Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42549288›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of women's health2026

Disparities in Working Conditions Among Maternal and Neonatal Health Personnel in a Crisis Context: The Case of the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Pacifique Mwene-Batu, Armand Bisimwa Mulume, Jean Corneille Zubulu Lembebu, Meighan Mary, Gaylord A Ngaboyeka, Emmanuel Ongezi Lurhangire, Rosine Bigirinama, Christine Chimanuka Murhima'alika, Christian Zalinga Chiribagula, Ghislain Bisimwa Balaluka and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of women's health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Pacifique Mwene-BatuRegional School of Public Health, Catholic University of Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.ORCID 0000-0003-0413-2732
Armand Bisimwa MulumeRegional School of Public Health, Catholic University of Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Jean Corneille Zubulu LembebuRegional School of Public Health, Catholic University of Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Meighan MaryInternational Health Department, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Gaylord A NgaboyekaRegional School of Public Health, Catholic University of Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.ORCID 0000-0003-4906-1851
Emmanuel Ongezi LurhangireRegional School of Public Health, Catholic University of Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.ORCID 0009-0002-0706-6902
Rosine BigirinamaRegional School of Public Health, Catholic University of Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.ORCID 0000-0002-2461-0212
Christine Chimanuka Murhima'alikaRegional School of Public Health, Catholic University of Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Christian Zalinga ChiribagulaRegional School of Public Health, Catholic University of Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Ghislain Bisimwa BalalukaRegional School of Public Health, Catholic University of Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Hannah TappisInternational Center for Maternal and Newborn Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4289-5418

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Maternal and neonatal health (MNH) indicators remain poor in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), despite the high rates of facility-based childbirth. Working conditions of MNH providers, particularly in conflict-affected eastern DRC, remain poorly documented. This study examines disparities in working conditions among MNH providers in North and South Kivu by sex, age, and professional category. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among MNH providers in 28 health facilities across North Kivu (October 2023) and South Kivu (February 2023). A structured questionnaire collected information on working conditions, compensation, professional development and workplace violence. Data were entered into RedCap and analyzed using Stata 17. Differences by sex, age, and professional cadre (nurses/midwives vs medical doctors) were assessed through bivariate comparison analysis, with statistical significance set at p<0.05. Results: A total of 220 MNH providers participated (116 in North Kivu, 104 in South Kivu), 76% were women, the median age was 38.5 years and 79% were nurses/midwives. Women experienced fewer promotion opportunities (p = 0.001), limited access to continuing professional development (p = 0.029), and higher levels of workplace (p = 0.038) and personal-life discrimination (p = 0.019) than men. Men experienced more verbal or physical aggression from patients or their relatives. Providers younger than 35 years reported more patient-related aggression (p = 0.021) and fewer salary supplements (p = 0.015). Doctors were more likely than nurses to receive non-monetary incentives, including leave and uniforms. Conclusion: Significant disparities in working conditions exist by sex, age, and professional cadre among MNH providers in eastern DRC. Equity-oriented human resource policies that strengthen professional development, workplace protection, and staff welfare are needed to improve provider well-being and quality of maternal and neonatal care in conflict-affected settings.

Indexed as

conflict affected zonesdisparitiesmaternal and neonatal healthworking conditions

Identifiers

PMID42549288
PMCPMC13431457

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.