Knowledge of symptoms and signs of puerperal sepsis in a community in north-eastern Nigeria: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Puerperal sepsis is a leading cause of mortality in developing countries. The objective of this study is to determine the knowledge of symptoms and signs of puerperal sepsis. It was a cross-sectional community-based study. Of the 400 respondents interviewed, 289 (72.2%) were between the ages of 20 and 39 years, and most, 374 (93.5%), were married. Only 14 (3.5%) had tertiary education. Most respondents, 224 (56.0%) were farmers and grandmultiparae accounted for 187 (46.7%). A reassuring number of respondents, 265 (66.3%), knew that fever with abnormal vaginal discharge; 252 (63%) fever with foul smelling lochia; 346 (86.4%) fever occurring with lower abdominal pain and 182 (45.5%) knew that fever occurring with prolonged flow of lochia, are all indicators of puerperal sepsis. A total of 53% of respondents were not aware of the causes of puerperal sepsis; 10% believed it is caused by evil spirits. The knowledge of the causes of puerperal sepsis is poor. There is the need to put more emphasis on the causes of puerperal sepsis during antenatal health talks. This could help reduce morbidity and mortality associated with puerperal sepsis.

Keywords::

• Knowledge
• morbidity
• mortality
• puerperal sepsis
• urban community

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.