Existing gaps and missed opportunities in delivering quality nutrition services in primary healthcare: a descriptive analysis of patient experience and provider competence in 11 low-income and middle-income countries

OBJECTIVES: To assess the competence of primary healthcare (PHC) providers in delivering maternal and child nutrition services at the PHC level and patients’ experience in receiving the recommended components of care. DESIGN: Observational cross-sectional analysis. SETTING: Healthcare facilities in low/middle-income countries (LMICs) with available service provision assessment surveys (Afghanistan (2018), Democratic Republic of Congo (2018), Haiti (2017), Kenya (2010), Malawi (2013–2014), Namibia (2009), Nepal (2015), Rwanda (2007), Senegal (2018), Tanzania (2015) and Uganda (2007). PARTICIPANTS: 18 644 antenatal visits and 23 262 sick child visits in 8458 facilities across 130 subnational areas in 11 LMICs from 2007 to 2019. OUTCOMES: (1) Provider competence assessed as the direct observations of actions performed during antenatal care (ANC) and sick child visits; and (2) patients’ experience defined as the self-reported awareness of the nutrition services received during ANC and sick child visits and provider effectiveness in delivering these services. RESULTS: Except for DRC, all countries scored below 50% on patients’ experience and provider competence. More than 70% of clients were advised on taking iron supplements during pregnancy; however, less than 32% of patients were advised on iron side effects in all the studied countries. Across all countries, providers commonly took anthropometric measurements of expectant mothers and children; however, such assessments were rarely followed up with advice or counselling about growth patterns. In addition, less than 20% of observed providers advised on early/immediate breast feeding in all countries with available data. CONCLUSION: The 11 assessed countries demonstrated the delivery of limited nutrition services; nonetheless, the apparent deficiency in the extent and depth of questions asked for the majority of tracer activities revealed significant opportunities for improving the quality of nutrition service delivery at the PHC level.