The World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Japan International Cooperation Agency are collaborating to strengthen implementation of home-based records for maternal, newborn and child health. In 2023, the three organizations jointly published the guide Strengthening implementation of home-based records for maternal, newborn and child health, designed to support country programme managers in planning, selecting content, implementing and monitoring of home-based records.
An update of the guide is planned for early 2026, and we are seeking feedback from users of the current version. If you have used the implementation guide and would like to share your experiences and suggestions, please complete the attached feedback form and send it to us by email at [email protected].
Join the symposium Leveraging Digital Health Solutions for Maternal and Child Health (MCH) and the Effective Use of MCH Handbook, on 20 June 2025, held as part of the Expo 2025 Theme Weeks!
Hosted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, this session will explore the role and potential of digital solutions for MCH. It will feature representatives from countries, who will share their experiences related to the use of the MCH handbook and how to deploy digital solutions to address MCH challenges. Learn more and register via this link.
Home-based records for maternal, newborn and child health, such as vaccination cards, antenatal care notes, and maternal and child health handbooks, are important tools to record the history of health services an individual has received and support communication between individuals and health workers. The use of digital technologies to enhance implementation of home-based records may provide opportunities for improved data access and accuracy and to continuity of care, though challenges like usability, equity, and system integration remain.
Please join us in an upcoming webinar on using digital technologies to enhance implementation of home-based records / personal health records for maternal, newborn and child health, taking place on 7 May at 13:00 CET. Please register via the QR code or this link to participate in this exciting webinar, learn from two country experiences and share your ideas!
Agenda and Speakers
Opening remarks and introductions (Annie Portela and Laura Nic…
The Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Ageing of the World Health Organization (WHO) convened a global consultation on the standardisation of health facility data recording and reporting forms for maternal, newborn and child health and linkages to home-based records from 17 to 19 September 2024. Representatives from ministries of health, academia, non-governmental organizations, United Nation Agencies, as well as donors attended in the meeting.
During the discussion, it was emphasized that the home-based record is one tool in the broader health information system, and it should not be viewed in isolation. Any decisions made related to the content in the facility register needs to generate a discussion about whether the information has already been included in the country’s home-based records or other reporting tools and whether the overlap is necessary.
It was proposed that WHO could develop global templates with core minimum data elements to record in…
The Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Ageing of the World Health Organization (WHO) convened a global consultation on the standardisation of health facility data recording and reporting forms for maternal, newborn and child health and linkages to home-based records from 17 to 19 September 2024. Representatives from ministries of health, academia, non-governmental organizations, United Nation Agencies, as well as donors attended in the meeting.
During the discussion, it was emphasized that the home-based record is one tool in the broader health information system, and it should not be viewed in isolation. Any decisions made related to the content in the facility register needs to generate a discussion about whether the information has already been included in the country’s home-based records or other reporting tools and whether the overlap is necessary.
It was proposed that WHO could develop global templates with core minimum data elements to record in home-based records for maternal, newborn and child health, which countries can adapt based on their context, objectives and epidemiology. Format and functionality considerations for digital and paper-based home-based records were also discussed, including size, privacy and accessibility issues.
As a next step, WHO proposes to standardize maternal, newborn and child health registers. Home-based record experts will remain engaged in the discussions to ensure home-based records are considered in the process.
Nina Gerlach a créé une nouvelle discussion