Publication:

Management of childbirth complications: personal and professional experiences of healthcare workers in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background Maternal and perinatal mortality continue to pose significant public health challenges globally, despite decades of targeted interventions and initiatives aimed at improving their outcomes, the figures are still high in the sub-Saharan Africa. The study aimed to investigate personal and professional experiences of healthcare workers in Ibadan regarding childbirth complications and ways to mitigate them.

Methods The study population comprises of healthcare workers from both public and private health facilities in Ibadan, Oyo State. A multistage random sampling technique was employed to select respondents who were healthcare workers from health facilities across Ibadan. A questionnaire was administered to them to obtain information on their biodata, the common childbirth complications they know, how they managed such and their suggestions for future mitigation of such complications. Analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28 both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were done.

Results One hundred and thirty-nine (36.9%) of the respondents worked in secondary healthcare facilities, 126 (33.4%) in primary healthcare centres, 75 (19.9%) in tertiary hospitals, and 37 (9.8%) in private clinics. 273 respondents (72.4%) of which 72.4% reported receiving specialized training on postnatal care while 27.6% were not trained. Infections were the most frequently identified complication in both mothers and babies (25%). Respondents’ suggestions for improving postpartum care practices included institutional, systemic, and community-level interventions.

Conclusions Targeted investment in infrastructure, personnel, continuous professional training, and the implementation of evidence-based preventive care strategies at the primary and secondary levels would help mitigate postnatal complications.