Developing comprehensive and evidence-based policy and guidelines for antenatal and postnatal care in KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

Loosely defined, stakeholders are "users" or "implementers" of the guidelines and consisted of district medical officers, primary health care nurses, district MCWH coordinators , midwives, advanced midwives, nurse educators, and representatives from program management. This group also included parties who had an interest in the outcome of the project. Key informants are subject experts who helped to inform and guide the process, particularly with regard to specific technical areas. Stakeholders and key informants also helped to identify relevant provincial and district staff who formed several task teams arranged according to a number of themes identified for special consideration and planning. Despite their busy schedules and the concomitant challenges, meetings were well attended and all districts were represented. Key Informants Key informants are subject experts who helped to inform and guide the process, particularly with regard to specific technical areas. Key informants consisted of 15 academics and researchers. These experts included individuals who were conducting research in the field of antenatal and postnatal care, including conducting trials on PMTCT, individuals with experience in