Perspective of Health Workers on Birth Companions Involvement in Maternal Care: Mixed Method Study in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Birth companions have been shown to improve the quality of care provided to laboring women. There is a lack of study  exploring the extent of birth companion involvement in Ethiopia.

Objectives: This study was done to determine the knowledge, perspective, and practice of healthcare providers towards the involvement  of birth companions during childbirth.

Methods: The study was done in SPHMMC and three health centers that were randomly selected from the list of catchment health  centers of SPHMMC. It used a cross-sectional study design supplemented by a qualitative study design. The quantitative study used a  structured questionnaire and was undertaken among 51 healthcare providers, and this was augmented by in-depth interviews of  providers.

Results: The finding from the study showed that only 39.2 % of the study participants were knowledgeable about the benefits of birth  companions. Two themes emerged from the in-depth interviews, and these are ‘benefits noticed with birth companions’ and ‘challenges  faced with birth companions’. Most of the health care providers, 82.4 %, didn’t allow birth companions. The reasons mentioned for this  include fear of breach of privacy, interference with routine medical care, and risk of litigation/complaints.

Conclusion: The study has shown that most healthcare providers are against the practice of involving birth companions. Since this  practice is one way to ensure the quality of care provided, there should be an effort to increase the knowledge of health professionals on  the benefits of birth companions. There is also a need for improvement of the work setup.