Primigravidae’s knowledge about obstetric complications in an urban health centre in Malawi

Abstract

Pregnant women in Malawi receive information about pregnancy, labour and delivery during routine antenatal visits. This study aimed to explore knowledge of obstetric complications amongst primigravidae attending an urban health centre in Blantyre, Malawi. A descriptive study design was used. Recognition of obstetric complications in pregnancy, during labour and after delivery and actions that participants would take if they developed any complications in pregnancy and after delivery were explored. Actions that women would take for complications that occur during labour were not probed, as women have little control over actions taken when complications arise during labour. Methods: Participants were selected by means of purposive sampling from a population of pregnant women who fitted defined criteria and who were attending antenatal clinic at a health centre. Forty-five primigravidae from the urban setting with a gestation period between 28 and 42 weeks were interviewed. Data were analysed manually. Results: The findings showed that participants were more aware of obstetric complications that could occur in pregnancy than of complications that may occur during and after delivery. Sixty percent of the participants were knowledgeable about obstetric complications in pregnancy. The majority of the participants, 73% and 82.2% did not know of any problems that could occur during and after the birth of the baby respectively. Participants had limited knowledge of complications that may need immediate treatment during all three periods. Fifty-eight percent (95% ci: 43; 73) of the primigravidae had some knowledge and could make an informed decision to go to a health facility with pregnancy complications. However, only 24% (95% ci: 11; 38) of the primigravidae had some knowledge and could make an informed decision to go to a health facility with complications after delivery. These findings suggest a critical need for provision of information on obstetric complications especially those that may occur during and after birth with emphasis on those obstetric complications that require immediate treatment.

Awareness of danger signs and symptoms of pregnancy complication among women in Jordan

“…This finding is in agreement with previous research, which found that educated women have better pregnancy outcomes than uneducated women [1,5,6,20]. This difference probably reflects improved understanding of different health issues, better exposure to information resources, and better decision-making [20][21][22]. The effect of spousal education level might be related to the degree of support and help offered to wives, which clearly makes a difference, as reported by other studies [5].…”

“…Furthermore, the majority of women in the current study perceived themselves as knowledgeable about obstetric danger signs and symptoms, yet their actual level of awareness was low. Similar findings were reported by other studies of women interviewed after receiving pregnancy care, indicating a lack of awareness about pregnancy danger signs and symptoms [14,[20][21][22].…”

“…Education of women is an important prerequisite for understanding health messages during prenatal care. The findings of the present study emphasize the necessity for improving the role of information and communication as essential elements of healthcare provision during pregnancy [22].…”

“…Health education and counseling have been identified as major foci of deficiency in the current performance of healthcare providers in the public sector in Jordan [20]. Prenatal care is essential for reducing maternal mortality and morbidity, especially when used to detect complications; to recognize obstetric danger signs and symptoms; and to advise pregnant women and their families on seeking medical help in a timely fashion [13,14,22]. Introducing appropriate safe motherhood information to young women aged 18 years and older, in higher-grade school and university, may further improve their understanding of health messages, including awareness of pregnancy danger signs and symptoms [5].…”

Knowledge about birth preparedness and complication readiness and associated factors among primigravida women in Addis Ababa governmental health facilities, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2015

“…Regarding knowledge, this study showed only 113(26.8%) of respondents were knowledgeable on danger signs during pregnancy. From those spontaneously mentioned knowledge of danger signs during pregnancy; only 319 (75.6%) mentioned vaginal bleeding, which is high compared to the study done in Malawi 62% [16], whereas very high when compared to studies in Adigrat town, North [3] and in Robe wereda, Arise zone [13].…”