Birth Preparedness And Emergency Readiness Plans Of Antenatal Clinic Attendees In Amaku General Hospital Awka, Anambra State Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Background: Maternal mortality is an enormous public health

burden in developing countries of the world. Birth preparedness

and emergency readiness is the process of planning for safe

delivery and anticipating the actions needed in case of emergencies.

When a woman is adequately prepared for normal childbirth and

possible complications, she is more likely to access the skilled and

prompt care she needs to protect her overall health and possibly

save her life and that of her baby. This descriptive study assessed

the birth preparedness and emergency readiness of antenatal clinic

attendees in a secondary health facility in Awka, South eastern

Nigeria.

Methodology: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out

among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at Amaku

General Hospital Awka. The data was collected from the pregnant

women using semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire.

Findings: The mean age of the respondents was 27.9 years with a

standard deviation of 4.5 years. The proportion of the respondents

who were birth prepared was 56% as against 6% who were

emergency ready. Up to 59.8% of the respondents of gestational

age >=20weeks were birth prepared compared to 12.5% of the

respondents of gestational age

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