279440
Cross-cultural study of infant mortality: A comparative analysis between first-world and third-world countries
This cross-cultural study of health systems in Sweden, Kenya, and the United States, provides a foundational understanding of how health organizations are arranged in each country to improve performance on the metric of infant mortality. As a study of infant mortality quickly evolves into a study of women and their role in society, and of basic national beliefs, it is national values such as the Swedish focus on security, the Kenyan focus on collective strength, and the American primacy of individualism which impact the delivery of maternal and child health.
The study examined the role of partnerships among public and private public health organizations, pediatric hospitals, and government agencies and considered the following questions:
Is it the social system, the educational system, the public health system, or the medical system that determines the level of child health in a country? How can health care institutions be held more accountable for the broader health of the communities they serve? How can epidemiology be aligned with public health efforts, health care delivery systems, and effective outreach from each?
Global lessons to improve infant mortality rates will be shared in an attempt to spur new thinking, ranging from "new" models of neonatal care such as mother-rooming-in couplet care to kangaroo care, from nurse-directed primary care clinics to prenatal care programs led by traditional birth attendants.
Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadershipLearning Objectives:
Analyze comparative health outcomes performance resulting from different political, social, educational and health care systems in Kenya, Sweden, and the United States
Compare health care delivery system for children across three diverse countries
Discuss cultural beliefs and their impact on child health
Keyword(s): Maternal and Child Health, International Health
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been a hospital administrator for more than twenty years, and spent a year studying the specific issue I will be discussing, including six weeks of international travel focused on the topic. My hospital experience is supplemented by my role as the chair of the Maternal, Child and family Health Coalition in St. Louis, and my board role on an indigent clinic serving children in my community.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.