Knowledge and barriers on correct use of modified guidelines for active management of third stage of labour: a cross sectional survey of nurse-midwives at three referral hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

BACKGROUND: Despite the fact that it is possibly preventable, postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is the global most deadly form of obstetric bleeding, mainly sub-Saharan Africa with at least one-fourth of maternal deaths in East African regions. Active management of third stage of labour (AMTSL) is recommended to prevent PPH. However, AMTSL guidelines have been revised since 2006. OBJECTIVES: To examine the current status of nurse-midwives' knowledge on modified AMTSL guidelines and highlight barriers to AMTSL correct use. METHOD: Descriptive cross sectional survey was conducted to 160 nurse-midwives at three referral hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. One-way, interactive modes ANOVA and Chi square (χ2) test were run in SPSS 21 version to compare the association of independent and dependent variables. RESULTS: Virtually all nurse-midwives knew the first recommended uterotonic (99.4%) and delayed cord clamping (98.8%) protocols as modified. Knowledge was significantly contributed by multiple factors; p=0.001. Reported correct AMTSL use was 46.8% which was significantly affected by AMTSL training (χ2 = 6.732, p = 0.009) and prioritizing atteding an asphyxiated baby (χ2 = 5.647, p = 0.017). CONCLUSION: Regardless of high nurse-midwives' AMTSL knowledge; it is imperative that responsible authorities plan appropriate strategies to solve reported barriers affecting correct AMTSL use.