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Infection Control Practices Associated with Puerperal Sepsis in Harare City Maternity Units

Received: 22 November 2018     Accepted: 25 December 2018     Published: 29 January 2019
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Abstract

The time of childbirth are responsible for about ten percent of maternal deaths and contribute to severe morbidity as well as long-term disability among many women. Such infections are also termed puerperal sepsis and these are more prevalent in low to medium countries. Puerperal sepsis is preventable by simple and low cost solutions such as handwashing at the time of delivery, damp dusting and use of sterile equipment. The Harare City health department recorded puerperal sepsis as the third cause of maternal mortality, accounting for 18.1% of all maternal deaths recorded for the year 2016. The study sought to determine infection prevention and control practices associated with puerperal sepsis in Harare City maternity units. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was employed and data was purposively collected from 84 midwives from 12 polyclinics. Observational walks through visits were carried out to solicit infection control practices and availability of relevant inventory before recording on the checklist. Nurses had above average knowledge on infection and prevention control, however this did not translate to good infection and prevention control practices. The majority of midwives (83%) had not attend infection prevention and control trainings during the previous year and there was a major challenge of stock-outs of basic consumables and equipment such as surgical gloves and elbow taps.

Published in Central African Journal of Public Health (Volume 5, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.cajph.20190501.15
Page(s) 31-35
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2019. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Infection, Control, Prevention, Puerperal, Harare

References
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[2] Khan KS, Wojdyla D, Say L, Gulmezoglu AM, Van Look PF. WHO analysis of causes of. Maternal death: a systematic review. Lancet. 2006; 367(9516):1066-74.
[3] Shamshad, Shamsher, S and Rauf B. (2010). Puerperal Sepsis Still a Major Threat For.Parturient Department of Gynecology, Khyber Girls Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan.
[4] World Health Organization. (2015). Recommendations for Prevention and Treatment of Maternal Peripartum Infections, Highlights and Key Messages from the World Health Organization: Global Recommendations. WHO Press, Geneva.
[5] Hussein J. & Walker L. (2012). Puerperal sepsis in Low – and middle income settings: Past, present and future. Royal college of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
[6] Khaskheli, M., Baloch, S., & Sheeba A. (2013).Risk factors and complications of puerperal sepsis at a tertiary healthcare center
[7] Hussein J, Mavalankar D. V, Sharma S and D'Ambruoso L. (2011). A review of health system infection control measures in developing countries: what can be learned to reduce maternal mortality
[8] World Health Organization (2015) Trends in Maternal Mortality 1990-2015: Geneva, Switzerland.
[9] Ngonzi, J. ,Yarine, F. T. ,Mukasa, P. K.,Salongo, W., Kabakyenga, J., Sezalio, W., Wouters, K., Yves Jacquey, Y. & Geertruyde J.(2016). Puerperal sepsis, the leading cause of maternal deaths at a Tertiary University Teaching Hospital in Uganda.
[10] Mlambo, C, Chinamo C, & Zingwe T. (2013). An Investigation of the Causes of Maternal Mortality in Zimbabwe: Harare Zimbabwe.
[11] Harare 24. (2014, August 9). Harare 24. Retrieved from Poor Health services force expectant mothers to turn to Vapositori: Available at: http://harare24.com/index-id-news-zk-22333.html.
[12] UNICEF. (2014). Zimbabwe 2012 Population census results, Harare Province. Harare, Zimbabwe: UNICEF & ZIMSTAT.
[13] Herakova, L. (2012). Nursing masculinity: Male nurses’ experiences through a co-cultural lens. Howard Journal of Communications, 23(4):332-350.
[14] Kayombo, E. J. (2013). Impact of Training traditional birth attendants on maternal mortality and morbidity in Sub-Saharan African countries. Tanzania Journal of Health Research Volume 15, Number 2.
[15] Fashafsheh I, Ayed A, Eqtait F, Harazneh L (2015) Knowledge and Practice of Nursing Staff towards Infection Control Measures in the Palestinian Nursing Department, Arab American University: Palestine Journal of Education and Practice (Online) Vol.6, No.4.
[16] Mgongo (2010). Post caesarean section wound sepsis at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital: University of Nairobi.
[17] Mathur, P. (2011). Hand hygiene: Back to the basics of infection control. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249958/.
[18] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Hand hygiene basics.http://www.cdc.gov/handhygiene/Basics.html.
[19] Sarani, H., Balouchi, A., Masinaeinezhad, N. & Ebrahimitabs E. (2014). Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Nurses about Standard Precautions for Hospital-Acquired Infection in Teaching Hospitals Affiliated to Zabol University of Medical Sciences.
[20] Yakob E., Lamaro, T and Henok A. (2015). Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Infection Control Measures among Mizan-Aman General Hospital Workers, South West Ethiopia. Department of Nursing, Mizan-Tepi University, Mizan, Ethiopia
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  • APA Style

    Elizabeth Tirivavi, Violet Chikanya, Paddington Tinashe Mundagowa. (2019). Infection Control Practices Associated with Puerperal Sepsis in Harare City Maternity Units. Central African Journal of Public Health, 5(1), 31-35. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20190501.15

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    ACS Style

    Elizabeth Tirivavi; Violet Chikanya; Paddington Tinashe Mundagowa. Infection Control Practices Associated with Puerperal Sepsis in Harare City Maternity Units. Cent. Afr. J. Public Health 2019, 5(1), 31-35. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20190501.15

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    AMA Style

    Elizabeth Tirivavi, Violet Chikanya, Paddington Tinashe Mundagowa. Infection Control Practices Associated with Puerperal Sepsis in Harare City Maternity Units. Cent Afr J Public Health. 2019;5(1):31-35. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20190501.15

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  • @article{10.11648/j.cajph.20190501.15,
      author = {Elizabeth Tirivavi and Violet Chikanya and Paddington Tinashe Mundagowa},
      title = {Infection Control Practices Associated with Puerperal Sepsis in Harare City Maternity Units},
      journal = {Central African Journal of Public Health},
      volume = {5},
      number = {1},
      pages = {31-35},
      doi = {10.11648/j.cajph.20190501.15},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20190501.15},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.cajph.20190501.15},
      abstract = {The time of childbirth are responsible for about ten percent of maternal deaths and contribute to severe morbidity as well as long-term disability among many women. Such infections are also termed puerperal sepsis and these are more prevalent in low to medium countries. Puerperal sepsis is preventable by simple and low cost solutions such as handwashing at the time of delivery, damp dusting and use of sterile equipment. The Harare City health department recorded puerperal sepsis as the third cause of maternal mortality, accounting for 18.1% of all maternal deaths recorded for the year 2016. The study sought to determine infection prevention and control practices associated with puerperal sepsis in Harare City maternity units. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was employed and data was purposively collected from 84 midwives from 12 polyclinics. Observational walks through visits were carried out to solicit infection control practices and availability of relevant inventory before recording on the checklist. Nurses had above average knowledge on infection and prevention control, however this did not translate to good infection and prevention control practices. The majority of midwives (83%) had not attend infection prevention and control trainings during the previous year and there was a major challenge of stock-outs of basic consumables and equipment such as surgical gloves and elbow taps.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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    AU  - Elizabeth Tirivavi
    AU  - Violet Chikanya
    AU  - Paddington Tinashe Mundagowa
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    JF  - Central African Journal of Public Health
    JO  - Central African Journal of Public Health
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    AB  - The time of childbirth are responsible for about ten percent of maternal deaths and contribute to severe morbidity as well as long-term disability among many women. Such infections are also termed puerperal sepsis and these are more prevalent in low to medium countries. Puerperal sepsis is preventable by simple and low cost solutions such as handwashing at the time of delivery, damp dusting and use of sterile equipment. The Harare City health department recorded puerperal sepsis as the third cause of maternal mortality, accounting for 18.1% of all maternal deaths recorded for the year 2016. The study sought to determine infection prevention and control practices associated with puerperal sepsis in Harare City maternity units. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was employed and data was purposively collected from 84 midwives from 12 polyclinics. Observational walks through visits were carried out to solicit infection control practices and availability of relevant inventory before recording on the checklist. Nurses had above average knowledge on infection and prevention control, however this did not translate to good infection and prevention control practices. The majority of midwives (83%) had not attend infection prevention and control trainings during the previous year and there was a major challenge of stock-outs of basic consumables and equipment such as surgical gloves and elbow taps.
    VL  - 5
    IS  - 1
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Author Information
  • College of Health Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Africa University, Mutare, Zimbabwe

  • College of Health Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Africa University, Mutare, Zimbabwe

  • The Clinical Research Centre, Africa University, Mutare, Zimbabwe

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