Improving Infection Prevention Practice in Traditional Birth Attendants in Chongwe District, Zambia

Abstract

Traditional birth attendants’ (TBAs’) practice is a source of public health concern due to high rates of infection among women and babies. This Study was undertaken in chongwe district, prompted by an earlier study that revealed poor infection prevention practices among community based TBAs in Lusaka Province. The study aimed to assess the impact of modified Ministry of Health TBA training curriculum on the infection prevention. Knowledge, practice and attitude of TBAs in Chongwe district. A six-phased quasi-experimental study design using a structured interview schedule was administered to 238 participants aged between 22-81 years during the intervention stage. Infection prevention knowledge levels were generally during the needs assessment compared to the post course phase, which showed statistically significant impact resulting in lower infant and maternal morbidity rates (P= O.001). The study had three outputs: the training of 207 TBAs, the production of modified TBA training curriculum, and the creation of a monitoring and evaluation too with performance indicators to be used in documenting the impact of the varied role of TBAs. Further research is recommended in form of randomized control trial.