Factors Influencing Successful Implementation of Antenatal Care Services in Selected Health Centre IV’s in Jinja District Eastern Uganda

Abstract

Maternal mortality is a global public health issue, with an estimated 830 women dying daily due to pregnancy and childbirth-related causes, primarily in the developing world. The use of antenatal care from trained providers is crucial to monitor pregnancy and reduce morbidity and mortality risks for both mother and child during pregnancy and delivery. A prospective descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among health workers in five health Centre IVs in Jinja district, eastern Uganda. The study found that only 17.65% of antenatal care services were implemented fairly. Factors influencing successful implementation included service duration above five years, formal training on implementing guidelines and having facility interventions in place. Factors such as seeing 30 or fewer antenatal clients on each clinic day, not attending antenatal reproductive health training, not having knowledge of antenatal care guidelines, and not using antenatal care guidelines also influenced successful implementation. However, these factors did not show statistical significance in logistic regression analysis. More efforts are needed to improve antenatal service implementation among healthcare providers to achieve the new WHO antenatal care model for a positive pregnancy experience. Keywords: Women, Pregnancy, Antenatal care services, Antenatal health.