Evaluation of the Care Companion Program for maternal and child health in Bangladesh: a quasi-experimental study using propensity score matching approach

The Special Care Neonatal Units (SCANU) Care Companion Program (CCP) trains family caregivers to help take care of their loved one once they return home from the hospital. Under this program, trained healthcare workers provide health education session using culturally relevant training materials covering relevant health behaviors and practices related to newborn and post-natal mother care. Evidence from CCP implementation in India demonstrates that families have practiced relevant behaviors and have improved health outcomes, but this needs to be understood in CCP’s implementation in Bangladesh. We will examine the difference between the standard of care (SOC) and CCP in SCANU wards on health knowledge, the practice of health behaviors, and health outcomes when measured at the facility level in 13 tertiary and district-level health facilities in Bangladesh.