Helena Litorp

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About me

.... With a background as a specialist physician in ob/gyn, I have both clinical as well as research experience from several low-resource settings including Tanzania, Nepal and Somaliland, and a special interest in emergency obstetric care, innovations and quality improvement implementation. Apart from my position at KI as Associate Professor in global health, I work as a Clinical Research Physician and Chief Medical Officer at a CRO specialized in clinical trials. .... 2006: MD, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden 2015: PhD Medical sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden 2016: Specialist physician ob/gyn, National Board of Health and Welfare, Sweden 2022: Associate professor global health, Karolinska Institutet

Research

.... My main research focus is on maternal and newborn health and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in low-income countries. Prior and current research project include: * 2006-2008: Female genital cutting among antenatal care attendees in Sweden * 2010-2015: Overuse of caesarean section and its association with maternal near-miss morbidity and mortality in Tanzania * 2017-2020: Quality improvement interventions for improved perinatal care in Nepal (NePeriQIP) * 2019-Ongoing: Implementation of the maternal near-miss tool in the fragile setting of Somaliland * 2019-Ongoing: Scaling up low-cost technology for improved intrapartum fetal surveillance and neonatal resuscitation in Nepal (SUSTAIN) * 2019-Ongoing: Norms and values as barriers and enabler for improved global sexual and reproductive health and rights in multiple sub-Saharan African countries * 2020-Ongoing: Feasibility of remote General Movements Assessment for early recognition of Cerebral Palsy in Nepal

Articles

Journal article: SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE. 2024;348:116777

Armed conflict, insecurity, and attitudes toward women's and girls' reproductive autonomy in Nigeria.

Svallfors S; Båge K; Ekström AM; Elimian K; Gayawan E; Litorp H; Kågesten A
Article: BIRTH-ISSUES IN PERINATAL CARE. 2023;50(3):616-626

Improved obstetric management after implementation of a scaled-up quality improvement intervention: A nested before-after study in three public hospitals in Nepal.

Litorp H; Målqvist M; Sunny AK; Gurung A; Gurung R; Kc A
Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GYNECOLOGY & OBSTETRICS. 2022;159(3):856-864

Incidence and causes of severe maternal outcomes in Somaliland using the sub-Saharan Africa maternal near-miss criteria: A prospective cross-sectional study in a national referral hospital.

Egal JA; Kiruja J; Litorp H; Osman F; Erlandsson K; Klingberg-Allvin M
Article: OBESITY. 2022;30(11):2222-2232

Effects of a novel weight-loss combination product containing orlistat and acarbose on obesity: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Holmbäck U; Grudén S; Litorp H; Willhems D; Kuusk S; Alderborn G; Söderhäll A; Forslund A
Article: PLOS ONE. 2022;17(8):e0272708

Gender norms and women's empowerment as barriers to facility birth: A population-based cross-sectional study in 26 Nigerian states using the World Values Survey.

Litorp H; Kågesten A; Båge K; Uthman O; Nordenstedt H; Fagbemi M; Puranen B; Ekström A-M
Article: ACTA OBSTETRICIA ET GYNECOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA. 2021;100(4):684-693

Augmentation of labor with oxytocin and its association with delivery outcomes: A large-scale cohort study in 12 public hospitals in Nepal.

Litorp H; Sunny AK; Kc A
Article: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH. 2020;17(1):197

Disclosing suboptimal indications for emergency caesarean sections due to fetal distress and prolonged labor: a multicenter cross-sectional study at 12 public hospitals in Nepal.

Litorp H; Gurung R; Målqvist M; Kc A
Article: SEXUAL & REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE. 2020;25:100533

Low use of vacuum extraction: Health care Professionals' Perspective in a University Hospital, Dar es Salaam.

Makokha-Sandell H; Mgaya A; Belachew J; Litorp H; Hussein K; Essén B
Article: BIRTH-ISSUES IN PERINATAL CARE. 2020;47(1):80-88

Coverage, associated factors, and impact of companionship during labor: A large-scale observational study in six hospitals in Nepal.

Kc A; Axelin A; Litorp H; Tinkari BS; Sunny AK; Gurung R
Article: ACTA OBSTETRICIA ET GYNECOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA. 2020;99(3):303-311

The burden of and factors associated with misclassification of intrapartum stillbirth: Evidence from a large scale multicentric observational study.

Kc A; Berkelhamer S; Gurung R; Hong Z; Wang H; Sunny AK; Bhattarai P; Poudel PG; Litorp H
Article: EMERGENCY MEDICINE INTERNATIONAL. 2020;2020:4819805-6

Vital Signs Directed Therapy for the Critically Ill: Improved Adherence to the Treatment Protocol Two Years after Implementation in an Intensive Care Unit in Tanzania.

Hvarfner A; Blixt J; Schell CO; Castegren M; Lugazia ER; Mulungu M; Litorp H; Baker T
Article: PLOS MEDICINE. 2019;16(9):e1002900

Effect of a scaled-up neonatal resuscitation quality improvement package on intrapartum-related mortality in Nepal: A stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial.

Kc A; Ewald U; Basnet O; Gurung A; Pyakuryal SN; Jha BK; Bergström A; Eriksson L; Paudel P; Karki S; Gajurel S; Brunell O; Wrammert J; Litorp H; Målqvist M
Article: IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE. 2019;14(1):65

Scaling Up Safer Birth Bundle Through Quality Improvement in Nepal (SUSTAIN)-a stepped wedge cluster randomized controlled trial in public hospitals.

Gurung R; Jha AK; Pyakurel S; Gurung A; Litorp H; Wrammert J; Jha BK; Paudel P; Rahman SM; Malla H; Sharma S; Gautam M; Linde JE; Moinuddin M; Ewald U; Målqvist M; Axelin A; Kc A
Article: BMJ GLOBAL HEALTH. 2019;4(6):e001936

The burden of misclassification of antepartum stillbirth in Nepal.

Gurung R; Litorp H; Berkelhamer S; Zhou H; Tinkari BS; Paudel P; Malla H; Sharma S; Kc A
Article: BMJ GLOBAL HEALTH. 2017;2(3):e000497

Scaling up quality improvement intervention for perinatal care in Nepal (NePeriQIP); study protocol of a cluster randomised trial.

Kc A; Bergström A; Chaulagain D; Brunell O; Ewald U; Gurung A; Eriksson L; Litorp H; Wrammert J; Grönqvist E; Edin P-A; Le Grange C; Lamichhane B; Shrestha P; Pokharel A; Pun A; Singh C; Målqvist M
Article: BMC PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH. 2016;16(1):343

Criteria-based audit to improve quality of care of foetal distress: standardising obstetric care at a national referral hospital in a low resource setting, Tanzania.

Mgaya AH; Litorp H; Kidanto HL; Nyström L; Essén B
Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GYNECOLOGY & OBSTETRICS. 2016;133(2):183-187

The effects of previous cesarean deliveries on severe maternal and adverse perinatal outcomes at a university hospital in Tanzania.

Litorp H; Rööst M; Kidanto HL; Nyström L; Essén B
Article: SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE. 2015;143:232-240

Fear, blame and transparency: Obstetric caregivers' rationales for high caesarean section rates in a low-resource setting.

Litorp H; Mgaya A; Mbekenga CK; Kidanto HL; Johnsdotter S; Essén B
Article: MIDWIFERY. 2015;31(7):713-720

'What about the mother?' Women's and caregivers' perspectives on caesarean birth in a low-resource setting with rising caesarean section rates.

Litorp H; Mgaya A; Kidanto HL; Johnsdotter S; Essén B
Article: BMC PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH. 2014;14:244

Maternal near-miss and death and their association with caesarean section complications: a cross-sectional study at a university hospital and a regional hospital in Tanzania.

Litorp H; Kidanto HL; Rööst M; Abeid M; Nyström L; Essén B
Article: BMC PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH. 2013;13:107

Increasing caesarean section rates among low-risk groups: a panel study classifying deliveries according to Robson at a university hospital in Tanzania.

Litorp H; Kidanto HL; Nystrom L; Darj E; Essén B
Article: ACTA OBSTETRICIA ET GYNECOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA. 2008;87(7):716-722

Female genital mutilation among antenatal care and contraceptive advice attendees in Sweden.

Litorp H; Franck M; Almroth L
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All other publications

Review: BMJ GLOBAL HEALTH. 2022;7(12):e010294

Incidence and outcomes of intrapartum-related neonatal encephalopathy in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Kukka AJ; Waheddoost S; Brown N; Litorp H; Wrammert J; Kc A
Editorial comment: BMJ GLOBAL HEALTH. 2022;7(6):e008520

Addressing the second 'R' in sexual and reproductive health and rights: why norms and values matter for development cooperation.

Sundewall J; Båge K; Ekström AM; Puranen B; Litorp H; Uthman OA; Kågesten A

Employments

Assistant Professor, Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2020-2026

Degrees and Education

Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2022
University Medical Degree, Karolinska Institutet, 2006

About me

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