Knowledge and Utilization of Partograph Among Health Care Professionals in Public Health Institutions of Bale Zone, Southeast Ethiopia
Knowledge and Utilization of Partograph Among Health Care Professionals in Public Health Institutions of Bale Zone, Southeast Ethiopia
Public Health
Original Research
Article history: Background: Partograph has been shown to be an efficacious tool for monitoring labor and
Received 22 December 2014 identifying women in need of an obstetric intervention. Therefore, the aim of this study
Received in revised form was to assess knowledge and utilization of partograph among health care professionals in
28 December 2015 public health institutions of Bale zone, Southeast Ethiopia.
Accepted 28 February 2016 Study design: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February 1st to
Available online 31 March 2016 March 30, 2014.
Methods: Single population proportion sample size determination formula was used to
Keywords: calculate the sample size and it was 401. Simple random sampling was employed to select
Partograph both the health facilities as well as study subjects. Data were collected using pretested
Knowledge structured questionnaire. It was analyzed by SPSS for windows version 16.0. Descriptive,
Utilization binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted. Statistically signifi-
Bale zone cant tests were declared at a level of significance of P value <0.05.
Ethiopia Results: One hundred and forty (38.5%) and 224 (61.5%) study subjects have a poor and good
level of knowledge about partograph, respectively. The magnitude of partograph utilization
was 70.2%. Variables having statistically significant association with good level of knowl-
edge about partograph were being midwives (AOR ¼ 7.70, 95% CI ¼ 2.38, 24.94), being nurses
(AOR ¼ 0.40, 95% CI ¼ 0.19, 0.85) and being graduated from governmental higher institution
(AOR ¼ 2.04, 95% CI ¼ 1.22, 3.42). Additionally, being female health professionals
(AOR ¼ 2.39, 95% CI ¼ 1.17, 4.89), being hospital staff (AOR ¼ 17.78, 95% CI ¼ 2.32, 135.98)
and receiving training about partograph (AOR ¼ 2.94, 95% CI ¼ 1.15, 7.54) have statistically
significant association with partograph utilization.
Conclusions: More than half of the respondents have a good level of knowledge about par-
tograph. A significant number of study subjects reported use of partograph to monitor
women in labour. It is recommended to provide periodic on-job training on partograph to
all obstetric caregivers especially for nurses and public health officers to improve their
knowledge.
© 2016 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
* Corresponding author. P. O. Box 302, Bale Goba, Ethiopia. Tel.: þ251 912057720 (mobile).
E-mail addresses: desalegnmarkos@yahoo.com (D. Markos), dbogale386@gmail.com (D. Bogale).
1
P. O. Box 302, Bale Goba, Ethiopia. Tel.: þ251 912 818117 (mobile).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2016.02.026
0033-3506/© 2016 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Results
Out of the total 401 respondents planned for the study, 364
were successfully interviewed yielding the response rate of
91.0%.
Out of the total study subjects, 317 (87.1%) worked in Health Fig. 1 e Source of information about partograph among
Centers. One hundred and ninety-one (52.5%) study subjects respondents in public health institution of Bale zone,
were male. Regarding their educational status, 287 (78.8%) Oromia region, Southeast Ethiopia, 2014.
study subjects were diploma holders. Two hundred and
twenty-one (60.7%) respondents were nurses followed by
midwives (27.2%). About 242 (66.2%) respondents had gradu-
Knowledge on partograph
ated from governmental higher institutions (Table 2).
Two hundred and forty-eight (68.1%) respondents reported
Source of information about partograph that they knew about partograph. Of them, 202 (81.1%) study
subject correctly defined partograph. Among component of
A majority of respondents (78.2%) reported that university/ partograph, fetal heart rate was identified by the majority of
college was their primary source of information about parto- respondents (83.5%), followed by cervical dilatation (83.1%).
graph followed by in-service training episode (23.4%) (Fig. 1). Color of liquor was the least (23.0%) mentioned section of
partograph (Table 3). Generally, 140 (38.5%) and 224 (61.5%) of
them have a poor and good level of knowledge about parto-
Table 2 e Background characteristics of the respondents graph, respectively.
in public health institutions of Bale Zone, Oromia region,
Southeast Ethiopia, 2014.
Utilization of partograph
Variable Frequency Percentage
Sex Among those respondents who were aware of partograph
Male 191 52.5
(248), about 174 (70.2%) reported that they used partograph
Female 173 47.5
while attending labor. Of which, 76 (43.7%) respondents re-
Age in years
20e29 297 81.6 ported that they used it routinely, 70 (40.2%) sometimes and 28
30e39 42 11.5 (16.1%) rarely. The most common reasons forwarded for non-
40þ 25 6.9 utilization were little knowledge (44.9%), followed by it is
Mean (±SD) 27.5 (6.5) much detail to fill (30.4%) (Fig. 2).
Marital status
Single 152 41.8
Married 212 58.2
Professional qualification
Table 3 e The proportion of health care professionals who
Midwife (Diploma þ BSc) 99 27.2
correctly identified the components partograph in labor
Public Health Officer 44 12.1
assessment in public health institutions of Bale zone,
Nurse (Diploma þ BSc) 221 60.7
Oromia region, Southeast Ethiopia, 2014.
Level of education Knowledge of partograph Frequency Percentage
Diploma 287 78.8 components (n ¼ 364)
Bachelor of science 77 21.2
Cervical dilatation 202 83.1
From where did you graduate?
Fetal heart rate 203 83.5
Private 122 33.5
Uterine contraction 175 72.0
Government 242 66.5
Descent of presenting part 110 45.3
Work place
Maternal blood pressure 187 77.0
Health center 47 12.9
Maternal pulse 151 62.1
Hospital 317 87.1
Color of liquor 56 23.0
Professional tenure
Maternal temperature 115 47.3
<5 year 244 67.0
Oxytocin regimen 71 29.2
10e10 year 85 23.4
Intravenous fluids and drugs 59 24.3
11e20 year 17 4.7
Urine test results 59 24.3
>20 year 18 4.9
Range 37 N.B this cannot be sum up to hundred percent because of the
Median (±variance) 3 (±42.8) possibility of multiple response.
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Table 4 e Factors affecting respondents' knowledge on partograph in public health institutions of Bale Zone, Oromia
region, Southeast Ethiopia 2014.
Variable Overall knowledge COR (95% CI) AOR (95% CI)
Poor [N (%)] Good [N (%)]
Sex
Male 86 (45.0) 105 (55.0) 1 1
Female 54 (31.2) 119 (68.8) 1.80 (1.17, 2.77) 0.94 (0.56, 1.58)
Age in years
20e29 108 (36.4) 189 (63.6) 1.89 (0.83, 4.30)
30e39 19 (45.2) 23 (54.8) 1.31 (0.48, 3.53)
40þ 13 (52.0) 12 (48.0) 1
Type of institution
Hospital 12 (25.5) 35 (74.5) 1.97 (0.98, 3.95)
Health Center 128 (40.4) 189 (59.6) 1
Profession
Midwife (Diploma þ BSc) 5 (5.1) 94 (94.9) 7.05 (2.30, 21.55) 7.70 (2.38, 24.94)
Nurse (Diploma þ BSc) 123 (55.7) 98 (44.3) 0.29 (0.14, 0.61) 0.40 (0.19, 0.85)
Public Health Officer 12 (27.3) 32 (72.7) 1 1
From where did you graduate?
Private 72 (59.0) 50 (41.0) 1 1
Government 68 (28.0) 174 (71.9) 3.68 (2.33, 5.81) 2.04 (1.22, 3.42)
Year of service
<5 year 86 (35.2) 158 (64.8) 1
Over five year 54 (45.0) 66 (55.0) 0.66 (0.42, 1.03)
Receive training on partograph
Yes 3 (5.6) 51 (94.4) 2.06 (0.59, 7.19)
No 21 (10.8) 173 (89.2) 1
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Table 5 e Factors affecting utilization of partograph in public health institutions of Bale Zone, Oromia region, Southeast
Ethiopia, 2014.
Variable Overall utilization COR (95% CI) AOR (95% CI)
Not utilized [N (%)] Utilized [N (%)]
Sex
Male 51 (42.1) 70 (57.9) 1 1
Female 23 (18.1) 104 (81.9) 3.29 (1.84, 5.87) 2.39 (1.17, 4.89)
Age
20e29 63 (30.6) 143 (69.4) 2.64 (0.85, 8.19) 1.43 (0.39,5.17)
30e39 4 (13.8) 25 (86.2) 7.29 (1.59, 33.25) 4.73 (0.90, 24.85)
40þ 7 (53.8) 6 (46.2) 1 1
Profession
Midwife (Diploma þ BSc) 16 (16.7) 80 (83.3) 3.75 (1.59,8.84) 1.13 (0.37, 3.46)
Nurse (Diploma þ BSc) 43 (36.8) 74 (63.2) 1.29 (0.59, 2.78) 0.82 (0.33, 2.02)
Public Health Officer 15 (29.8) 20 (57.1) 1 1
From where did you graduate?
Private 20 (31.2) 44 (68.8) 1
Government 54 (29.3) 130 (70.7) 1.09 (0.59, 2.02)
Type of institution
Hospital 1 (2.9) 34 (97.1) 17.72 (2.37, 132.13) 17.78 (2.32, 135.98)
Health center 73 (34.3) 140 (65.7) 1 1
Length of experience
<5 year 56 (31.6) 121 (68.4) 1
>¼5 year 18 (25.4) 53 (74.6) 1.36 (0.73, 2.53)
Receive training on partograph
Yes 7 (13.0) 47 (87.0) 3.54 (1.51, 8.26) 2.94 (1.15, 7.54)
No 67 (34.5) 127 (65.5) 1 1
of knowledge on partograph.15 But, it is not in agreement the study conducted in south western Nigeria,12 in Port-Said
with the finding of the study done in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Ismailia Cities in Egypt,14 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia4 and
where more than half of respondents had fair knowledge of in North Shoa Zone, Centeral Ethiopia.16 The possible reason
partograph, while less than half of them had good knowl- could be due to the difference in study period where this study
edge and few had poor knowledge of partograph.4 This was conducted in a time where more attention for maternal
difference could be due the difference in study setup where health was given and a difference in way of assessing
the majority of our study participants were enrolled from utilization.
rural health centers in addition to a few urban health cen- The odds of partograph utilization were about two times
ters, as well as including all functional departments that greater among female health professionals than males. The
might have low training opportunity. This is further evi- possible justification for this finding could be due to the fact
denced by their source of information about partograph that majority of females in this study were midwifes and it
where university/college and training were their sources for was these group who received training on partograph which is
78.2% and 23.4% of study subjects, respectively. But in Addis one of the predictor variable for utilization of partograph.
Ababa and Amhara regions, university/college was the Again, the odds of partograph utilization were almost three
source of information for 53.2% and about training for times higher among participants who received training on
81.7%, respectively. partograph than those who did not. It is consistent with the
The odds of good level of knowledge about partograph finding of the study done in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.4
among midwives were eight times higher than public health Furthermore, the odds of partograph utilization were
officers. On the other hand, the odds of good knowledge nearly 18 times higher among hospital staff than health center
regarding partograph among nurses was 60% less likely when staff. It is not in agreement with the finding of the study done
compared with public health officers. This is in agreement in Addis Ababa.4 This difference could be due to the difference
with the study finding done in Port-Said and Ismailia Cities in in close supervision made by senior obstetricians and gyne-
Egypt, where 98.6% of nurses had unsatisfactory knowledge.14 cologists in hospitals, unlike health centers. It could also be
On the other hand, the odds of good level of knowledge due to the fact that the majority of obstetric care provider in
about partograph were two times higher among respondents hospital were midwifes and it was the majority of midwifes
who had graduated from governmental higher institutions (74.1%) who received training on partograph which is one of
than private institution graduates. This finding could give the independent predictors of partograph utilization.
some insight to check the curriculum of private teaching in- As limitation of this study, socially desirable bias may not
stitutions to assess whether they have included or not the be totally avoided in reporting for the question that ask utili-
issue of partograph on their curriculum. zation of partograph because professionals might feel shame
The magnitude of partograph utilization among re- to respond saying ‘no’ for utilization question in this current
spondents was 70.2%. It is not in agreement with the finding of situation where great emphasis for maternal health is given.
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