Priscilla Reddy
University of the Western Cape, South Africa
Title: Associations between education, continuous professional development and provision of quality obstetric care during labour and neonatal care among nurses and -midwives in South Africa
Biography
Biography: Priscilla Reddy
Abstract
Provision of efficient emergency obstetric care is critical in maternal and child healthcare (MCH) services. The purpose of this paper is to determine the association between education and skills training related to MCH for the provision of adequate neonatal care in South Africa (SA). A self-administered questionnaire was used in this cross-sectional study; to assess healthcare professionals’ education, continuous professional development (CPD) training, and the provision of adequate and sufficient care for the neonates in the MCH services. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation analysis were used to analyze the data, and to ascertain the associations between the measures. Of the 193 respondents, 65.1% were working as registered nurses, whilst 30.8% were registered midwives, the remainder were either staff nurses or enrolled nurses. Certain basic and essential protocols, such as assessing and recording the Apgar score in all neonates at 2 and 5 minutes after birth, were not always conducted at deliveries. There was a significant positive correlation between a CPD training and provision of basic obstetric care for the neonate (r = 0.81). CPD training is a critical intervention in obstetric services where updated knowledge of protocols is necessary to identify and manage high-risk pregnancies and provide efficient neonatal care. A training programme that imparts the correct knowledge and that improves the clinical skills of both registered midwives and nurses, will help reduce the maternal and infant mortality rates in SA.