
Assessment of Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness among Pregnant Women: A Cross-sectional Study
Correspondence Address :
Dr. Rimi Singh,
Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Puducherry-605009, India.
E-mail: rimi9070@yahoo.com
Introduction: Maternal deaths are a significant cause of death in women in the 15-49 years of age group, and they make up a larger proportion of all causes of death in the rural areas of poorer states, compared to other regions of India. Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness (BPACR) is an overarching program to improve the use and effectiveness of maternal and newborn health services, based on the premise that preparing for birth and being ready for complications reduces all three phases of delays in receiving services.
Aim: To assess the level of BPACR among pregnant women.
Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 360 antenatal women admitted at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry, India, over three months. A modified Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynaecology and Obstetrics (JHPIEGO) questionnaire was used for data collection. BPACR steps include arranging a mode of transport, saving money for pregnancy and childbirth, identifying an institute for delivery and arranging a blood donor. Among these participants, those who followed ≤2 practices were considered less prepared, and more were considered well prepared. The Chi-square test was used to demonstrate the difference between study subject characteristics, and the level of significance set at p≤0.05.
Results: Of the 360 participants, 49 (13.6%) had good knowledge about antenatal danger signs, and a significant association was observed with educational status (p-value=0.023), occupational status (p-value=0.072), and number of Antenatal Care (ANC) visits (p-value=0.046). A good knowledge of childbirth danger signs was seen in 19 women, with a significant association observed with education (p-value <0.001), working women (p-value=0.014).
Conclusion: This study revealed that a very small portion of the participants had good knowledge of obstetrical danger signs. Hence, more effort needs to be employed to educate women and motivate them about the importance of regular ANC visits and create awareness about the complications.
Awareness, Interview, Maternal mortality, Obstetric danger signs, Pregnancy
DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2025/74942.20566
Date of Submission: Aug 23, 2024
Date of Peer Review: Nov 01, 2024
Date of Acceptance: Dec 10, 2024
Date of Publishing: Feb 01, 2025
AUTHOR DECLARATION:
• Financial or Other Competing Interests: None
• Was Ethics Committee Approval obtained for this study? Yes
• Was informed consent obtained from the subjects involved in the study? Yes
• For any images presented appropriate consent has been obtained from the subjects. NA
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ETYMOLOGY: Author Origin
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