Incidence of and Factors Influencing Complete Postnatal Care Uptake among Mothers Delivering at Kawempe National Referral Hospital

Abstract

Background: The postnatal period is the first 6 weeks after delivery of the baby. Half of the postnatal deaths of both mother and babies occur within the first day and two-thirds of postnatal deaths occur within the first week after delivery. Postnatal Care is one of the measures to curb maternal and neonatal deaths. WHO recommends 4 reviews in the first 6 weeks following delivery for the mothers after delivery? The Ugandan guidelines require a mother to attend at least 3 postnatal reviews during the 6 weeks following delivery. Postnatal care attendance in Uganda is still poor. Objective: To determine the incidence of complete postnatal care uptake and the factors that influence complete postnatal care uptake among mothers who deliver from Kawempe National Referral Hospital. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in Kawempe National Referral Hospital among 350 mothers who had delivered there during the study period. A consecutive sampling technique was used to recruit study participants. Data analysis was done using SPSS. Poisson proportions were used to calculate the incidence proportion with its 95% confidence interval. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to establish the association between complete postnatal care uptake and the various variables. Findings: The general incidence proportion of complete postnatal care was 25.1% [95%CI: (20.2 – 31.0). The significant factors that influenced uptake of complete delivery by caesarean section with AOR of 6.028 (p<0.001) and maternal occupation with AOR of 0.387 and 0.242 for casual labourers and housewives respectively (p<0.05). Conclusions: The uptake of complete PNC was low. The choice of where PNC services were received was mainly based on proximity to the PNC service centre. Mothers who delivered by Caesarean section were more likely to get a complete PNC uptake than those who had vaginal deliveries. Most mothers received information on PNC during their ANC attendance.