KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF PARTOGRAPH AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG OBSTETRIC CARE PROVIDERS IN SAINT PAUL’S HOSPITAL MILLENNIUM MEDICAL COLLEGE

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background-The Partograph is a graphic record of progress of labor, and relevant details of the mother and fetus plotted against time for intra-partum monitoring, providing a pictorial overview of labor. Ethiopia is one of the ten countries contributing to 60% of the global maternal deaths with an estimated maternal mortality ration of 676,000 per 100,000 live births. Though it is recommended for physicians and surrounding health workers to apply the partograph to set reasonable expectations for labor progress, its use is hindered by many factors. Therefore, this study aims to assess the utilization and associated factors of partograph among the obstetric care providers in one of the largest hospitals of the country, SPHMMC. Objective- To assess the utilization and associated factors of partograph in SPHMMC labor ward for labor progress follow up among obstetric health care workers. Methods- An institution based descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study was carried out among the health care providers working in the obstetrics and gynecology department. Self administered questionnaire was used for data collection and analyzed using Statistical package for Social Sciences (SPSS 21) software. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and logistic regression analyses were used to identify the associated factors. Results- Out of 110 obstetric care providers, ninety seven (88.2%) of the care providers had a good knowledge of partograph utilization. While almost 101 (91.8%) of the obstetric care providers in this study had a favorable attitude towards partograph. About 64 (58.2%) of the participants routinely used the modified WHO partograph to monitor women in labor. Amongst others, the main reasons advanced for the non-routine utilization of this tool were “shortage of staff” (27.3%), Conclusion- The findings suggested that the obstetric care providers at St. Paul‟s Hospital Millennium Medical College had good level of knowledge and favorable attitude towards partograph utilization for monitoring labor.