Prevention of puerperal sepsis in northwest Ethiopia: Knowledge and practice of postnatal women; A multicenter cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: Puerperal sepsis is a life-threatening condition that can lead to death and long-term morbidities of postnatal women, such as chronic pelvic pain, pelvic inflammatory disease, and secondary infertility. Therefore, the study aimed to assess the knowledge and practice of postnatal women at Debre Markos town health facilities toward the prevention of puerperal sepsis and its associated factors. METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 to 30 July 2020. In all, 404 sampled postnatal women took part in the study. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to select each study participant. Data were entered into Epi data 4.6 and analyzed by statistical package for social sciences 25. Multivariate logistic regression was carried out for variables with a p value less than 0.25 in bivariate logistic regression to determine significant associations between the outcome and independent variables. The statistical significance was determined using a 95% confidence interval with a p value of less than 0.05. RESULTS: The study reported that 44.6% and 40.8% of postnatal women had adequate knowledge, and good practice toward the prevention of puerperal sepsis, respectively. Factors associated with knowledge were urban residence [adjusted odds ratio = 5.84, 95% confidence interval = (3.54–9.46)], primiparity [adjusted odds ratio = 1.85, 95% confidence interval = (1.19–2.89)], and attending formal education [adjusted odds ratio = 2.41, 95% confidence interval = (1.11–5.22)] of study participants. Attending formal education [adjusted odds ratio = 2.46, 95% confidence interval = (1.13–5.37)] and having adequate knowledge [adjusted odds ratio = 2.34, 95% confidence interval = (1.49–3.67)] were factors associated with the prevention practice of postnatal women toward puerperal sepsis. CONCLUSION: Less than half of postnatal women had adequate knowledge and good practice to prevent puerperal sepsis. As a result, obstetric caregivers and other concerned bodies should consider strategies to increase the awareness level of women about puerperal sepsis. Interventions to improve the community’s educational level should also be considered.