Essential newborn care practice and associated factors among Health professionals at rural Gedeo Zone, southern Ethiopia: Cross sec tional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20372/ajhsm.v02i01.04Abstract
Background: The neonatal mortality accounts 43% of child death below 5 year in the globe, and 42% in Ethiopia. There is limited evidence regarding the new born care practice of health professionals in rural Gedeo zone of southern Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to assess the essential newborn care practice and associated factors among health professionals at rural Gedeo zone.
Methods: A facility based cross-sectional study design was employed. A total of 233 health professionals (using systematic random selection method) were participated. The EPI-INFO-Version 3.5 and statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20 software was used for data entry and analysis respectively. Significant association was declared by P-value of < 0.05 with a corresponding 95% confidence interval.
Result: A total of 233 health professionals participated with 100% response rate. Among 233 health professionals, 24% had good essential newborn care practice at 95% CI (19.3, 28.9) and above half, 76.0%, of the health professionals missed one or more steps of essential newborn care practices. Older age [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.18; 95% CI (0.03, 1.12)], female sex [AOR = 3.08; 95% CI (1.07, 8.81)], supportive supervision [AOR = 2.17; 95% CI (1.12, 4.19)], taking in-service training [AOR = 4.85; 95% CI (2.33, 10.10)], and knowing complication of the newborn [AOR = 1.98; 95% CI (1.01, 3.89)] were significantly associated with essential newborn care practice.
Conclusion: More than three-fourth of health professionals missed at least one procedure of essential newborn care practice. The finding recommended that the need to strengthen supportive supervision, in-service training, and improve knowledge on complication of newborn to improve essential newborn care of the health professionals at rural health facilities in Gedeo Zone.
Keywords: Ethiopia, Health Professionals, Neonates, Newborn care Practice
