Background: Birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPCR) is a strategy with specific interventions to reduce pregnancy related morbidity and mortality.
Aim: The study assessed the predictors of optimal birth preparedness and complication readiness among parturient in a tertiary health institution in Nigeria.
Subject and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among parturient at the labor and post-natal wards of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu over a 6 months period. Demographic information and predictors of BPCR were analyzed by descriptive statistics and logistic regression respectively with P value of < 0.05 considered statistically significant.
Results: Of the 420 parturient, 330 (78.6%) and 90 (21.4%) were booked and unbooked respectively. Majority (74.2%) of the booked and about half of the unbooked parturient were knowledgeable about BPCR. Most (92.4%) of the booked parturient were optimally birth prepared at delivery as against 22.2% of the unbooked. Higher parity (adj OR = 3.79; 95% CI = 1.46-9.82, P = 0.01), tertiary educational level (adj OR = 2.98; 95% CI = 1.23-7.20, P = 0.02), regular antenatal visit (adj OR = 2.68; 95% CI = 1.06-6.76, P = 0.04), information received on birth preparedness before delivery (adj OR = 0.21; 95% CI = 0.07-0.61, P = <0.01), and booked status (adj OR = 0.02; 95% CI = 0.01-0.05, P = <0.001) where significant predictors of optimal BPCR.
Conclusion: Encouraging female education, regular antenatal visits, and participation in health talk is advocated to improve BPCR and ultimately reduce maternal and perinatal mortality/morbidity among women in southeast Nigeria.
Keywords: Birth preparedness; Nigeria; complication readiness; predictors.