The aim of the review was to synthesise the best available evidence regarding attitude of health care providers towards adolescent sexual and reproductive health services in developing countries. The review was conducted following qualitative research method. An online search of Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), British Nursing Index (BNI), EMBASE and MEDLINE databases was conducted to identify relevant studies for the review. There were nine studies that met the inclusion criteria and these were critically assessed by two independent reviewers using the standardised Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal forms. Data were extracted using the standardised JBI data extraction forms. A narrative synthesis was done on the findings. Key findings from the review indicate that unprofessional attitude of health care professionals and lack of youth friendly reproductive health services, inhibit adolescents from gaining access to sexual and reproductive health services in developing countries. It is recommended that youth friendly reproductive health services be provided to increase uptake of reproductive health services by adolescents.

Unit nurse managers in Malawi experience many challenges in the course of performing their roles. This affects their performance and service delivery including the quality of nursing care to patients. This study was conducted to determine the factors that hindered performance of unit managers in relation to expected quality of nursing services at two referral facilities (Kamuzu and Queen Elizabeth Central hospitals) in Malawi. These two central hospitals have the same structural settings and both offer specialized tertiary health services. A quantitative descriptive design was used to guide the planning and implementation of the study. Purposive sampling was used to select the two major hospitals in Malawi and all available 37 unit nurse managers during the time of the study at the two hospitals participated in the study. Data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires after seeking consent from the participants and were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. The major roles identified by the unit managers were supervision (75.6%, n = 28) and coordination (70.3%, n = 26). Other roles such as team leader, liaison officer, research allocator, monitor and facilitator were rated by very few participants. Findings of the study showed that performance of unit nurse managers was affected by inadequate material (86.4%, n = 32) and human resources (94.5%, n = 35) and lack of managerial skills (5.4%, n = 2). In addition, the unit managers perceived their role to be stressful (38.9%, n = 14) and challenging (47.2%, n = 17). Therefore, there is a need to provide adequate material and human resources to the wards of the two central hospitals to enable the unit managers perform their duties efficiently.

Background: Malawi is grappling with a high maternal mortality of 439 per 100 000 live births. It is estimated that 80% of maternal deaths can be prevented by actively engaging the community in the country. However, community support on safe motherhood remains unknown.Aim: This study, therefore, explored community support rendered to mothers and babies during antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum periods.Setting: This study was conducted in the Lilongwe District, Malawi.Methods: This was a qualitative study that collected data from 30 village health committee members through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Data were analysed using thematic analysis.Results: This study found that community support on safe motherhood rendered to women varied. The following five themes emerged from FGDs data on community support on safe motherhood: antenatal support, intrapartum support, postpartum support, bylaws reinforced by chiefs in the community and safe motherhood support groups. Community members encourage pregnant women to attend antenatal care, escorted pregnant women to the hospital for delivery and assisted women to care for a child and go for postpartum checkups. Community bylaws were considered as a necessary tool for encouraging women to attend antenatal care, deliver at the health facility and attend postpartum checkups.Conclusion: This study suggests that community members play a crucial role in providing support to women and newborns during antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum periods.

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