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A survey of healthcare providers' knowledge and attitudes regarding pain relief in labor for women in Ethiopia

McCauley, Mary ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1446-0625, Stewart, Catriona and Kebede, Birhanu (2017) 'A survey of healthcare providers' knowledge and attitudes regarding pain relief in labor for women in Ethiopia'. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, Vol 17, Issue 56.

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: To explore healthcare providers' knowledge and attitudes to the need for pain relief for women in labor.

METHODS: A structured questionnaire (n = 200) distributed to healthcare providers working in the obstetric departments, including theatres, of three public hospitals in different settings (rural, peri-urban and urban) in Ethiopia. Descriptive analysis was performed using Excel 2013 and SPSS version 22 for associations.

RESULTS: The response rate was 81.5% with 164 questionnaires completed. The majority, 79% of respondents, understood that women can feel moderate to severe pain in labor and 77% were of the opinion that labor pain should be relieved. However, common practices included only supportive measures such as breathing and relaxation exercises, back massage and support from family. The general attitude of healthcare providers is that labor is a natural process, women should be able to cope and that pain relief is not a priority for women in labor. More than half, 52% of healthcare providers had safety concerns with using pharmacological methods to relieve pain in labor.

CONCLUSION: The majority of healthcare providers understand that women suffer significant pain during labor. However, providing effective pain relief is currently not provided as part of routine intra-partum care in Ethiopia.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: W General Medicine. Health Professions > W 21.5 Allied health personnel. Allied health professions
WA Public Health > Health Problems of Special Population Groups > WA 309 Women's health
WA Public Health > Health Problems of Special Population Groups > WA 395 Health in developing countries
WL Nervous System > Sense Organs > WL 700 General works
WQ Obstetrics > Childbirth. Prenatal Care > WQ 160 Midwifery
Faculty: Department: Clinical Sciences & International Health > International Public Health Department
Digital Object Identifer (DOI): https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-017-1237-4
Depositing User: Stacy Murtagh
Date Deposited: 15 Mar 2017 16:58
Last Modified: 06 Feb 2018 13:14
URI: https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/6938

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