelling in rural area, community poverty level, illiteracy
level, safe water coverage & Community healthcare access
increased the risk of having LBW infant
KT Challenges in Accelerate


KT-related challenges in Accelerate incliude
differences in progress/timeline among the
researchers
Difference in timeline impedes identifying and
packaging an integrated project message
KT Products generated or accomplished

Activities generated or accomplished under Accelerate
 Policy
briefs
 Shared findings at meetings
 Presentations and poster contest at conferences

Additional KT products/activities planned
 Stakeholder
dissemination with KTNet-Africa
 Media products
Support from KTNet-Africa
The End
Questions
 Comments
 Discussion
