Awareness of mothers coming to obstetric wards of allied hospitals regarding neonatal care and the working of community health workers in their districts

INTRODUCTION: Neonatal mortality remains a significant challenge not only to the world,but especially to a developing country like Pakistan. It can be majorly attributed to the sub-par healthcare, insufficient and under-recognised community health workers, and the lack of knowledge of proper newborn care on the part of the parents. This study targets the level of knowledge of the mothers and the services provided by community health care workers as the main factors determining neonatal care. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the OBS (obstetrics) wards of Hospitals affiliated with Rawalpindi Medical University from January 2022 to June 2022. The sample size was 138. Data was collected by one-on-one interviews, using a standardized USAID Community Health Worker Assessment and Improvement Matrix questionnaire. Data analysis was done using SPSS v28. Chi-square test was applied to check for significance. RESULTS: Out of the total 138 participants, 47.8% (n = 66/138) were between the ages of 21–25. Results showed that women between the ages of 21–25 (P = 0.000058) and women who had their first child between the ages of 23–27 had good knowledge about neonatal care. 45% (n = 62/138) of the participants had poor knowledge of neonatal care, whereas 55% (n = 76/138) had good knowledge (P = 0.000002). As for the role of community health workers, only 20–30% of the participants were being provided with their services; hence their performance was not found to be adequate. CONCLUSIONS: The world of medicine is moving rapidly toward a new framework of the health systems in which the real foundation will be based on what actually takes place in the community, therefore, community health workers can play an important role in improving maternal and neonatal care. Family-centered care, appropriate age of first conception and motherhood, and proper guidance to first-time parents can ensure significant improvement in neonatal care in the future.