Factors leading to postnatal mother's delay to access basic emergency obstetric care at Khombedza Health Centre in Salima District
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Date
2012-08-01
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Abstract
The majority of maternal deaths occur during labour, delivery, and within 24 hours postpartum. Apart from medical causes, there are numerous inter-related socio-cultural factors which delay care-seeking and contribute to these deaths. Delay in problem recognition or deciding to seek care outside the home is delay number one on the causes of maternal deaths. Birth preparedness and complication readiness are interventions designed to address delays by encouraging pregnant women, their families and communities to effectively plan for birth and prepare for emergency if they occur. Therefore the study explored factors that lead to postnatal mother’s delay to access basic emergency obstetric care at Khombedza Health Centre in Salima District, Central Region of Malawi. The study design was cross sectional and utilized qualitative data collection and analysis methods. The target population consisted of postnatal mothers who delay in arriving at Khombedza Health Centre for basic emergency obstetric care in Salima District of the Central Region in Malawi. Purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample of 15 mothers. Data was collected through in-depth interview using a semi-structured questionnaire. Content analysis was used to analyse the data and the emerging themes and sub themes are reported as results of the study. The majority of the mothers were in the age group of 20-35 years with the age range of 18-40 and the mean age of 25 years. The majority of the mothers had some primary school education and they were all married. All the postnatal mothers attended antenatal care. The emerging themes from the participants’ narrations were: decision to seek care, access to care, distance and cost. Most of the participants lacked knowledge on birth preparedness and recognition of obstetric danger signs. The finding further indicated that the midwives did not provide quality ANC, and information content was very low. Generally participants were satisfied with the care they received from the facility. The study identified poor comprehension of knowledge and practices about preparation for birth and its complication by mothers in the area. Client education about preparation for birth and its complication and empowerment of women through expansion of educational opportunities are important steps in improving birth preparedness and complication readiness among women. Antenatal care clinics should give due emphasis to preparation for birth and its complication and provide information and education to all pregnant women to prevent delay in accessing obstetric care.