Pregnant women and health professionals' perceptions toward birth preparedness and complication readiness in Oromia, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Background: Birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPCR) is a strategy that promotes the timely use of skilled maternal and neonatal care among pregnant women. Positive pregnancy outcomes can be achieved by appropriate birth preparedness and emergency complication readiness planning.

Objective: To explore the perceptions, benefits, awareness, and barriers of BPCR among pregnant women and health professionals at the antenatal care (ANC) clinic in the Oromia Region, Ethiopia.

Design: An exploratory, phenomenological descriptive qualitative study conducted from March 20 to April 24, 2022.

Methods: Three focus group discussion (FGD) sessions were conducted with 36 purposefully selected pregnant women attending ANC clinics. Key informant in-depth interviews (KIIs) were held with nine health professionals in Arsi Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia, using an interview guide. The data were analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach.

Results: Among the FGD participants, 19 reside in urban areas and 17 in rural areas. The KII participants comprised six midwives, two health officers, and a nurse. The participants mentioned their perception of BPCR during pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period, obstetric danger signs, and barriers to BPCR. Different sources of information on BPCR were mentioned, including friends, neighbors, health professionals, and family. The study showed that the participants were unfamiliar with the major BPCR components. The health professionals planned to educate pregnant women during ANC visits to enhance the adequacy of their BPCR plans. Facilitating husband support, increasing health facility accessibility, economic empowerment, and transport access will enable pregnant women to develop adequate BPCR plans.

Conclusion: This study's findings indicated that most participants did not focus strongly on BPCR plans because of low awareness, lack of support from husbands, family, and the community, poor infrastructure, and improper handling by health professionals. To increase service utilization, husbands, families, and the community should be informed about the benefits of the BPCR plan for pregnant women.