Awareness, Acceptance and Practice of Birth Preparedness and Complication (S) Readiness in a University Teaching Hospital

BACKGROUND: Birth preparedness is a comprehensive strategy to improve the use of skilled providers at birth and the key interventions to decrease maternal mortality. It is the process of planning for normal birth and anticipating actions needed in case of emergency. This is based on the theory that preparing for childbirth and being ready for complications reduces delays in obtaining this care. OBJECTIVES: To assess the awareness, acceptance and practice of birth preparedness and complication readiness among women attending antenatal care in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from 1st September to 31st October 2017. Data was collected using pre-tested structured questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS version 20. RESULTS: The awareness, acceptance and practice of birth preparedness and complication readiness in this study were good. Majority, 206 (75.7 %) of the respondents were aware of the concept of birth preparedness and complication readiness while 244 (89.4 %) had good acceptance of the concept. Most, 222 (83.1 %) of the respondents were well prepared for birth and its complications. CONCLUSION: Continuous health education about Birth preparedness and complications readiness should be maintained in order to sustain and improve the women�s awareness, acceptance and practice of Birth preparedness and Complications Readiness found in this study.