Basic indices for labour and delivery management in Nigeria
Abstract
Background: One of the key challenges of labour management is the delayed involvement of senior medical personnel due to weak knowledge of basic labour and delivery indices in the health facilities in this environment.Objectives: To determine the mean cervical dilatation at presentation, the mean presentation-delivery interval and the mean cervical dilatation rate of women who presented in active labour at the health facilities.
Materials and Methods: This was a 6 year prospective cross-sectional study of deliveries in 60 secondary health facilities in Nigeria from 1st July, 2003- 31st July, 2008 using the Emergency Obstetric care Register.
Results: Out of the 1,176 deliveries, 909 (77.3%), 120 (10.2%) and 147 (12.5%) were spontaneous vaginal deliveries, dystocic vaginal deliveries and Caesarean sections respectively. The mean cervical dilatation, presentation-delivery interval and the cervical dilatation rate were 7.05cm, 3 hours 29 minutes and 1.36cm/hr respectively. The mean cervical dilatation rate for spontaneous deliveries, assisted deliveries, and caesarean sections were 1.6, 0.7 and 0.5 cm/h respectively.
Conclusion: Adequate labour monitoring by the junior obstetric team for early detection/management of slow progress and review of all women that have not delivered within 6 hours of labour by the experienced obstetric staff will prevent prolonged labour.
Keywords: Labour, Basic delivery indices, Nigeria
Trop J Obstet Gynaecol, 30 (1), April 2013
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