Journal of Public Health and Diseases

Currently, countries are uniting behind a new target to accelerate the decline of maternal mortality rate (MMR) by 2030. SDG 3 encompasses this target of reducing the global MMR to less than 70 per 100 000 births, with no country having MMR more than twice global average. One of the key requirements for averting MMR is provision of care by skilled birth attendant especially midwives, using and having positive perspective to such a tool as partograph, before, during and after childbirth. Hence, the present study. Stratified sampling was used in selecting facilities. Respondents who met the inclusion criteria were drawn proportionately using simple random sampling. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data entry was done using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS V. 21) while hypotheses testing was done using chi-square and ANOVA at statistically significant level of 0.05. Study variables were scored. Score >3.0 was classified positive perception and <3.0 otherwise while score ≥70% was considered adequate utilization and <70% was considered otherwise. Findings showed age of respondents ranged from 39 - 59 years (38 ± 9.8). Two in every five of the respondents had 1 - 5 years of nursing job experience. Respondents had positive perception about partograph (mean 3.7(0.3)) yet inadequate (mean score 55.6%) utilization of the tool. Perception of partograph was significantly positive among respondents from primary facility (ANOVA = 12.38, p = < 0.001) compared to respondents from secondary and tertiary facilities which translated to adequate utilization (χ² = 68.08, df = 2, p = <0.001) of partograph at that level of health care delivery. The study showed that perception and utilization of partograph in the primary health facility was more than in the secondary and tertiary facilities.