Mozambique MAMI Care pathways

The MAMI Care Pathway provides an option for small and nutritionally-at-risk infants less than 6 months and their mothers to be treated near home as outpatients. The MAMI Care Pathway Package provides health workers with the tools to identify, assess, manage, and support at-risk infants less than 6 months and their mothers.1 The Pathway proposes the assessment of five different components in order to determine the level of nutritional risk in infants under 6 months and their mothers. These five components are: (1) the infant's clinical status, (2) the infant’s nutritional status, (3) feeding practices, (4) maternal mental health, and, (5) MAMI risk factors such as prematurity, orphan, absent mother, premature, multiple birth, adolescent mother, mother with HIV, and maternal malnutrition among others. After assessing these five components, a risk classification is made for the infant-mother dyad. In case of high risk, a referral to inpatient care is made, if the risk is low it is recommended to continue with the usual care pathway, but if it is moderate risk the dyad will be enrolled in the MAMI pathway to receive outpatient support. This support will last until the infant reaches 6 months of age when a last assessment will be conducted and any required referrals to an existing program covering infants from 6 months of age will be made to ensure the continuum of care