Knowledge, attitude and practice of danger signs during pregnancy among mothers attending antenatal care at Melka Oda hospital, southeast Ethiopia

Background: Danger signs of pregnancies are a signs that women encounter during pregnancy, child birth and postpartum which is fatal for both Mather and child health. It is important, to know these warning signs for women and health care providers to rule out serious complications and initiate treatment immediately. Objectives: To determine the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of pregnant mothers on danger signs during pregnancy among antenatal care attendants at Malka Oda general Hospital, 2019. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 208 pregnant women attending Antenatal Care from March 11-June 20/2019. A total 208 pregnant mother was selected randomly using Systematic random sampling technique. Data was collected by face to face interview. Data were processed and Analyzed. Results: This study found that 80(38.5%) were heard about obstetric danger signs while 128(61.5%) were not. One hundred ninety-two (92.3%), 15(7.2%) mothers agreed on importance of seeking medical advice on dangerous signs during pregnancy. Sixty-two (29.8%) had experienced any of danger sign during pregnancy. Of those who had experienced any of the danger signs, 59(95.2%) were sought medical care while 3 of the mothers reported that they sought care from traditional birth attendants. Conclusion: The study showed that More than two fourth of the study participants had good knowledge about danger signs during pregnancy and large number of participants had good practice. In addition, almost two over four of the studied pregnant mothers had a positive attitude towards danger sign during pregnancy.