Self-perceived Competence of Student Midwives on Plotting of Partogram in Labour Units of Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

KEYWORDS Perceptions. Student Midwives. Nursing College. Rural Hospital. Labour Graph ABSTRACT Partogram is a simple, inexpensive decision making tool which gives continuous pictorial overview of labour. It is the easy way to detect prolonged labour.The report on confidential enquiries into Maternal Deaths in South Africa pointed that as many as 27.8% of maternal deaths were due to substandard care, including inappropriate plotting of the partogram and delays in referral once complications occur. The purpose of this study was to determine perceptions of student midwives on their competence with regard to the plotting of partogram during labour.The qualitative research design which was exploratory and descriptive in nature was used. Population comprised of all the student midwives registered with the nursing college under regulation R425. Data was collected through focus group discussion and analysed through open coding method.The results showed that the content taught by college and labour ward staff members on partogram were different and made students to be uncertain of their competence on the plotting. They further expressed the knowledge deficit related to utilisation of a partogram amongst midwives in labour wards. There were contradictions about what is perceived as abnormal during utilisation plotting of partogram.