Often lifesaving for both mother and child, caesarean section exposes patients to various postoperative risks. It requires high-quality and multidisciplinary management in which nurses play a central role. This study aimed to describe the nursing activities performed and their reporting rate among patients admitted for caesarean section at the Ngaoundere Regional Hospital. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 80 women hospitalized in the Gynaecology-Obstetrics Department of Ngaoundere Regional Hospital for caesarean delivery. Sociodemographic and clinical data of these women, as well as nursing interventions recorded in their medical files, were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed with Excel 2019.Descriptive statistics like average, and percentages were computed to analyze the data. Results showed that from the first to the third postoperative day, participants received an average of two daily doses of medication via different routes. Additionally, on average, two clinical monitoring activities and one other nursing intervention were performed daily for each patient during these three days. Overall, 80,1% of the 2139 medication doses administered, were reported, and 93% of the2362 monitoring activities were reported, whereas only and 15,4% of other 1280 nursing interventions were documented in patients’ medical records. These results highlight the hight frequency of nursing interventions among caesarean patients and point out documentation challenges. They call for greater engagement of nursing staff and coordinators to improve organization and ensure optimal maternal outcomes. Read more

This study examines the socio-economic, cultural, and health system factors influencing maternal malnutrition among pregnant women in Kenema, Sierra Leone. Using a descriptive cross-sectional design, 127 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics were surveyed between January and July 2025. Data were collected through structured questionnaires administered in local languages and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings reveal that poverty is the dominant driver of malnutrition, with 63.8% of respondents earning less than Le5, 000 monthly (approximately $0.25 USD per day), 75.6% skipping meals due to financial constraints, and 66.1% experiencing hunger during pregnancy. Dietary patterns were heavily carbohydrate-based (90.6%), with limited access to protein and micronutrient-rich foods. Adolescent pregnancy was prevalent (43.4%), and most women were single (72.4%), unemployed, or students. Despite high antenatal care attendance (94.5%) and supplement provision (93.7%), adherence to supplementation and nutrition education remained suboptimal. Cultural and religious food restrictions affected a minority, but poverty overshadowed these as the primary barrier. The study concludes that maternal malnutrition in Kenema is a multidimensional issue requiring integrated interventions that address economic vulnerability, food insecurity, adolescent health, and health system strengthening. These findings provide critical evidence for policymakers and health practitioners designing context-specific nutrition programs in similar low-resource settings. Read more

This study sought to reappraise the study Referral counselling method and financial counselling method among mothers in Cross River State, Nigeria. The study was purely a sampling and purposive sampling technique. The questionnaire called (SMCQ) was the instrument used for data collection. The instrument was subjected to face validity by one expert in Guidance and Counselling and two experts in measurement and evaluation in the Faculty of Education, University of Calabar. The reliability estimate of the instrument was established through the Cronbach Alfa reliability method. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was the statistical analysis technique adopted to test the hypotheses under study. All hypotheses were subjected to testing at .05 level of significance. The study showed that women whose referral counselling method was low were significantly different in their safe motherhood practices among women of reproductive age from those whose referral counselling method was either moderate or high. Also Women whose referral counselling method was moderate were significantly different from those who were high in safe motherhood practices among women of reproductive age.From the data analysis, the researcher found that: referral counselling methods andfinancial counselling methods significantly influence safe motherhood practices among women of reproductive age. The financial counselling method had a significant influence on safe motherhood practices among women of reproductive age, a post hoc analysis was employed using Fishers’ Least Significant Difference (LSD) multiple comparison analysis. Based on the findings of the study the researcher recommended among others that disrespectful treatment of mother would discourage them from taking counselling classes and practising safe motherhood and the researcher suggest that perhaps maternal referral counselling usage is low because of the delays mothers encounter in the facilities in the facilities they are referred. Keywords: Referral counselling method and Financial counselling method, maternal Health, childbirth, Focused antenatal care Read more

Background to the study Safe motherhood initiatives emphasize the importance of advance planning for childbirth and readiness for pregnancy-related complications. Nevertheless, many pregnant women continue to experience obstacles such as poverty, transportation difficulties, inadequate awareness, and poor decision-making autonomy, which limit effective preparedness. Birth preparedness and complication readiness is a process of planning for birth and anticipating actions in case of Obstetrics emergencies in order to reduce delay in seeking skilled care and as well maternal mortality. The study seeks to assess the perceived determinants of birth preparedness and complication readiness among pregnant women accessing primary health care services in Oshimili South Local government Area, Delta State. In line with the study two (2) objectives and research questions were drafted and a hypotheses to test for relationships between each variables. Methods: The study employed an analytical cross sectional survey design with a sample size of 337 pregnant women. A self - structured questionnaire was adapted and modified from JHPIEGO. Data collected were collated and analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviation while inferential statistics using Chi-square and Pearson product moment correlation coefficient to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. IBM SPSS version 25 was used to encode quantitative data for analysis. Reliability index was tested at 0.85 using Cronbach's Alpha which depicts a high internal consistency. Result: Result revealed a highest mean score of (M=3.51, SD=0.75) for knowledge of danger signs of labour followed by knowledge of danger signs of pregnancy. The effect of socio-cultural factors on BPCR showed that distance to health facility has the highest mean rating (M=2.89). Hypothesis on relationships between gestational age and knowledge of BPCR showed a Pearson correlation analysis of -0.009 and p-value of 0.876. The result indicated no statistical relationship exists between the variables. Conclusion: knowledge of BPCR are high among pregnant women but practical implementation remains inadequate due to financial, information and structural barriers. Recommendation includes nurses/ midwives should intensify health education on BPCR during ANC as well as actively involve family members to enhance shared decision making and emotional support. Government should provide adequate human resources, essential equipment and priorities referral systems to support skilled. Read more

Patient satisfaction has been identified as a major index in the assessment of quality of healthcare globally. Mothers judge the quality of maternal and child healthcare services received based on their satisfaction with the services provided, thus influencing their utilization of healthcare facilities. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to determine the satisfaction of mothers towards maternal and child healthcare services rendered at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State. Two research questions and three research hypotheses guided the study. Using Taro Yamane’s formula for calculating sample size, a total number of four hundred (400) women were recruited, using convenient sampling techniques. The instrument for data collection was the questionnaire which was validated by three experts and a reliability coefficient of 0.99. Frequency counts and percentages were used to answer the research questions. Findings revealed that the respondents’ satisfaction with the maternal and child health services was above average as 41.5% were very satisfied with the antenatal care services received while 53% identified health providers’ attitude as one of the factors affecting their satisfaction. An association was found to exist between maternal age and satisfaction with quality of care and subsequently utilization of the services. There is no statistically significant relationship between maternal education and parity, and satisfaction with maternal and child health services. The null hypothesis was accepted at P>0.05. Though the overall maternal satisfaction on the maternal and child healthcare services provided was very good, the few domains of dissatisfaction identified need to be addressed by healthcare professionals and policymakers to sustain and improve utilization of orthodox healthcare services amongst mothers, thereby contributing to achieving the third Sustainable Development Goal. Hence, midwives should pay attention to women’s needs and provide opportunities for them to state how they feel and be carried along with their care. Read more