Postnatal care immediately after birth is a critical component to save lives of mothers and newborns. In resource-limited settings like Ethiopia, women’s reluctance to seek care after birth remains a challenge. A recent study in northwest Ethiopia aimed to assess postnatal care utilization within 48 hours after birth and its influencing factors. The community-based cross-sectional study involved 811 women who had given birth within the last year.
The study found that only 13.3% of women attended postnatal care visits within 48 hours after birth, indicating low utilization compared to similar settings. Factors significantly associated with postnatal care utilization included women with secondary education and above, home visits by health extension workers during pregnancy, higher birth order, delivering at a health facility, and having a short distance to the health facility.
Globally, maternal mortality remains a significant concern, with Sub-Saharan Africa having a high maternal mortality rate. Ethiopia has been working to improve maternal health services to reduce preventable deaths. Despite government efforts, challenges persist in women’s access to and utilization of healthcare services, including inadequate postnatal care attendance.
Studies show that proper maternal healthcare utilization can prevent a significant number of maternal deaths. Early postnatal care is crucial, with a large proportion of maternal deaths occurring within the first 48 hours after birth. Women’s education, place of delivery, antenatal care attendance, advice from healthcare providers, number of children, media exposure, and healthcare accessibility are factors influencing early postnatal care utilization.
The study highlighted the importance of understanding the levels of postnatal care utilization and identifying factors hindering women from seeking care within 48 hours after birth. It emphasized the need for multi-level intervention strategies focusing on maternal health education, community health worker engagement, and improving healthcare facility accessibility to enhance postnatal care utilization within 48 hours. These efforts are essential to improve the quality of life and reduce maternal and neonatal deaths in Ethiopia.
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