Use of the Partogram in the Bamenda Health District, North-West Region, Cameroon: A Cross-Sectional Study
Journal Title: Gynecology and Obstetrics Research – Open Journal - Year 2016, Vol 2, Issue 5
Abstract
Background: The partogram is an effective instrument in the follow-up of labor. It enables timely diagnoses of abnormalities and helps in decision-making. Objectives: This study was carried out to 1) establish and compare the proportion of labor cases followed up with the partogram in primary and secondary healthcare facilities in the Bamenda Health District and 2) appraise the attitudes of the health workers towards the partogram and how those attitudes impact outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in which 383 files were reviewed and 42 questionnaires were administered to health workers. The information extracted from the files focused mainly on the number of partograms used and the standard criteria under study were: cervical dilatation, station, the state of the amniotic fluid and maternal temperature monitored every four hours. Maternal blood pressure, pulse rate and Fetal Heart Rate (FHR) were monitored every hour. Each of the parameters was judged as correctly filled if they met the above criteria; as not correctly filled if the criteria were not met; and as not filled if no information was recorded. Statistical analysis was with Epi-Info™.Results: The results showed that 223(58.2%) deliveries were followed up with the partogram, only 4(1.0%) of which had all the parameters filled to standard. Two hundred and six (86.2%)deliveries in the Bamenda Regional Hospital and 17(11.8%) in the primary healthcare facilities were followed up with the partogram. Forty (95.2%) health workers agreed that the partogram was useful in following up labor.Conclusions: The health workers had a positive attitude towards the partogram, but on the whole it was incorrectly used. The instrument was for the most part unavailable, and even where it was, poor supervision and absence of guidelines on its use led to poor diagnoses. We recommend that supportive supervision and regular in-service training be encouraged; and that partograms and guidelines be made available.
Authors and Affiliations
Thomas Obinchemti Egbe
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP553777
- DOI 10.17140/GOROJ-2-124
- Views 169
- Downloads 0
Bisphenol Compounds on Human Reproduction Health
Bisphenol-A (BPA) is widely used in the plastic industry, and it is one of the well-studied endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Growing evidence raised the concern of BPA having weak estrogenic activity on human healt...
The Three Delays of Maternal Mortality in a Public-Sector Tertiary Teaching Hospital: Is There a Paradigm Shift?
Objective: To describe the three delays of maternal mortality in a public-sector tertiary teaching hospital in one year. Study Design: Retrospective, observational study. Place and Duration of Study: Minia Maternity & Ch...
Analyzing Pregnancy Costs with Finite Mixture Models: An Opportunity to More Adequately Accommodate the Presenceof Patient Data Heterogeneity
The choice of a model in the analysis of patient health care costs and utilization is critical for a clear understanding of the behavior and estimation of quantities like incremental costs or cost-effectiveness. In study...
The Identification of Pregnant Women at Risk for Child Abuse: Methodology
Background: The prevention of child abuse should starts as early as possible in the life of children living in families at risk for abuse. We describe a two-stage selection procedure to identify those pregnant women who...
A Novel Contributor to Endometrial Receptivity: Endometrial Microbiota
In the recent years, our knowledge about human reproductive system has increased with the development of assisted reproductive technologies; however, embryo implantation rate is still around 25-30%.1 Embryo implantation...