Awareness and Use of World Health Organisation Safe Childbirth Checklist among Midwives Practicing in Health Institutions in Imo State (Published)
Maternal and child health are pivotal to the growth and development of any nation and a critical aspect of the healthcare practice that ensures that adequate and safe childbirth practices are in place for safe delivery especially in resource-constrained settings. This study determined the awareness, use, benefits and challenges with the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist among the Midwives in Imo State, Nigeria. The study utilized a descriptive survey design and surveyed 145 midwives as a sample. Data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. For the quantitative data, a well-structured questionnaire was issued to midwives employed by certain health facilities in Imo state. The midwives were selected using a random sampling method. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted, and results were presented in the form of tables, charts, and percentages. More of the respondents were 36 years or older (74.5%), spent greater than 10 years in practice (57.9%), are graduates (75.9%), work in the public health facilities (64.1%). only 27.6% of the midwives working in these facilities are aware of the WHO Childbirth Checklist and only 4.8% of them consistently incorporate the checklist in their routine care of women in labour. Staff with more than 10 years of experience (p = 0.021), involved in teaching/administration (p = 0.007), as well as those without professional memberships (p<0.001) were significantly associated with consistent use of the WHO Checklist. The study’s findings add to the existing body of knowledge and provide valuable insights into the awareness and utilization of the WHO SCC among midwives in the Imo State. This, in turn, sheds light on potential areas for improvement in maternal delivery.
Keywords: Checklist, Childbirth., awareness, safe
Social Support during Pregnancy among Pregnant Women in Ibadan, Nigeria (Published)
Pregnant women with low social support were reported to have symptoms of depression during and after pregnancy, and it has been established that this has implication on complication during child birth. This study aimed at examining the knowledge, attitude and perception of pregnant women about social support during pregnancy. A descriptive cross sectional research design was adopted and questionnaire with reliability 0.82 was used to gather data from 208 pregnant women selected through simple random sampling technique. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Findings revealed a good perception but negative attitude towards social support. There was a significant association between age and level of social support; marital status and level of social support; number of delivery and level of social support. Identified barriers to social support during pregnancy include poor family income, spouses’ nature of job and hospital policy.
Keywords: Antenatal Care, Childbirth., Maternal Health, Social Support, pregnancy