Knowledge, attitude and practice of healthcare providers on maternal deaths causes in Dhamar Governorate, Yemen

Abstract

Background: Sufficient awareness about the causes of maternal deaths among healthcare providers greatly contributes in reducing the incidence and prevalence of maternal deaths. Aim: This study investigated the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of the healthcare providers towards maternal deaths causes in Dhamar Governorate, Yemen. Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional survey conducted at the public and private health facilities in Dhamar Governorate, between 2019 and 2020. Using designed-semi-structured questionnaire, demographic and professional characteristics of the participants and their KAP toward maternal deaths were collected. Results: A total of 167 respondents, aged 22-50 years (mean± SD: 29.33± 6.00 years) were enrolled in the study. Majority of the participants were females 97.6% (153), aged 22-29 years 65.3% (109). Most of the participants were working as midwifes 43.1% (72) followed by nurses, gynecologist & obstetricians, general practitioners, and consultants (29.3%, 7.2%, 18.6% and 1.8%, respectively). Almost half (50.9%) of the participants had work experience of one to five Years. About two thirds (64.7%) of the participants had moderate level of knowledge on maternal mortality causes, whereas 28.1%, and 7.2% had good to poor knowledge, respectively. The overall rate of the participants' attitude on agreement toward the factors that contribute in increasing maternal deaths was 81.4%. Conclusion: This study shows inadequate knowledge of the medical staff on maternal mortality and causes. On the other hand, these healthcare providers show good attitude and practice on such health problem. Further investigation is required to understand the reasons for this gap. Reduction of MMR requires improvement of knowledge and skills through creating in-service training opportunities for both practitioners and mid-level healthcare providers.