Abstract
BackgroundThe maternal mortality ratio in the Philippines remains high; thus, it will be difficult to achieve the Millennium Development Goals 5 by 2015. Approximately two-thirds of all maternal deaths occur during the postpartum period. Therefore, we conducted the present study to examine the current state of postpartum health care service utilization in the Philippines, and identify challenges to accessing postpartum care.MethodsA questionnaire and knowledge test were distributed to postpartum women in the Philippines. The questionnaire collected demographical characteristics and information about their utilization of health care services during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The knowledge test consisted of 11 questions regarding 6 topics related to possible physical and mental symptoms after delivery. Sixty-four questionnaires and knowledge tests were analyzed.ResultsThe mean time of first postpartum health care visit was 5.1±5.2 days after delivery. Postpartum utilization of health care services was significantly correlated with delivery location (P<0.01). Women who delivered at home had a lower rate of postpartum health care service utilization than women who delivered at medical facilities. The majority of participants scored low on the knowledge test.ConclusionWe found inadequate postpartum health care service utilization, especially for women who delivered at home. Our results also suggest that postpartum women lack knowledge about postpartum health concerns. In the Philippines, Barangay health workers may play a role in educating postpartum women regarding health care service utilization to improve their knowledge of possible concerns and their overall utilization of health care services.
Highlights
Through the Millennium Development Goals 5 (MDGs5), countries have committed to reducing the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015 [1]
The major causes of maternal death in the Philippines in 2009 were complications occurring during the course of pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period (41.0%) such as pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH; 32.1%) and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH; 17.9%) [9,10,11]
This indicates that many maternal deaths occur during pregnancy and delivery and during the postpartum period [12] [13]
Summary
Through the Millennium Development Goals 5 (MDGs5), countries have committed to reducing the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015 [1]. Four measures have been undertaken to improve the MMR in the Philippines: 1) the implementation of a capacity-enhancement project for midwives in maternal and newborn care [5], 2) education by hospitals on the Safe Motherhood Policy [6], 3) the establishment of facilities to provide emergency obstetric care for every 125,000 members of the population [7], and 4) the recommendation of at least four visits for antenatal care [8]. The major causes of maternal death in the Philippines in 2009 were complications occurring during the course of pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period (41.0%) such as pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH; 32.1%) and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH; 17.9%) [9,10,11]. We conducted the present study to examine the current state of postpartum health care service utilization in the Philippines, and identify challenges to accessing postpartum care
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