Marseille 2007
| Abstract #15 - Traditional birth attendants, HIV/AIDS and safe delivery in the Eastern Cape, South Africa: evaluation of a training programme | ||||
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Session: 6.75: Posters A (Poster) on Monday in Chaired by Authors: Presenting Author: Prof Karl Peltzer - HSRC, South Africa |
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| Additional Authors: Prof Karl Peltzer, | ||||
| Aim: Traditional birth attendants (TBAs) are still frequently being utilized in rural areas in South Africa even in the presence of the formal health care facilities. Studies reveal that the utilization of TBAs can be beneficial in some other contexts with some support and supervision from the western health sector. Aim. To evaluate a training programme for TBAs on HIV/AIDS and safe delivery. | ||||
| Method / Issue: The study used a pre-post training evaluation design of 50 TBAs in two primary health care clinic areas in rural South Africa | ||||
| Results / Comments: Most TBAs had some knowledge on risk signs during pregnancy. HIV/AIDS knowledge significantly increased and HIV risk practices when assisting during a delivery significantly reduced at follow-up assessment. Most TBAs were involved in HIV/STI management such as risk assessment, risk reduction counselling, distribution of condoms, community education and home-based care. After the training significantly more TBAs conducted prenatal check-ups, assessed the babys position within the uterus, took the mothers and babys pulse, and less TBAs conducted abnormal or complicated deliveries. | ||||
| Discussion: TBAs can increase their knowledge, improve their attitudes and reduce risk practices after having been trained. TBAs need skilled, equipped available support to carry out basic preventive measures in the obstetric patient, to anticipate and identify obstetric complications, nevirapine prohylaxis, as well as make appropriate and timely referrals backed up with efficient referral mechanisms to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. | ||||
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