Professor Emma McIntosh travelled to Bangladesh in September as part of an NIHR Global Health Research Development Award with the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research (icddr), Bangladesh. The project is called 'TRUST: Towards Reducing Unnecessary C-section via system transformation: Co-creating a research programme for Bangladesh'.

Bangladesh has witnessed an alarming increase in Caesarean section (C-section) in recent years. Currently, around 50% of all births happen in this way, rather than via normal, vaginal delivery. C-section can be lifesaving for mother and child in some circumstances. However, global research shows that population rates above 10-20% bring no reduction in deaths. Unnecessary C-section carries significant risks and costs. A complex systems approach is needed to develop a more holistic understanding of the many factors, and their inter-relationships, that encourage unnecessary C-sections among different segments of the population and in varied care settings. 

Emma will work with the team at icddr,b on the economic aspects of this TRUST study, work in close collaboration with health economists on sharing methodological economic evaluation insights, contribute to round table policy discussions, as well as deliver a seminar entitled  ‘Health economic evaluation methods and their role in pragmatic decision making’.

First published: 15 September 2025

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