Effectiveness of Community-Oriented Maternal Newborn Care Programmes on Morbidity Rates in Northern Ghana: A Systematic Review

Community-oriented maternal newborn care (CMNC) programmes are interventions designed to improve health outcomes in underserved communities by enhancing access to healthcare services and education. A comprehensive search strategy was employed using electronic databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. Studies were selected based on predefined inclusion criteria including publication date (-), study design, language, and relevance to CMNC programmes in northern Ghana. The review identified a significant reduction of 20% (95% CI: 15%, 24%) in neonatal mortality rates associated with participation in CMNC programmes compared to control groups. However, the impact on maternal morbidity varied based on programme implementation and community context. Despite variability across studies, community engagement appears to be a critical factor in achieving positive health outcomes for both mothers and newborns through CMNC programmes. Future research should focus on replicating successful CMNC models with tailored interventions addressing specific local needs. Policy recommendations include scaling up evidence-based CMNC initiatives and integrating them into routine healthcare services. Treatment effect was estimated with logit (pᵢ) =₀+^ Xᵢ, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.