Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Nursing Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Sokoto, Nigeria
  • 2 Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
  • 3 Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
  • 4 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Health Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria
  • 5 Department of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
Birth, 2023 Sep;50(3):587-595.
PMID: 36226886 DOI: 10.1111/birt.12681

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The majority of women in Sokoto, Nigeria prefer homebirths, but midwives are reluctant to provide care in the home setting. As such, many women continue to give birth at home alone or assisted by untrained attendants, which is associated with an increased risk for maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.

METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted among 226 midwives from 10 health care facilities. The intervention group received an educational program on home birth. A validated questionnaire that evaluated knowledge, attitudes, norms, perceived control, and intention to provide planned home birth care was given at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at three-months follow-up. Data were analyzed using linear mixed-effect model statistics.

RESULTS: Following the intervention, the intervention group demonstrated higher knowledge and more positive attitudes, norms, perceived control, and intention to provide planned home birth care compared with the control group (P  0.05).

DISCUSSION: Educating midwives on planned home birth increases their willingness to provide planned home birth care. Health system administrators, policymakers, and researchers may use similar interventions to promote skilled home birth attendance by midwives. Increasing the number of midwives who are willing to attend planned home births provides women at low risk for medical complications with safer options for labor, delivery, and postpartum care.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.