Assessment of the Quality of Prenatal Consultations in the Regions of Kandi-Gogounou-Segbana in the Northern Benin

Introduction: Care during pregnancy is important for the health of the mother and the development of the unborn baby. Objective: To evaluate the quality of Refocused Prenatal Consultations (RPNC) in one health zone of the Northern Benin. Patients and methods: This is a prospective and evaluative study carried out from March 20th to May 25th, 2017 in twelve health centers at the Kandi-Gogounou-Segbana health zone (KGS) in northern Benin. Sampling is systematic with extensive recruitment. The study included all midwives practicing in the study area and all pregnant women received by these midwives at one of the twelve public health centers of the KGS health zone during the study period. Each midwife and each pregnant woman are included after oral consent. Results: The quality of the Prenatal Consultation (PNC) at the KGS health zone in the Northern Benin is unsatisfactory (76.9%). Several steps of RPNC (Reception of pregnant, physical examination, tasks after examination, counseling/advices) were insufficiently executed. The best executed steps are Prevention care (92.8%), prenatal check-up (92.0%) and Interview/interrogation (91.3%). The quality of the RPNC is compromised by the lack of control and monitoring of norms and standards in force in Benin.