Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response: An Evaluation of Practices Among Healthcare Workers in South-South, Nigeria
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Keywords
MPDSR practice, maternal death reporting, death review attendance, healthcare workers, Nigeria
Abstract
Background: Despite the formal launch of Nigeria’s Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) national guideline in 2016, limited data exist on actual practice among healthcare workers. This study assessed MPDSR practice and its determinants among healthcare workers in three referral hospitals in Edo State, Nigeria.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 221 healthcare workers in Central Hospital, Benin, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, and Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital. MPDSR practice was assessed using three indicators: having received MPDSR training, having ever reported maternal death, and having attended maternal death reviews. Respondents who engaged in at least two of these three practices were classified as having good practice. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25, with the chi-square test and binary logistic regression. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: Only 50 (22.6%) healthcare workers demonstrated good practice of MPDSR, while 171 (77.4%) had poor practice. Training coverage was critically low (8.6%), one-third (33.9%) had ever reported a maternal death, and 48.9% had attended maternal death reviews; of these, 91.7% were passive attendees only. Multivariate analysis identified older age, good knowledge, and positive attitude toward MPDSR as independent predictors of good practice, while female sex was independently associated with lower odds of good practice (all p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Poor MPDSR practice prevails in the selected hospitals, with critical deficits in training coverage, death reporting, and meaningful review participation. Improving practice requires scaled-up training, strengthened reporting systems, and targeted strategies addressing knowledge, attitudinal, and gender-related barriers.
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Friday Okonofua, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.
Women’s Health and Action Research Center (WHARC), Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.